Unwavering Confidence in the Lord

Habakkuk 3:1-19 records a prayer of the prophet Habakkuk. He was a man teeming with questions. When he saw the injustice around him, he wondered where God was. He wanted to know why God had not yet acted to end it. God, in his grace, met Habakkuk, and offered him answers. These answered first confused, then terrified, and finally subdued the prophet.

In the end, he had to make a choice. Would he trust the God he knew? or would he reject him? The prayer recorded in Habakkuk 3 gives us the answer to that question. He chose to trust God. He says, "LORD, I have heard of report about You; Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds. Revive Your work in these years; make it know in these years, in Your wrath remember mercy!" (Hab. 3:2). In essence, he is saying, "I know who you are. You are the Holy One of Israel." It is a declaration of trust.

Habakkuk 3:3-17 capture a terrifying vision of God--the Sovereign Creator, the Righteous Judge, the Mighty Warrior. In his wrath he will punish the nations, in his mercy he will rescue his people. The image is so terrifying that leaves Habakkuk crushed under the weight of it. He stands with heart pounding, knees knocking caught somewhere between terrified and awestruck. It is as if we witness him lost in the glory of the Lord.

Finally, peace washes over him, perhaps as he realizes that God does not intend to harm him. He stands, cool as a cucumber, with unwavering confidence in the Lord.  He says,

Though the fig tree doesn't bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! (Hab. 3:17-18, HCSB).

 This prayer can teach us about prayer in general. It teaches us to approach with an awareness of who we are approaching, to approach with reverence, and to approach with anticipation. It teaches us to approach God as he is, in all of his holiness, and not as we want him to be. And it teaches us to trust, even when we don't fully understand what God is doing.

I'm Waiting

In Habakkuk 1:1-4, he laments the wickedness of his generation. Habakkuk 1:5-11 records the Lord's response to Habakkuk. The Lord tells him that sin will be punished. Habakkuk doesn't receive the message well. He appears to feel confused, perhaps even betrayed. Habakkuk 1:12-2:2 reveals the prophet's response to the message of the Lord. He's left answering the question, "How good is God?" This passage encourages us wait upon the Lord, trusting in his goodness, even when we don't understand why he is doing what he is doing.

We have to start with the God we know (Hab. 1:12-13a). He is everlasting. This reference includes his faithfulness and his unchanging nature. He is holy, that is, far above his creation and morally perfect. He is sovereign over all things. He is a rock upon which we must build our lives. His eyes are pure so that he cannot approve of wickedness. This is the good God we know, but hardship often leaves us with questions.

Troubling circumstances often leave us with questions (Hab. 1:13b-17). In Habakkuk's day, the Babylonian invasion was the terrible circumstance. They were a cruel and greed people. The nations stretched out in front of Babylon like an ocean, and the peoples were fish swept away in their nets. At times, it appears that evil is permitted to steamroll over everything in its path.

Although he had questions, Habakkuk stood is ground (in the faith), even with his uncertainty. Abruptly, Habakkuk stops asking questions and braces himself for a response from heaven. He is confident that the Lord with speak. He is confident that God's mercy will at last win the day. He anchored himself in truth of God's character, and he refused to be moved.

Here are some principles drawn from this passage:

• To whom much is given, much is required.

• We struggle with the problem of pain (evil) because 

• We don't fully understand sin, and 

• We don't really grasp God's holiness.

• What we know now, that Habakkuk couldn't have known, is that God is bring about a restoration of all things through Jesus Christ.

• Why did God use the godless Babylonians to punish Israel?

• Israel's sin was even greater than Habakkuk had perceived, because Israel had greater knowledge of God, through his revelation, than did the Babylonians.

• He the Babylonians to arouse his compassion. There are several instances in Scripture, where God allowed his people to be oppress, and then rescued them when they cried out for help.

• He used the Babylonians to prevent the utter destruction of his people. By allowing the Babylonians to punish Israel, God instilled the fear of the Lord in the hearts of the remnant.

• Finally, the use of the godless Babylonians was meant to soften (humble) those God desired to be softened, and to harden those God desired to be hardened. Hardship will make you dependent upon God or defiant against him.

Judgment Begins with God's Family

"Look at the nation and watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told" (Hab. 1:5, NIV).

In grace, the Lord replied to Habakkuk's questions, but what he says doesn't comfort. Habakkuk wanted to know when God would judge the violent, unjust multitude overran the righteous. Judah was in a state of spiritual apostasy. They had abandoned true worship of the Lord, yet they felt no shame. Although they pursued unrighteousness, they thought their pseudo-worship in the temple secured their safety.

God's solution for the apostasy was to send swift and terrible judgment. God hates sin. He particularly hates sin among his people. As Peter reminds us,

For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God, and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (1 Pet. 4:17-18, NIV).

Sin will not go unpunished. In Habakkuk's day, judgment was going to come in the form of the Babylonian army. The hardship would punish the rebellious for their rebellion, and purge the wicked from the Land. Chastisement still falls on the disobedient. God will not permit his people to linger in sin.

Habakkuk is told what is going to happen so that he can warn his generation. Sounding the warning gives people the opportunity to repent and seek mercy. To the hardened heart, warnings never seem serious.  But some hear the warning and turn in repentance to the Lord.

Here are somethings that we can glean from Habakkuk 1:5-11:

• God doesn't (usually) answer "Why?" questions.
• God is at work around us.
• God's work is often incomprehensible.
• God is sovereign over the nations.
• Life may get worse before it gets better.
• The wrath of God is swift and terrible.
• Our enemies are (often) just like us.