Habakkuk spoke to the nation during a time of threat and invasion by the current superpower, the Chaldeans, thus the language of war.
Word: Habakkuk 3 (abridged) (NLT)
3 This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk:
2 I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
remember your mercy.
3 I see God moving . . . .
His brilliant splendor fills the heavens,
and the earth is filled with his praise.
4 His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from his hands,
where his awesome power is hidden.
5 Pestilence marches before him;
plague follows close behind.
6 When he stops, the earth shakes.
When he looks, the nations tremble.
He shatters the everlasting mountains
and levels the eternal hills.
He is the Eternal One!
8 Was it in anger, Lord, that you struck the rivers
and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
9 You brandished your bow
and your quiver of arrows.
You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
10 The mountains watched and trembled.
Onward swept the raging waters.
The mighty deep cried out,
lifting its hands in submission.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky
as your brilliant arrows flew
and your glittering spear flashed.
16 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.
17 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,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
This song was sung at a time of national desperation! Though not entirely conquered, Habakkuk’s nation was subjected to partial destruction, deportations, and a puppet government. The future of the nation looked bleak. Habakkuk turns to the only Power he has ever heard of who had ever been victorious in the face of such a dominant enemy.
But even though Habakkuk knows of the Lord’s great victories of the past, there is absolutely no evidence that he will intervene in the current battle. All Habakkuk can do is to “wait quietly for the coming day.”
How do we hope when security is threatened? How do we hope when the economy is bad and the poor are unemployed? How do we hope when society is disillusioned and distrustful? How do we hope when those who govern cheat or disappoint?
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.
Prayer: Lord of the nations, we confess that we walk by sight most of the time—and that is scary. We see trouble and despair, we see poverty and illness, we see injustice and bigotry, and we are afraid. Give us greater faith in your sovereignty, O Lord, so that we can know where our security and salvation lie. When we are on the edge, Father, make us surefooted, not by our own strength, but by yours–not because we can control chaos or expect our leaders to, but because You can—and will. Amen
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