16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes 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, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
The Bible is full of stories of people who got angry at God because God did not do what they expected Him to do. Read the story of Job. Remember the parable in Matthew 20 of the workers in the field all getting the same pay for different hours in the field.
The ending is coming and the church needs to prepare. We need to rid ourselves of sin that so easily entangles us. There are people, however, that are in sin and don't want to do anything about it. If something happens unfortunate in their lives, they will be the first to blame God as if the unfortunate thing has nothing to do with God’s warning.
Habakkuk has heard His beloved Judah is going to face terrible trials at the hands of the Babylonians. Habakkuk says all his emotions are in turmoil. His stomach hurts. His heart is literally pounding. The waiting is giving him anxiety and fear because the Babylonians are ruthless people bent on violence. He is afraid.
He knows that his fellow Israelites will be taken into captivity, killed, and the land will be overrun with enemies. They will lose every battle. Jerusalem and the temple of God will be destroyed!
He felt decay in his bones. Habakkuk says “rottenness” is in his bones. His legs were trembling. He knows famine may come. Income will fall away.
Most of us have felt deeply anguish from real or imagined circumstances. Death, loss of job, divorce, fires, and natural disasters resulting in loss of home. Today many see bombings, threats of invasions, imprisonments, rape, kidnappings and the list goes on. God never says bad things will never happen to us. There is a difference between feelings, fears, and faith.
Ruth Bell Graham often said: “I lay my ‘whys’ before your cross in worship kneeling, my mind too numb for thought, my heart beyond all feeling. And in worshipping, realize that in knowing you, I don’t need a ‘why.’” It’s possible to praise even when you’re in pain. You can love God when you experience loss. When you don’t understand what God is doing, wait on Him. Rest in Him instead of rebelling.
We may not always know what God is doing, but like Habakkuk, we can trust Him to do what is right. Habakkuk has made the choice to rejoice no matter what happened. He chooses to rejoice. One thing he cannot lose is God Himself. In that rejoice!
To walk by faith, means to focus on the greatness and glory of God. He knows God is powerful and merciful and good. Habakkuk could wait because he believed that God was at work in the world even though bad things would come. We need to stop, pray, and wait on the Lord before we do something we shouldn’t or fall apart.
Application: Meditate on Luke 18:7.8 “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Prayer: Lord, I am encouraged to know that I am always in Your Hands and You want what is good for me and the Kingdom.
