Now we get a prayer of Habakkuk and it is a prayer of faith. How did he get to this position of faith? By communicating with God, by being open and honest with God about his feelings, and his willingness to learn from God. There are two key mistakes we can make in the area of feelings and opinions. One is to ignore and reject our feelings, pretend we don't have them, or consider them of no importance. The other is to make them into a god, demanding that God, and everyone else, bow down to our feelings and opinions. Habakkuk shows us the godly way.
Habakkuk starts by praising God and then calling on Him to do great deeds in his day. He acknowledges God's wrath, but also calls on Him to remember mercy. Then he recalls earlier actions of God in very vivid and poetic language. Verses 3-15 are largely alluding to what God did in bringing Israel out of Egypt.
Then we come to some verses that well-known in verses 16-19. Sometimes we seem to misapply these verses. We interpret them as if Habakkuk is saying, "life is rotten, but I will praise God anyway". This is not what he is saying. It is more the case that he is saying, "I cannot see the deliverance of God around me, but I know that it will come, therefore in the midst of this situation I will rejoice in the Lord".
Note also in verse 19 his declaration that God is his strength and makes his feet like those of a deer. In the midst of this situation Habakkuk will still triumph, he will live a Spirit filled life in the midst of the difficulties. Let us adopt the same approach. Even if we are living in the midst of difficulties right now, may we live a Christ centred, Spirit filled life.
Habakkuk starts by praising God and then calling on Him to do great deeds in his day. He acknowledges God's wrath, but also calls on Him to remember mercy. Then he recalls earlier actions of God in very vivid and poetic language. Verses 3-15 are largely alluding to what God did in bringing Israel out of Egypt.
Then we come to some verses that well-known in verses 16-19. Sometimes we seem to misapply these verses. We interpret them as if Habakkuk is saying, "life is rotten, but I will praise God anyway". This is not what he is saying. It is more the case that he is saying, "I cannot see the deliverance of God around me, but I know that it will come, therefore in the midst of this situation I will rejoice in the Lord".
Note also in verse 19 his declaration that God is his strength and makes his feet like those of a deer. In the midst of this situation Habakkuk will still triumph, he will live a Spirit filled life in the midst of the difficulties. Let us adopt the same approach. Even if we are living in the midst of difficulties right now, may we live a Christ centred, Spirit filled life.
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