“How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen. ‘Violence is everywhere!’ I cry, but you do not come to save” (Habakkuk 1:2 NLT).
Habakkuk saw destruction, violence and evil all around. Yet God seemed silent.
God replied to Habakkuk’s complaint, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” He went on to explain that he was raising up the Babylonians to punish the evildoers.
Habakkuk acknowledged that God is Holy and eternal and had faith that God would not destroy all of his people. Yet, he didn’t understand why God would punish his people through a nation, that was in his eyes, even more evil than them.
God again answered Habakkuk, “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God” (Habakkuk 2:3-4). He went on to explain that a time of judgment would come for Babylon as well.
Habakkuk responds with a beautiful prayer of praise. He asks for God’s mercy as he waits for what lies ahead. He knows that even though things were going to get worse before they got better, God is in control and that God is his salvation. He ends with these words, “I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread up on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:16-19 NLT).
Reading Habakkuk’s opening words, “How long, O LORD, must I cry for help, but you do not listen?” and ending words, “Even though… yet I will rejoice in the LORD!” brought such comfort and hope to my heart. I thought about all of the Christians I know personally who are going through suffering and difficulties. They battle cancer, chronic disease and severe health issues that don’t have any answers. They beg God to bring back their wayward children or plead for God to save their marriage. They are exhausted from fighting each day with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. They agonize as they watch their loved ones who are trapped in addiction slip further and further away. They suffer verbal, physical and sexual abuse. They struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table. They ask God, “How long, O LORD?” They wait for him to save the day, yet sometimes there seems to be no answer. It’s difficult to understand why these people who love the Lord must suffer. It seems unfair. Yet, I see them looking to God through it all, praising him and trusting Him to help them endure to the end… even though.
I think of friend with relatives in Syria. I read her stories about the life-threatening situations the Syrians face and how difficult it is to escape. I receive emails from “Voice of the Martyrs” which tell of Christians around the world being persecuted and killed because of their faith. They ask God, “How long, O LORD?” They wait for him to save the day, yet sometimes there seems to be no answer. It doesn’t seem right in our eyes that God would allow this to happen to those who have decided to follow Jesus. Yet these brothers and sisters in Christ continue to praise God and trust Him to help them endure to the end… even though.
So, I think on this book of Habakkuk and my own prayers asking God, “How long, O LORD?” and I wait for him to save the day. And I pray that I will always continue to have the strength and the faith to be able to say as Habakkuk and my brothers and sisters in Christ, “Even though… yet I will rejoice in the LORD!” For without Him I have no hope, but in Him, I have everything.
What about you? Whatever you face today, are you able to say, “Even though… yet I will rejoice in the LORD”? If you are in going through a difficult season, remember that God loves you, He is with you and that He is in control. Wait patiently. He will save. He may not handle things the way we think He should take care of them, but He sees the big picture and knows what is best. Even his own Son suffered in order to work out God’s perfect plan so that we could be made right with Him and have eternal life if we “believe in Him” (John 3:16) and “live by their faithfulness to God” (Habakkuk 2:4).
How long, O LORD? Yet I will rejoice.