From Trials to Triumphs: The Voice of Habakkuk to the Suffering African Christian

By Faustin Ntamushobora and Thomas Finley

The purpose of this book is to encourage people who are struggling with understanding how a loving God seemingly allows evil in the lives of his children-that He jealously protects-and for the maturing of his children-whom He sincerely loves. The book, which is a result of a personal journey in the author's life and ministry, is a remarkable blending of an exposition of the biblical book of Habakkuk and a firsthand account of the contemporary struggles faced by believers in Africa. The author identifies with Habakkuk's struggles and sees how they apply generally to his own fellow Africans.
More than merely identifying with Habakkuk's plight, however, the author also sees how Habakkuk worked through his struggles to a mature view of God's sovereignty and the necessity for a vital faith that trusts the Lord no matter what. This book will encourage you with its positive message of God's ultimate goodness-even in the midst challenging circumstances-and it will motivate you to submit your life to him, so that you may triumph over those circumstances through the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Release date: Jan 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781498271660

Faustin Ntamushobora

Faustin Ntamushobora (PhD, Biola University) is from Rwanda. He is President and CEO of Transformational Leadership in Africa and serves as Adjunct Professor at Biola University and International Leadership University, Nairobi, Kenya. He is the author of From Trials to Triumphs and several articles published in Evangelical Missions Quarterly and Common Ground Journal.

Book preview

From Trials to Triumphs

The Voice of Habakkuk to the Suffering African Christian

Faustin Ntamushobora

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From Trials to Triumphs

The Voice of Habakkuk to the Suffering African Christian

Copyright © 2009 Faustin Ntamushobora. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

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ISBN 13: 978-1-60608-631-5

EISBN 13: 978-1-4982-7166-0

Manufactured in the U.S.A.

To my fellow Christians who share my conviction that God has a wonderful plan for Africa

Acknowledgments

I wish to express my gratitude to all those who helped to make this book a reality. The contribution of many friends has confirmed to me the African proverb, If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go farther, go together. I strongly believe that I was able to complete this book because of many friends who encouraged, proofread, and even made challenging observations about the manuscript.

This book is generally the result of my experience in ministry. I would therefore like to express my appreciation to the church of Limuru Town Baptist where I have been serving for the last five years, practicing what I have written. I also appreciate the African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries, Inc. (ALARM) for exposing me to intercultural and international ministry settings. This exposure has helped me interact with various people whose stories are recorded in the book.

My appreciation goes to Miss Hannah Gituku and Mrs. Helene Maleche, who both read the first draft and gave me constructive suggestions that helped me shape the style of the book. I also appreciate many people who read and gave their observations on the manuscript: Dr. Isaiah Dau, Dr. Mathei E. Talitwala, Dr. Victor Cole, Rev. David Kabibi, and Ms. Leslie Moore. I, however, bear any responsibility of error or theological contention in the book.

May I also express my sincere gratitude to the people I interviewed who granted me permission to record their testimonies in the book. My appreciation goes to Rev. Dan Karami Hassane and Rev. Goodwell Banda and his wife, Catherine Banda.

Finally, I would like to recognize my family for encouraging me. My wife, Salome, and my children, Pelagie, Jean Paul, Jean Pierre, and Gentille, were patient with me when I came home late from working on the book, and when I spent the weekends reading books in libraries.

To God be the glory!

Preface

Some of my friends who read the manuscript of this book encouraged me to explain what motivated me to write it.

My personal life and journey with the Lord were my first motivation for writing this book. I have gone through pain and disappointments in life and have seen God’s presence reassuring me, even after I had asked fundamental questions about life and the place of God in suffering. But the occasion for me to think about writing the book was during my five-year ministry with ALARM in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zambia (2002–07). During my ministry, pastors would always ask me questions about why they were suffering despite living a life that pleased God, and why their communities and countries continued to experience political and social unrest. Some of the pastors would share issues regarding chronic diseases in their families and conflicts in their churches, violence in their communities, betrayal in their ministries, discrimination in the workplace, death and grief in society at large, etc. I used the book of Habakkuk to encourage these pastors, and the feedback was positive.

With time the book of Habakkuk became part of me. I prepared some Bible study material that I taught in a series of devotions that were organized for the staff in the ALARM Nairobi office every Monday. My colleagues gave me constructive feedback. They confessed to have been encouraged and changed by the teaching from the study. I also had the opportunity to preach sermons from the same material in different churches in Africa: Limuru Town Baptist Church, Koinonia Baptist Church, City Harvest Church, and Hope Africa University in Burundi. The feedback from my audiences was always positive. That is how I was encouraged to write this book, which I hope will encourage other people who are struggling with understanding how a loving God seemingly allows evil in the lives of his children for his glory, which he jealously protects, and the maturing of his children, whom he sincerely loves.

I hope that this book will be translated into different African languages so that it may speak to believers in their mother tongues. I also pray that the book will not speak to Africans alone but to the body of Christ at large.

Amahoro—Shalom!

Foreword

The book you are about to read has a remarkable blending of an exposition of the biblical book of Habakkuk and a firsthand account of some of the contemporary struggles faced by many of the nations of Africa. Faustin Ntamushobora has experienced, along with his family, the horrors of the mass killings in Rwanda (1994), and more recently they have agonized over the dangerous situation that his mother and other relatives have encountered in the Eastern Congo. He has counseled numerous Africans who have suffered through terrible tragedies, and he has a keen awareness of the many difficulties that beset the nations of Africa. More importantly, Faustin decided at a young age to follow Jesus Christ wherever he might lead, and Faustin’s courageous faith in God shines through every page of the book.

This, then, is no ordinary commentary on a biblical book. Faustin sees in Habakkuk a man who had to struggle with injustice in his nation and to contemplate a divine judgment soon to befall his people. Faustin identifies with these struggles and sees how they apply generally to his own fellow Africans. More than merely identifying with Habakkuk’s plight, however, Faustin also sees how Habakkuk worked through his struggles to a mature view of God’s sovereignty and the necessity for a vital faith that trusts the Lord no matter what.

Habakkuk ended his book on a note of hope, and Faustin likewise concludes with thoughts of hope for Africa’s future. These thoughts are practical and full of wisdom, flowing out of meditation on the whole of Scripture as well as on the book of Habakkuk.

Africans will obviously find this commentary challenging and thought-provoking, but the message of the book is universal and of benefit for all who are part of the body of Christ. We all experience the impulse to question why when we are faced with great difficulty, and we all need to understand what it means to suffer as believers in Christ. Faustin teaches broad theological truths about suffering and divine sovereignty both through exposition of Habakkuk and through examples that are personal as well as national. And sprinkled throughout the book are pithy African sayings that get to the heart of the issues that confront us when we are called to go through difficult times.

This book will encourage you with its positive message of God’s ultimate goodness even in challenging circumstances, and it will motivate you to submit your life to him so that you may triumph over those circumstances through the power of the Holy Spirit. It will lead you to pray for Africa as you gain a better understanding of the problems that beset that continent. Read it with your heart open to what the Spirit will say.

Thomas J. Finley, PhD

Professor of Old Testament

Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

January 2009

General Introduction

The deeds of God come slowly. (Unlike men, God works slowly.)

—Oromo proverb

Opening Dialogue

When it comes to witnessing utterly atrocious acts of wickedness, there is no lack of anecdotal evidence from believers living in Africa. Kavira is one such believer. Kavira is passionate about living a righteous life for Christ. Since completing her master of arts in counseling at Kinshasa University in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kavira works at Mama Yemo Hospital, where she deals with rape and domestic violence cases. In the course of duty, Kavira was depressed by evil cases she had encountered. Kavira was advised to go through trauma counseling under Masika. Here is the conversation of the two born-again sisters in Christ.

Kavira: Hi, Masika. Praise the Lord!

Masika: Amen, Kavira. How are you?

Kavira: I am just fine