This book reminds me of the state of the western church today. Habakkuk sees that God’s people are not really living as if they were God’s people, and he wants God to do something about it. So, God tells him the plan for dealing with the situation. Habakkuk is horrified! Maybe he thought a mild rebuke would suffice. Maybe he wanted people to change their ways without any discipline from God. He certainly did not want what God was planning! Although it is not explicitly stated, God’s defense of his plan can be summed up in three words: I am holy. God will execute justice, first for Israel and then for the nation that God uses to punish Israel. I love Habakkuk’s response when God is finished speaking: “Though the fig trees should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
In thinking on these verses, I realized how much I want that to be my attitude to life, “I will exult in God regardless of what life brings.” But I also found myself wondering: when it actually happened, did Habakkuk follow through? I thought about how sure Peter was that he would not deny Jesus and realized there can be a big difference between what we think we will do and what we actually do. Habakkuk, unlike Peter, was confident God’s prediction was true. Consequently, he was not blindsided when God’s word was fulfilled. I’m sure that was a help, but I wonder if knowing what was coming was enough to equip Habakkuk. Would it be enough for me? Or are there things I can do today that will help me face a tough tomorrow? Am I learning to use God’s grace to exalt God in the irritations of life? To see God’s holiness when I experience injustice? Am I relying on God’s wisdom and strength for daily decisions and burdens? If not, how likely am I to be able to live this way when faced with true hardship?