Trusting in God

Habakkuk 3:17-19:  "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Habakkuk lived during a time just prior to the Babylonian invasion of the region of Palestine (ca. 608BC).  He had seen his fellow Israelites live in such brazen rebellion to the LORD, and yet to that point they seemed to thrive in the midst of their disobedience.  Habakkuk was quite transparent in asking God how long before He would respond to the violence and wickedness of His people.  Interestingly, God gave an answer to Habakkuk, though the answer did not necessarily address all of the points that Habakkuk was presenting.  Still, God did answer Habakkuk with the assurance that He was in control and that He would deal with the wickedness of the Israelites through an invading nation (Babylon) that would be quite ruthless in their dealings with the people.

When Habakkuk heard the response of the Lord, he registered another concern as to why God would permit a wicked, pagan nation to prevail over God's people.  To Habakkuk, it did not seem right that God's people, though deserving of judgment, should have to endure such harsh treatment at the hands of an even more debased nation like the Babylonians.

Again, God responded to the inquiry.  The Lord knew of the wickedness of Babylon, for in His response to Habakkuk, the Lord declared a number of "woes" against them for their rebellion.  He called out the Babylonians' greed, their desire to dominate, their atrocities of bloodshed and crime, their debauchery, and their idolatry.  God wanted Habakkuk to understand that the Babylonians were not immune from God's wrath; they simply were the instruments that God would use to bring judgment upon Israel.  In due time judgment would befall Babylon as well.

It was then that Habakkuk entered into a prayerful spirit of worship.  He exclaimed that he was in awe of God's workings, and he petitioned the Lord to show mercy in the midst of judgment.  Habakkuk too recounted the history of God's involvement with His people though the centuries.  Habakkuk remembered the days of the exodus from Egypt when God displayed His might over the oppressors of His people.  Habakkuk too remembered how God was faithful to deliver the Israelites from the Cushites and the Midianites . . . people whom God used to bring judgment against the Israelites only later to bring deliverance from them through His appointed judges.  And it was in Habakkuk's remembrance of God's ways in the past that he was able to trust that God would be faithful again in the present.  This is why Habakkuk proclaimed that He would rejoice in the covenant God who was determined to save His people.  Habakkuk trusted in the sovereignty of God . . . that He was working out His plans in what otherwise seemed to be unsettling and out of control.  Habakkuk was reassured that the LORD would be his strength and would help him reach grander heights than might otherwise be quite treacherous.

This is a good word for us today.  How often are we perplexed by the uncertainty of events that are before us.  When the winds of dismay blow against us, are we not often led to fear and disillusionment, wondering why God is permitting such events to unfold before us?  In fact, we can become so despondent that we begin to question the goodness of God . . . or worse, even the existence of God.  God certainly is big enough to handle our pleas for answers; still, He wants us to know that He is the same God that delivered His people in the past.  Nothing catches Him by surprise or frustrates His purposes.  We can trust in His strength, and through our faith, reach places that we otherwise might never have imagined we could reach . . . in His timing, through His power, and for His glory.