Praise Abound: A Study of Habakkuk 3
Habakkuk 3:1 – A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet.
As I close out this series on the book of Habakkuk, we realize that in the first chapter, he was very frustrated with what he was seeing around him. In the second chapter, he is waiting patiently for the answer that the Lord provides him. By this third chapter, he is praising God for being completely in control.
In verses 1-2, Habakkuk pleads to God for mercy. He knows that his people, and most likely ultimately himself, are being judged. He asks God to be merciful in light of judgment. Through verses 3-15, he praises God for his power and majesty. What is amazing about verses 3-15 is some of the language Habakkuk uses. The metaphors and similes are amazing to imagine. Picturing God as brighter than light, with rays flashing from his hands just warms my heart, as I can imagine it warmed Habakkuk’s.
Habakkuk 3:4 – His brilliance is like light; rays are flashing from His hand.
In verses 16-19, Habakkuk tells God that he will wait patiently through this judgment. He says that even though God is sending the Babylonians as judgment, he will wait until the day is right to come against them.
Habakkuk 3:16 – Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the people invading us.
The book of Habakkuk is comforting to those who live in an evil society and 21st century America is an evil society. There are a lot of points that we can take away from this book.
First, there are times when God doesn’t seem like He is there but in reality, He is very actively involved. Look at verse 1:12. God was using the Babylonians to achieve the purpose of judgment.
Next, Habakkuk explains that God is holy. In verse 1:13, he tells us that God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil. It is very humbling to know that God cannot stand evil, especially in our day of constant temptation and self-gratification.
Third, God not only hears our prayers, but He answers them. And when He answers them, we need to be prepared for HIS answer, not necessarily OUR answer. Whenever a person prays, we typically have an idea of how we would like the answer of the prayer to be. Unfortunately, many times, we as Christians feel that if God answered us differently, then He hasn’t answered us at all. Perhaps He is simply giving you the answer you need at the time you pray rather than giving you everything you want.
Habakkuk 2:1 – I will watch to see what He will say to me
Fourth, God is both just and good. He will judge the wicked and has the concern of the righteous always in His mind. While the righteous are not spoiled children who constantly get everything they want, God uses the wicked sometimes to bring the righteous back in line.
Finally, faith and faithfulness is a key to living a righteous life. This means that we live according the fact that God is just and righteous. Think of places in your life, right now, that need you to reconsider how you live. Could it be in your church life? Could it be in your work? Could it be in your marriage or your relationship with your kids? Or could it be simply with your relationship with God?
The book of Habakkuk, although written over 2600 years ago, is just as relevant today as it was then. I we look at Habakkuk and realize that everything God said came true, then we, as the righteous, can look back over our tragedies and realize that God is truly in control.
Habakkuk 3:18-19 – I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! Yahweh my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
boyradd 