Habakkuk: Hope Beyond the HeadlinesNäide

FINDING HOPE IN HABAKKUK

Have you or someone you know ever voiced these questions:

Why does God let bad things happen?

Why doesn’t God punish all the evil in the world?

Does God punish nations?

What does it mean that God is sovereign?

Can I trust God?

It feels like we live in the most corrupt, violent, chaotic time in world history. Every day brings breaking news, gut-wrenching images, and live videos of deeply broken people and nations. It can leave us overwhelmed, anxious, and wondering if God is truly in control or if He even cares.

The prophet Habakkuk lived in a similar time of chaos and confusion. Around 609-605 BC, the kingdom of Judah was caught between colliding empires, moral corruption was rampant, and violence seemed to rule the day. Into this darkness, God spoke through a prophet whose very name means “to embrace” or “wrestle.” Habakkuk didn’t just deliver God’s message to the people – he wrestled with God on behalf of the people, asking the hard questions we all want to ask.

This Old Testament book is unique among the prophets because it’s primarily a dialogue between Habakkuk and God rather than God’s message to the people. Quickly read or listen through all three chapters and you will find yourself listening in on one of the most honest conversations in Scripture between a confused prophet and his sovereign God. Through Habakkuk’s questions, complaints, and eventual worship, we learn how to navigate our own dark seasons with faith, hope, and trust in God’s ultimate justice and goodness.

Pause to Pray: Have you been honest with God lately about your angst, confusion, and questions? Try praying like Habakkuk by inserting your feelings and questions for the underline words and phrases (based on Habakkuk 1:1-4, BSB):

This is the burden that _________ [insert your name] feels:

How long, O LORD, must I call for help but You do not hear, or cry out to You, “Violence!” but You do not save? Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Take a Next Step: Slow down, be intentional, and notice your emotional and mental reactions to the world around you. What makes you sad, frustrated, indignant, anxious, etc.? In response to those reactions, what questions would you like to ask God?