Habakkuk 3: Bold Faith

​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.
 
Meditation
Bold faith will flourish through frustrations and fears of living in a fallen world when, despite our circumstances, our trust is in God and His faithfulness to keep His promises.
 
In today’s reading, Habakkuk physically trembled when he saw the troubles of his time (v. 16). Yet the prophet’s faith flourished by focusing on God and His promises. The Lord is faithful, working all things according to the council of His will. 
 
Habakkuk’s prayerful song includes one petition: “Lord, revive your work! In wrath, remember mercy” (v. 2). Habakkuk celebrated God’s past salvation when He executed His wrath against Egypt (vv. 3-15), a reminder that God’s just wrath against the wicked is never the end of the story. 
 
“Yet I…” is repeated to refocus the eyes of Habakkuk’s heart on heavenly realities. Circumstances were dire: God’s people continued to do injustice and God’s enemies were bearing down! “Yet I will quietly wait for the Lord…” (v. 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” (v. 18). Faith in God forms our posture during pressured and problematic times.
 
Ultimately, God shows mercy through Jesus who satisfied God’s just wrath on the cross, His substitutionary sacrifice offering salvation to all who trust in Him. Bold faith looks beyond circumstances to focus on God’s sovereignty, feasting on His faithfulness.  God remembers mercy! God will keep His promises! And God is working to revive His people and renew His world.
 
Today’s Reading
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.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you in today’s reading, especially Habakkuk’s bold faith exemplified in his trust in God and His promises.
 
-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, to trust Him and His faithfulness to revive and restore?... a relationship, circumstance, problem, or situation that you need to let go of in order to more faithfully focus on God? Be specific.
 
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.