Day 713: Habakkuk 3- Trembling Faith

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 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 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. 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 instruments.
 
Meditation
God’s sovereign grace gives bold faith to flourish through the frustrations and fear coming from living in a fallen world.
 
Habakkuk physically trembles when he sees the troubles of his times (16), yet his faith flourishes by speaking truth to his soul through song. In line with a heritage of hymnody offering hope (songs like David’s in Psalm 108), Habakkuk’s faith is fueled by singing of the Lord’s faithfulness.
 
Habakkuk’s prayerful song includes one petition: Lord, revive your work! In wrath, remember mercy (2). Habakkuk then remembers how God’s wrath was salvation for God’s people in the past (3-15) and, therefore, God’s wrath was not the end of the story in Habakkuk’s day.  Pulling back from our circumstances to see God and the scope of His sovereign grace gives us space to speak truth to our souls.
 
“Yet I…” is the repeated marker that turns the eyes of Habakkuk’s heart heavenward. Circumstances are dire: God’s people will continue to do injustice and God’s enemies will bear down on us! “Yet I will quietly wait for the Lord…” (16) There is no fruit on trees or vines, food in the cupboards, cattle in the stalls, or flocks in the fold! “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (18). Faith in God forms our posture during pressured and problematic times.
 
Flourishing faith looks beyond circumstances to focus on God, trusting His sovereignty, and feasting on His promises.  God remembers mercy and is working to renew His world!
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you believe God wants your faith to flourish in the frustrations and fears of living in a fallen world?
 
-Where do the eyes of your heart look for hope? How does God’s gracious invitation to look to Him, trust His sovereign grace, and remember His faithfulness offer fuel for the flourishing of your faith?
 
-What do you need to give to God- a relationship, circumstance, problem, or situation that you need to let go of in order to more faithfully focus on God, His promises and power
 
Key Verses
16 …Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.
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.