Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
1 The threatening oracle which the prophet Habakkuk saw.
Habakkuk’s Question
2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?
I call out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save!
3 Why do you cause me to see injustice?
Why do you overlook misery?
Devastation and violence confront me.
There is strife, and tensions rise.
4 For this reason the law has become powerless.[a]
Justice is never carried out.
In fact, the wicked overwhelm the righteous
so that justice is perverted.
2 I will stand at my watch post and station myself on the city wall. I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer he will give to my complaint.[a]
The Lord Responds
2 Then the Lord answered me. He said:
Record the vision and write it plainly on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
3 Indeed, the vision is waiting for the appointed time. It longs for fulfillment and will not prove false. If it seems slow in coming, wait for it, because it will certainly come and will not be delayed.
4 Look, his soul is puffed up and is not righteous within him[b]—but the righteous one will live by his faith.[c]
Psalm 37
Do Not Fret Because of Evildoers
Heading
By David.
Do Not Be Frustrated by the Wicked
1 Do not fret because of evildoers.
Do not be envious of those who do wrong,
2 for like grass they will wither quickly.
Like green plants they will wilt.
Trust in God’s Goodness
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good.
Dwell in the land and feed on faithfulness.[a]
4 Take pleasure in the Lord,
and he will grant your heart’s desires.
5 Commit your way to the Lord.
Trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will make your righteousness shine like light,
your justice like noon.
7 Be silent before the Lord. Wait patiently for him.
Do not fret when an evil man succeeds in his ways,
when he carries out his wicked schemes.
Consider the Final Destiny of the Wicked
8 Let go of anger and abandon rage.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the earth.
Greeting and Thanksgiving
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in accordance with the promise of life, which is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my child, whom I love:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clean conscience as my ancestors did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. 4 When I remember your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I remember your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it also lives in you.
Guard the Gospel
6 For this reason I am reminding you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Instead, join with me in suffering for the gospel while relying on the power of God. 9 He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not because of our works, but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 and it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald, apostle, and teacher of the Gentiles,[a] 12 and that is why I am suffering these things. But I am not ashamed, because I know the one in whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
13 Hold fast to the pattern of sound words that you heard from me, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.
Increase Our Faith
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
6 The Lord said, “If you had faith like a mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. 7 Which one of you who has a servant plowing or taking care of sheep will say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at the table’? 8 Won’t the master tell him instead, ‘Prepare my supper, and after you are properly dressed, serve me while I eat and drink. After that you may eat and drink’? 9 He does not thank the servant because he did what he was commanded to do, does he? 10 So also you, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants. We have only done what we were supposed to do.’”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.