As we look into the prophet Habakkuk, there are three main things I notice in these three chapters. As we walk through them together, I invite you to think about how you may relate to Habakkuk.
The first noteworthy attribute of Habakkuk is his honesty with God. You see this in his complaints to God. He goes straight to God and shares his feelings. Here’s the super cool part … God replies!
God’s reply reminds me of Jeremiah 29:12-13. So many of us know Jeremiah 29:11 …
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
But verses 12 and 13 have a lovely nugget of gold …
“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
God’s promise in Jeremiah is the same promise Habakkuk shows us. When we come to God and pray, he hears our prayers. When we look to him, we find him.
The second noticeable bit of this book is the similarity between Babylon and our world today. The Babylonians made money, power, and national security into their god. That doesn’t sound familiar at all, does it?
While Habakkuk sees the Babylonians’ sinful nature and wonders how God can use them, we can often wonder the same thing about our own world. How can God use us broken, sinful people for good?
But alas, the story keeps going!
The last noteworthy thing about Habakkuk is how he serves as an example of the righteous living by faith. He is trusting God with some BIG things, like justice for Babylon and hope for the future.
We, too, are invited into this righteous faith. It’s not easy to do all the time, but we must trust that God cares about all the things we care about even more than we do! We have to trust that God will turn all things for good (Romans 8:28) and he will make things right. Isn’t that GOOD NEWS?
Questions for reflection:
1. Is there anything you need to have an honest chat with God about? How can you set apart some time this week to talk to God about your own “complaints”?
2. Is there anything you’re trying to control that you need to surrender to God so you can let go and live in faith that he will take care of it?