Scripture Passage
Scripture Focus
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!
(Habakkuk 3:16-18 NLT)
Observation
Habakkuk is confused. God has just announced that He will use the Babylonians to punish the people of Judah for her sins. Habakkuk must have thought this absurd! Babylon was so steeped in idolatry and so viciously cruel towards her enemies that, to Habakkuk, the Israelites must have seemed lily-white by comparison. When Habakkuk asks God (reverently) for an explanation, God points to a future day when complete justice will prevail, when…
…as the waters fill the sea,
the earth will be filled with an awareness
of the glory of the LORD.
(Habakkuk 2:14 NLT)
This answer is enough. God’s promise that He will, indeed, set things right settles the issue for Habakkuk. And so Habakkuk simply asks that in His anger, God remember mercy (Habakkuk 3:2). Then he makes the declaration highlighted above. In essence, Habakkuk says, “Regardless of how bleak things look or how barren things are…
…yet I will rejoice in the LORD!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
(Habakkuk 3:18 NLT)
To some, that might seem a bit passive. To me, Habakkuk is submitted—determined to honor God’s sovereignty, respect God’s justice, and trust God’s character.
When I face circumstances less than ideal—or should I ever face challenges as brutal as Judah’s would become—help me, Lord, to embrace my days with the same submitted, faith-filled heart as Habakkuk displays here. And Lord, in anger, remember mercy.
***
No comments:
Post a Comment