September 13, 2025
Have you ever questioned God?
Habakkuk 1-3
Claire Bridwell
Big Book Idea
When we have questions for God, we can ask them. So in wrath, remember mercy.
Key Verse | Habakkuk 1:2
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you "Violence!"
and you will not save?
Habakkuk 1-3
Chapter 1
1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.
Habakkuk's Complaint
2
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
3
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
4
So the law is paralyzed,
and justice never goes forth.
For the wicked surround the righteous;
so justice goes forth perverted.
The LORD's Answer
5
“Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
6
For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.
7
They are dreaded and fearsome;
their justice and dignity go forth from themselves.
8
Their horses are swifter than leopards,
more fierce than the evening wolves;
their horsemen press proudly on.
Their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour.
9
They all come for violence,
all their faces forward.
They gather captives like sand.
10
At kings they scoff,
and at rulers they laugh.
They laugh at every fortress,
for they pile up earth and take it.
11
Then they sweep by like the wind and go on,
guilty men, whose own might is their god!”
Habakkuk's Second Complaint
12
Are you not from everlasting,
O LORD my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment,
and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
13
You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?
14
You make mankind like the fish of the sea,
like crawling things that have no ruler.
15
He
1
1:15
That is, the wicked foe
brings all of them up with a hook;
he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
so he rejoices and is glad.
16
Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and makes offerings to his dragnet;
for by them he lives in luxury,
2
1:16
Hebrew his portion is fat
and his food is rich.
17
Is he then to keep on emptying his net
and mercilessly killing nations forever?
Chapter 2
1
I will take my stand at my watchpost
and station myself on the tower,
and look out to see what he will say to me,
and what I will answer concerning my complaint.
The Righteous Shall Live by His Faith
2 And the LORD answered me:
“Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so he may run who reads it.
3
For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
4
Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith.
3
2:4
Or faithfulness
5
Moreover, wine
4
2:5
Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth
is a traitor,
an arrogant man who is never at rest.
5
2:5
The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain
His greed is as wide as Sheol;
like death he has never enough.
He gathers for himself all nations
and collects as his own all peoples.”
Woe to the Chaldeans
6 Shall not all these take up their taunt against him, with scoffing and riddles for him, and say,
“Woe to him who heaps up what is not his own—
for how long?—
and loads himself with pledges!”
7
Will not your debtors suddenly arise,
and those awake who will make you tremble?
Then you will be spoil for them.
8
Because you have plundered many nations,
all the remnant of the peoples shall plunder you,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
9
“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
10
You have devised shame for your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
11
For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.
12
Woe to him who builds a town with blood
and founds a city on iniquity!
13
Behold, is it not from the LORD of hosts
that peoples labor merely for fire,
and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14
For the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
15
Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink—
you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
in order to gaze at their nakedness!
16
You will have your fill of shame instead of glory.
Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
The cup in the LORD's right hand
will come around to you,
and utter shame will come upon your glory!
17
The violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
to cities and all who dwell in them.
18
What profit is an idol
when its maker has shaped it,
a metal image, a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
when he makes speechless idols!
19
Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is no breath at all in it.
20
But the LORD is in his holy temple;
let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Chapter 3
Habakkuk's Prayer
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
2
O LORD, I have heard the report of you,
and your work, O LORD, do I fear.
In the midst of the years revive it;
in the midst of the years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
3
God came from Teman,
and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah
His splendor covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4
His brightness was like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
and there he veiled his power.
5
Before him went pestilence,
and plague followed at his heels.
6
3:5
Hebrew feet
6
He stood and measured the earth;
he looked and shook the nations;
then the eternal mountains were scattered;
the everlasting hills sank low.
His were the everlasting ways.
7
I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction;
the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
8
Was your wrath against the rivers, O LORD?
Was your anger against the rivers,
or your indignation against the sea,
when you rode on your horses,
on your chariot of salvation?
9
You stripped the sheath from your bow,
calling for many arrows.
7
3:9
The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10
The mountains saw you and writhed;
the raging waters swept on;
the deep gave forth its voice;
it lifted its hands on high.
11
The sun and moon stood still in their place
at the light of your arrows as they sped,
at the flash of your glittering spear.
12
You marched through the earth in fury;
you threshed the nations in anger.
13
You went out for the salvation of your people,
for the salvation of your anointed.
You crushed the head of the house of the wicked,
laying him bare from thigh to neck.
8
3:13
The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
Selah
14
You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors,
who came like a whirlwind to scatter me,
rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret.
15
You trampled the sea with your horses,
the surging of mighty waters.
16
I hear, and my body trembles;
my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble
to come upon people who invade us.
Habakkuk Rejoices in the LORD
17
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer's;
he makes me tread on my high places.
To the choirmaster: with stringed
9
3:19
Hebrew my stringed
instruments.
Footnotes
[1] 1:15 That is, the wicked foe[2] 1:16 Hebrew his portion is fat
[3] 2:4 Or faithfulness
[4] 2:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll wealth
[5] 2:5 The meaning of the Hebrew of these two lines is uncertain
[6] 3:5 Hebrew feet
[7] 3:9 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
[8] 3:13 The meaning of the Hebrew line is uncertain
[9] 3:19 Hebrew my stringed
Table of Contents
Introduction to Habakkuk
Timeline
Author and Date
Habakkuk is unusual as a prophetic book. It never addresses the people of Judah directly. Rather it is a dialogue between the prophet and God. The prophet Habakkuk was probably a contemporary of Zephaniah and Jeremiah, and possibly even of Ezekiel and Daniel. He probably prophesied no later than the end of Josiah’s reign (640–609 B.C.).
Theme and Overview
The first two chapters are organized around Habakkuk’s questions and the Lord’s replies. Habakkuk saw Judah’s rapid moral and spiritual decline, and this deeply troubled him. Yet God’s response puzzled him even more. How could a good and just God use a more wicked nation (Babylon) to punish a less wicked one (Judah)? God makes it clear that both nations are to be judged and appropriately punished for their sin. Although Habakkuk may not fully understand, he has learned to rely totally on God’s wisdom and justice. He knows God can resolve issues in ways he could never have imagined. This God is certainly worthy of Habakkuk’s praise and worship, which is how the book ends.
Many of the righteous in Judah would have agreed with Habakkuk’s words. They wondered what God was doing and struggled with the same issues as Habakkuk. God’s words reassured them that he was in control and would deal appropriately with the nations.
Key Themes
- God is just and merciful, even though his people may not always understand his ways (2:4).
- Wickedness will eventually be punished, and the righteous will ultimately see God’s justice (2:5–20).
- God uses some wicked nations to punish other wicked nations, but ultimately God will judge all nations (1:6; 2:5–20).
- The key phrase “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4) summarizes God’s plan for his people. It is quoted three times in the NT (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). Each time a different aspect of the phrase’s meaning is highlighted.
Outline
The Near East at the Time of Habakkuk
c. 620 B.C.
Though the exact date of the prophecies of Habakkuk is difficult to determine, it is likely that he prophesied a short time before the Babylonian invasions of Judah, which began in 605 B.C. During this time the Assyrian Empire was in decline, and the Babylonians were rising to replace them as the dominant power in the Near East.
Fact: The Babylonian horsemen
The Babylonian horsemen (1:8) were greatly feared by the people they fought against. Taking advantage of their great speed, they would scatter the enemy’s foot soldiers and then hunt them down one by one. But even Babylon’s horses couldn’t save Babylon from the Lord’s hand of judgment (3:16).
Habakkuk
Habakkuk was alarmed by the wickedness of his people, the nation of Judah. He longed for the day when the Lord would bring justice to his nation by punishing sin. He was even more troubled, however, when he learned that the Lord would indeed judge Judah but that he would use the much more wicked nation of Babylon to do so. The book of Habakkuk records the prophet’s conversation with God about this perplexing issue. By the end of the book, Habakkuk is convinced that God is sovereign and that his justice is far beyond comprehension. The prophet will wait for and trust in God. Habakkuk’s faith serves as an example to believers today, who like the prophet are called to trust that the God of justice will indeed accomplish his purposes for the world. (Habakkuk 3:17–19)
Hab. 1:2 O LORD. Habakkuk uses the covenant name for God, which emphasizes the relationship between God and the prophet. how long? This is the common beginning of a formal complaint (compare Ps. 13:1, 2). Violence! During much of the latter seventh century B.C., Judah was morally corrupt, violent, and spiritually disobedient. The description of Josiah’s reforms in 2 Kings 23 highlights the depths of the people’s wickedness.
1:2–4 Habakkuk’s Lament. Habakkuk believes that God is letting sin go unpunished and that therefore there is no justice.
Hab. 1:4 the law is paralyzed. The Mosaic law had little impact on the hearts and self-centered desires of these people. justice never goes forth. The rich were trampling on the rights of the poor. righteous. There was still a righteous remnant who refused to break God’s laws to get ahead. But life was hard for them because the wicked took advantage of them.
Hab. 1:6 I am raising up. God uses nations for his own purposes (compare Isa. 44:28; Dan. 2:21). Chaldeans. Another name for the Babylonians, who defeated Assyria in 605 B.C. bitter and hasty nation. God knows the Babylonians well and uses their character traits to punish Judah.
Hab. 1:7 their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. As they built their empire, the Babylonians were not bound by God’s law or even by any rules of common decency.
Fact: The Babylonian horsemen
The Babylonian horsemen (1:8) were greatly feared by the people they fought against. Taking advantage of their great speed, they would scatter the enemy’s foot soldiers and then hunt them down one by one. But even Babylon’s horses couldn’t save Babylon from the Lord’s hand of judgment (3:16).
Hab. 1:9 The Babylonians were known for their violence. They gather captives like sand. They continued the Assyrian policy of deporting captives to other lands.
Hab. 1:10 scoff . . . laugh. The powerful Babylonians had little regard for weaker rulers. Pile up earth describes siege warfare (see Isa. 29:3; Jer. 32:24).
Hab. 1:2–11 First Cycle. Habakkuk is disappointed that God does not seem to be answering his prayers. God’s response shows that, although Habakkuk doesn’t realize it, his prayers are already being answered.
1:5–11 God’s Response. God has already begun to answer Habakkuk’s request: the Babylonians are coming to punish the Israelites.
Hab. 1:12 Are you not from everlasting? Habakkuk knows that God lives forever (see Ps. 90:2). We shall not die. Habakkuk bases his confidence in his people’s future on God’s eternal nature. you . . . have established them. Habakkuk understands that God has chosen Babylon to punish Judah for its sin.
Hab. 1:13 purer eyes than to see evil. Habakkuk wonders why God’s holiness did not stop him from using the corrupt Babylonians to punish a less wicked nation such as Judah.
Hab. 1:14 Habakkuk’s charge against God is that he allows mankind to act like lower creatures (fish and crawling things), with no rulers or judges. Thus, wickedness goes unchecked.
Hab. 1:15 He. That is, the “wicked” one in v. 13, which represents Babylon. hook. See Amos 4:2. Captives were sometimes taken away with hooks in their noses—an intentionally painful and humiliating treatment. drags them out with his net. The image is that of a fish helplessly caught in a net. Mesopotamian art portrays prisoners in nets being hauled off to captivity.
Hab. 1:16 he sacrifices to his net. The Babylonians had become so powerful that they relied on their military strength for protection, the way others would have relied on their gods.
Hab. 1:17 mercilessly killing nations forever? If a righteous God does not step in to end the Babylonians’ wicked plan, who will? Where is God’s justice, and how can he tolerate this?
1:12–2:1 Habakkuk’s Lament. Habakkuk wonders how God can use a wicked nation to punish a less wicked one.
Hab. 2:2 Write the vision. This message from God was to be recorded as a permanent witness, since it would not be quickly fulfilled. So he may run who reads it may refer to a messenger reporting the vision throughout the nation. Or it may refer to those who hear the message and flee the coming judgment.
Hab. 2:3 the vision awaits its appointed time. God’s timing for the fulfillment of the message will be perfect. wait for it. While Judah’s judgment will begin quite soon (586 B.C.), God’s punishment of the Babylonians will not happen until 539.
Hab. 2:4 his soul. The singular form refers to the Babylonian nation as a whole, but with a primary reference to the king. A proud person relies on himself, whereas a righteous person relies on God. The phrase but the righteous shall live by his faith is quoted in the NT to emphasize that people are saved by grace through faith (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; compare Eph. 2:8). It is also quoted to show that Christians should live by faith (Heb. 10:38–39). The kind of faith that Habakkuk describes, and that the NT authors affirm, is a continuing trust in God and his promises, even in the darkest days.
Hab. 2:5 His greed is as wide as Sheol. Sometimes in the OT, Sheol is the place of the dead where everyone went, yet which never filled up (see Prov. 30:15–16).
Hab. 2:6 all these. That is, all the nations that Babylon has destroyed (see Isa. 14:9–11). Woe. Trouble. The Babylonians are condemned for their excessive greed in conquering other nations.
Hab. 2:7 debtors. The loot that the Babylonians have taken from other nations is actually only “on loan” to them until a stronger nation claims it.
Hab. 2:9 Woe. Babylon is condemned for collecting stolen goods and relying on wealth for protection. set his nest on high. Like the eagle that builds its nest in unreachable spots, the Babylonians tried to build a city inaccessible to their enemies (see Isa. 14:4–15; compare Obad. 3–4).
Hab. 2:11 stone will cry out. The stones were taken from other nations’ buildings or purchased with stolen goods. They will testify against Babylon.
Hab. 2:12 Woe. Babylon is condemned for its violence and injustice.
Hab. 2:14 The glory of the LORD is his special presence with his people. The glory “filled” the tabernacle and temple (Ex. 40:34–35; 1 Kings 8:11). Several texts look forward to a day when God’s glory fills the whole earth (Num. 14:21; Ps. 72:19; Isa. 6:3, ESV footnote).
Hab. 2:15 Woe. Babylon is condemned for violence against its neighbors. gaze at their nakedness. That is, strip their land bare to dishonor them (compare Gen. 9:20–22).
Hab. 2:16 shame. Babylon will experience the same shame it inflicted on others (see note on v. 15). cup. A symbol of divine punishment on Babylon (see Isa. 51:17, 22; Jer. 25:15–17; Rev. 14:10).
Hab. 2:18 Idols are worthless and lifeless objects unworthy of the faith placed in them (compare Jer. 10:14–15). Teacher of lies highlights the deceptive nature of idols.
Hab. 2:19 overlaid with gold and silver. Idols were often highly decorated in an effort to enhance their prestige.
Hab. 1:12–2:20 Second Cycle. This passage asks an age-old question: Why does evil seem to go unpunished? God’s answer is that all who are wicked will eventually be punished; meanwhile, the righteous must live by faith.
2:2–20 God’s Response. The Lord assures Habakkuk that he will punish all the wicked, at the right time.
Hab. 2:6–20 This taunt against the Babylonians consists of five “woe oracles” (vv. 6, 9, 12, 15, 19). They show why Babylon deserves its coming punishment (compare Isa. 5:8–23).
Hab. 2:20 But the LORD. There is a great contrast between silent, lifeless idols and the awesome living God. He alone deserves the honor too often given to worthless idols.
Hab. 3:2 I have heard. Habakkuk had heard of God’s great saving acts, which he recalls in vv. 3–15 (see Ex. 15:1–21). in wrath remember mercy. A plea that when God judges, he will also be merciful. This is how God always deals with his people (see Ex. 34:6–7).
Hab. 3:3 Teman means “south.” Along with the reference to Mount Paran (Num. 13:26; Deut. 33:2), it may suggest the time following Israel’s exodus from Egypt. His splendor covered the heavens. When biblical authors refer to God’s mighty acts in the exodus, they often use images to instill a sense of fear or awe (see Deut. 33:2; Judg. 5:4–5; Ps. 18:7–15).
Hab. 3:4–5 Habakkuk compares God’s presence at Mount Sinai to a thunderstorm with darkness and lightning (see Ex. 19:18–20; Ps. 18:9–14). Pestilence and plague often appear as pictures of divine judgment (Ex. 7:14–12:30; Deut. 28:21–22; Ps. 91:3, 5–6).
Hab. 3:6 eternal mountains. Mountains were considered part of the foundation of the earth, so their quaking was a sign of divine judgment (Ps. 18:7; Jer. 4:24–26).
Hab. 3:7 Cushan . . . Midian. These tribes living near Edom see God’s power and are frightened.
Hab. 3:8 rivers . . . sea. God used his power over the Nile (Ex. 7:14–24) and Jordan Rivers (Josh. 3:14–17), as well as the Red Sea (Ex. 14:2–15:5), to demonstrate his greatness in the exodus era. The chariot of salvation is a picture of God bringing deliverance to this people.
Hab. 3:9 Many arrows probably describes thunderbolts. split the earth. An image of thunderstorms and floods cutting through the desert.
Hab. 3:11 Sun and moon stood still refers to Joshua’s victory at Gibeah (Josh. 10:12–13). The Lord’s victory here will be equally sensational.
Hab. 3:16 I hear. Habakkuk realizes he must wait patiently while his people are punished, and then God will unleash his power against the Babylonians.
Fact: The Babylonian horsemen
The Babylonian horsemen (1:8) were greatly feared by the people they fought against. Taking advantage of their great speed, they would scatter the enemy’s foot soldiers and then hunt them down one by one. But even Babylon’s horses couldn’t save Babylon from the Lord’s hand of judgment (3:16).
Hab. 3:1–19 Habakkuk’s Prayer. Habakkuk asks for a new demonstration of God’s wrath and mercy, such as God gave so powerfully in the past. He closes with a confession of faith and trust in God (compare vv. 1, 3, 9, 13, 19 with Psalms 17; 90).
Hab. 3:17–19 Anticipating great destruction by the Babylonians, Habakkuk has radically changed. He began by informing God how to run his world; he ends by trusting that God knows best and will bring about true justice. Though the fig tree should not blossom. Even during suffering and loss, Habakkuk has learned that he can trust God. That trust brings great joy, not in circumstances, but in God himself: yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Yahweh has become Habakkuk’s strength (see Ps. 18:32, 39).
Hab. 3:19 he makes my feet like the deer’s. Habakkuk can have confidence in God. He can live on the heights even during extreme circumstances (see Mal. 4:2). choirmaster. Probably the director of the temple musicians. This note suggests that Habakkuk meant this to be a “prayer” (Hab. 3:1) that the faithful would sing together.
Introduction to Habakkuk
Timeline
Author and Date
Habakkuk is unusual as a prophetic book. It never addresses the people of Judah directly. Rather it is a dialogue between the prophet and God. The prophet Habakkuk was probably a contemporary of Zephaniah and Jeremiah, and possibly even of Ezekiel and Daniel. He probably prophesied no later than the end of Josiah’s reign (640–609 B.C.).
Theme and Overview
The first two chapters are organized around Habakkuk’s questions and the Lord’s replies. Habakkuk saw Judah’s rapid moral and spiritual decline, and this deeply troubled him. Yet God’s response puzzled him even more. How could a good and just God use a more wicked nation (Babylon) to punish a less wicked one (Judah)? God makes it clear that both nations are to be judged and appropriately punished for their sin. Although Habakkuk may not fully understand, he has learned to rely totally on God’s wisdom and justice. He knows God can resolve issues in ways he could never have imagined. This God is certainly worthy of Habakkuk’s praise and worship, which is how the book ends.
Many of the righteous in Judah would have agreed with Habakkuk’s words. They wondered what God was doing and struggled with the same issues as Habakkuk. God’s words reassured them that he was in control and would deal appropriately with the nations.
Key Themes
- God is just and merciful, even though his people may not always understand his ways (2:4).
- Wickedness will eventually be punished, and the righteous will ultimately see God’s justice (2:5–20).
- God uses some wicked nations to punish other wicked nations, but ultimately God will judge all nations (1:6; 2:5–20).
- The key phrase “the righteous shall live by his faith” (2:4) summarizes God’s plan for his people. It is quoted three times in the NT (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). Each time a different aspect of the phrase’s meaning is highlighted.
Outline
The Near East at the Time of Habakkuk
c. 620 B.C.
Though the exact date of the prophecies of Habakkuk is difficult to determine, it is likely that he prophesied a short time before the Babylonian invasions of Judah, which began in 605 B.C. During this time the Assyrian Empire was in decline, and the Babylonians were rising to replace them as the dominant power in the Near East.
Habakkuk
Habakkuk was alarmed by the wickedness of his people, the nation of Judah. He longed for the day when the Lord would bring justice to his nation by punishing sin. He was even more troubled, however, when he learned that the Lord would indeed judge Judah but that he would use the much more wicked nation of Babylon to do so. The book of Habakkuk records the prophet’s conversation with God about this perplexing issue. By the end of the book, Habakkuk is convinced that God is sovereign and that his justice is far beyond comprehension. The prophet will wait for and trust in God. Habakkuk’s faith serves as an example to believers today, who like the prophet are called to trust that the God of justice will indeed accomplish his purposes for the world. (Habakkuk 3:17–19)
Listen to the Podcast
Listen NowDive Deeper | Habakkuk 1-3
In today's reading, we see a dialogue between God and the prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk was a mediator between God and his people, and his name has been interpreted to mean embracer or wrestler. In chapter 1, we see him truly wrestling with God as he questions God's silence to his prayers to save the people of Judah.
Judah is in a desperate state in which evil is taking over society. When God answers Habakkuk's prayer, it's not the answer Habakkuk had hoped for. Instead of saving people immediately, God tells him that the Babylonians will conquer Judah and destroy its people. Still, God will ultimately judge the Babylonians and eventually save his people (Habakkuk 2:6-20).
Have you ever prayed to God and wondered why he is silent? There are prayers I have offered that haven't been answered, and sometimes it feels like God isn't there. Like Habakkuk, I can question God and his goodness. God already knows our hearts, but he wants us to come to him with our prayers (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
We see later in the text that Habakkuk's heart begins to change, as he embraces God's faithfulness. While the answer to his prayer is not what he had hoped, he still recognizes that the Lord is a good and faithful father.
Habakkuk 3:16 says, "I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us." The word yet stuck out to me in this verse. We go through times of hardship and feel as though we have nothing—yet God is still there. Our prayers may not be answered when we want, or the answer may be no—yet we can have hope in our salvation.
God is preparing our hearts for eternity with him through his Son Jesus. No matter what may come our way, we can trust him and use our testimony of God's grace to share with those who don't know him. Remember his faithfulness in your seasons of doubt.
This month's memory verse
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (NIV)
– Matthew 11:28-30
Discussion Questions
1. What are areas in your life in which you are doubting God? Sit with him in prayer and ask him to reveal these doubts to you.
2. What are some hard seasons you have gone through that God has used for his good? If you're currently in a hard season, ask God to posture your heart to fully trust him with your situation.
3. Read Hebrews 11. How can we put our faith into action like these men and women did?