A Prophet’s Resolution: From Being Puzzled To Complete Trust and Praise Habakkuk 3:17

The magnificent prophet before us was certainly puzzled regarding God’s dealing with the nation of Judah.  The Southern Kingdom Judah, was on the brink of going into Babylonian Captivity (605 B.C.).  Just before that time, God caused a prophet named Habakkuk, whose name means “embrace,” to minister.  Thus, Habakkuk probably ministered sometimes during the time of 620-610 B.C., and he was a contemporary of Jeremiah.  The prophet Habakkuk certainly raised questions regarding God’s dealing with His people (Judah).  He witnessed to the awfulness of his circumstance as sin was so dominant in the land.  As Chapter 1 unfolds, this perplexing prophet had three questions that disturbed him.  These three questions not only caused Habakkuk a great deal of concern, but they also concern us, for they are:  “Why are the wicked prospering in the midst of the righteous? Why are the righteous suffering and being beaten down? Why isn’t God doing something about it?”

Habakkuk was indeed troubled and confused regarding the prevalence of evil in his day and so are we!  You can find his line of argument in Habakkuk Chapter 1:2-4.  His major issue with God is that He was seemingly insensitive to the prevalence of evil and that He had done nothing about it!  When our awesome God replied to Habakkuk’s concern in Chapter 1:5-11, the answer caused Habakkuk to raise an even more intense question:  How could God use a wicked nation, Babylon to punish Judah who was more righteous?  This grand prophet could never understand God’s dealings apart from supreme trust in Him.  As we survey the conditions of our time, and there seems to be the prevalence of evil, we need not despair, but we need to cultivate a healthy state of trusting in God.  We need not despair because faith in God raises us to the level of knowing confidently that God is sovereign and He is in control of every small and large circumstance of life.  The real saints of God, even though their circumstance might be adverse, will come to know that the “Just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

As this prophet’s faith increase, we find him moving from the mood of being perplexed to one who praised God, even in the midst of knowing that the enemy, the Babylonians, would totally devastate Judah.  God’s answer to this troubled prophet in Chapter 1 was that He will punish Judah (1:5-11) by sending the Babylonian army and the result of their coming would be desolation of the land of Judah.  So, even if there is total and complete devastation as a result of Babylon’s invasion (Habakkuk 3:17), Habakkuk had learned to trust God and be content with God’s answer.  Was Habakkuk’s prayer answered in Chapter 3:1-2?  Yes, because Habakkuk had become content with Almighty God’s answer.  And when your faith rises above your circumstances, you will have unusual joy (Habakkuk 3:18) and you will find that God is your strength (Habakkuk 3:19) to help you through the troubled circumstances of life.  May God truly bless you and give you hind feet (sure footedness) (Habakkuk 3:19) to rise above the adverse circumstances of this life!  Yes, we need to be sure footed as a mountain deer, rising above the circumstances of life!  Again, may God indeed bless!