Lord! Why Do You Permit Such Evil?Shembull

### Habakkuk Trusts God “O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. … Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:2 and 18) Habakkuk is dismayed about God’s plan to use the dreaded Chaldeans as a punishment for Israel. Then the Lord shows him in a vision what will happen in the future. The Chaldeans won’t escape their deserved judgment either. God will bring justice in due course. This vision is so impressive that Habakkuk’s body trembles and his lips quiver. He now knows that God won’t let evil continue forever. He has seen the Lord act as a mighty Judge: “You threshed the nations in anger. You went out for the salvation of your people” (Habakkuk 3:12-13). Now Habakkuk is “waiting quietly” till the vision will come true. He is assured now that God will do what is right, even though he initially thought both God’s timing and His means of bringing justice were questionable. At the end of his book, Habakkuk says he will rejoice in the Lord no matter what happens, even when everything seems to go wrong. The reminder that God is indeed good and almighty, and that He is working out good things behind the scenes that we humans can’t always see, helps Habakkuk to look beyond the present circumstances and be glad in God his Savior. Do you also rejoice in the Lord, knowing that He will do what is right?