Read
1I am Habakkuk the prophet. And this is the message that the Lord gave me.
Habakkuk Complains
2Our Lord, how long must I beg
for your help
before you listen?
How long before you save us
from all this violence?
3Why do you make me watch
such terrible injustice?
Why do you allow violence,
lawlessness, crime, and cruelty
to spread everywhere?
4Laws cannot be enforced;
justice is always the loser;
criminals crowd out honest people
and twist the laws around.
The Lord Answers
5 Look and be amazed
at what's happening
among the nations!
Even if you were told,
you would never believe
what's taking place now.
6 I am sending the Babylonians.
They are fierce and cruel—
marching across the land,
conquering cities and towns.
7How fearsome and frightening.
Their only laws and rules
are the ones they make up.
8Their cavalry troops are faster
than leopards,
more ferocious than wolves
hunting at sunset,
and swifter than hungry eagles
suddenly swooping down.
9They are eager to destroy,
and they gather captives
like handfuls of sand.
10They make fun of rulers
and laugh at fortresses,
while building dirt mounds
so they can capture cities.
11Then suddenly they disappear
like a gust of wind—
those sinful people who worship
their own strength.
Reflect
Who do you go to with your tough questions? In a “Google” search world, there are many options, but we don’t like the uncertainty while we wait for answers.
Habakkuk was God’s spokesman, a prophet who was supposed to understand and interpret events for the nation of Judah in which he lived. But he had his own questions. God forced him to look violence, injustice, crime and lawlessness straight in the face. Would the current crisis never end?
God knew the struggle in his servant’s heart, as he knows ours. The answer he provided, however, was shocking. God had a plan to care for these wrongs but the revealed plan did not seem right.
Things were going to get worse. The world would unravel further and Habakkuk would be pushed to the precipice of unbelief.
Haven’t you been there? If you’ve figured out all the “hows” and “whys” of our world, you must be God! If we’re honest we’ll admit that we are perplexed. Pressure pushes us to our knees. But how long does it take us to surrender to God? How seriously do we want his help? These verses counsel our troubled hearts to book an appointment with the Great Physician. In prayer, and through our study of his word, we work through our issues whether they’re small or super-sized in their scope.
I’ve discovered, as I’m sure you have, that God “moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform.” I’m not called to figure everything out, but I am called to trust the One who knows what’s really going on. Feel free to ask the hard questions. Even journaling your questions may be helpful. Then listen hard and prepare to be amazed over what God reveals!
Respond
O God, I confess my ignorance of your mysterious ways. I’m perplexed about my life and how you work all things together for my good. Teach me to trust you while I await your response is my heart’s cry. Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keith Edwards
Keith was born and grew up in Thornloe, Ontario. He committed his life to Jesus Christ as a child. After sensing God’s calling, he attended Bible school where he met his wife Ruth. They served in pastoral ministry in various churches. He served as Registrar of Toronto Baptist Seminary and since June 2015 as Director of Church Initiatives & Internships at Heritage College/Seminary in Cambridge. Keith and Ruth live in Oshawa, ON and have two married daughters Carolyn (Alex) and Jane (Andrew) and three delightful grandchildren.