PrayerSample

Yet...

Sometimes when I pray with my children, it sounds like a list of woes. Sometimes when I pray on my own, it sounds the same. We come to our good God who we know hears our prayers and answers them according to His good plans, but it feels decidedly less hopeful than maybe we should.

Habakkuk is written in the form of a conversation between the prophet Habakkuk and God. It’s written in a time when Israel was a kingdom divided, scattered and constantly under threat. Their lives were drenched in the depravity of godless nations and there doesn’t seem to be any light on the horizon. It’s raw, honest, but also surprisingly hope-filled. If anyone has the right to make a list of woes surely it would be a Habakkuk. Verse 18 was a beautiful twist in the narrative. Just 3 letters signal a shift. In the midst of the horror around him, Habakkuk says, ‘YET I will rejoice in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!’ He turns his heart, his eyes, his soul to the goodness of God and His faithfulness to His people. It’s like Habakkuk begins preaching to himself; acting as his own prophet; making sure he remembers the God they worship. In stark difference to the situation he find himself in, Habakkuk is filled with hope, confidence and praise for God.

YET – three beautiful letters show us what turns the hopeless around – the best three letters in the world – GOD. This part of God’s Word reminds me of the fact that we can preach to ourselves too. Perhaps next time you’re praying you can use those three beautiful letters too. YET.

Written by KATIE SMITH