Written ~ 12-01-2023
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
The Book of Habakkuk is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament. The whole book is just three chapters, I recommend reading the entire three chapters. It’s like reading about what the world is going through right now. In chapter one it starts off with a prayer from Habakkuk, he is complaining to the Lord about all the destruction and violence and lack of justice in the world. He wants to know when the Lord is going to rescue them. Then we have the Lord’s reply, He gives Habakkuk a glimpse of what the enemy is going to do to the surrounding nations. The remainder of chapter one is Habakkuk’s second complaint and prayer to the Lord, here he is questioning what the Lord has planned, but in his complaining he never forgets that the Lord is Holy and Eternal, so he waits to see that the Lord is going to do and say. Chapter two is the Lord’s reply. He is letting Habakkuk (and us) know that evil will get its punishment, the wickedness in the world will not remain, the wicked will get what they deserve. No matter what is going on in the world verse 2:20 sums up why evil and wickedness cannot prevail…
“But the Lord is in His Holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
The Lord God Almighty is Eternal and Glorious. He will not let the destruction caused by evil defy Him. God has the last word. After the Lord’s reply in chapter two, Habakkuk responds in chapter three, you can almost feel his relief. Verse 3:2a says, “I have heard all about You, Lord. I am filled with awe by Your amazing works…” So even though Habakkuk spend most of this book complaining to the Lord, wondering when He was going to show up and help, he is humbled by the works of the Lord and knows everything will be taken care of.
This brings us to our verses for today 3:17-19. But first let’s look at the end of verse 3:16 and see what Habakkuk has to say, “I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us.” In the first couple of chapters Habakkuk is all riled up. He sees things going on that are not to his liking, but he doesn’t have any control over what’s going on, so he complains. He brings his protests to the Lord, but in the end he sees that the Lord has everything under control and in the Lord’s timing things will be handled. After all that complaining, what does Habakkuk say he’ll be doing? “I will wait quietly…”
We must realize that in our world today we are going see things happening that are well out of our control. We don’t like seeing the evil in the world and wonder what the Lord is going to do about it. The actions of the human race is all wrapped up in our sinful nature. Without the Lord God stepping into a person’s life and taking over that heart and mind, sin will continue to be on a rampage. And the best thing for us to do during a time of uncertainty is to wait, quietly, patiently and see the Lord move!
In our verses for today Habakkuk has come to the point of acknowledging that even though things may not be how he wants them to be…
- Fig trees have no blossoms
- No grapes are on the vines
- Olive crops bear no fruit
- Fields are empty and barren
- Flocks are dying
- Cattle barns are empty
…he has come to the realization that no matter what is going on around him, he will rejoice and lean on the Lord for strength.
Look at your own life. What has you riled up? What complaints are you bringing to the Lord? Are you shaking your fist at God and expecting Him to bring change into your situation just because you said so? Listen, we all have things going on in our lives that bring heartbreak, disappointment and confusion. But what we do with all that negative emotion depends greatly on how you see the Lord. If you don’t think the Lord can handle what’s happening in your life, you will remain angry, you will continue to blame God for what is happening in your “world.” But if you can see God as Habakkuk sees God, it will bring your life to a complete 180 turn around. You will be able to rejoice because you know the Lord has everything under control. I get it… it’s hard to understand why evil and despair, violence and disaster has to happen. But if we didn’t have destruction in the world, we wouldn’t be able to see the Glorious Power of the Lord when He moves! If your own life was “perfect,” nothing ever went wrong, you would completely miss out when the Lord steps in and brings change, you would completely miss seeing His Power at work in your life. The Lord brings Salvation, He wants us to see through all the mess of this world and see His Glory, He wants us to be witnesses of His Power. In those things, we can rejoice and be joyful that He has brought us Salvation.
In verse 3:19a it says,
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength!”
When we rely on the Lord completely, no matter what is going on around us, we can be made strong because of the Lord’s presence in our lives. Verse 3:19b continues by saying,
“He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”
Have you ever watched a documentary about deer or goats who live on mountain ranges? They climb on those rugged cliffs and jump from one tiny ledge to another, never losing their footing, they seek shelter in the heights of those cliffs. Where you and I could barely hold on, they seem to fly across the steep, rugged terrain with no effort. That’s how Habakkuk is portraying the strength we have in the Lord. Yes, things are going on around us that we do not like, at any moment we can feel as though we are going to fall. We may even feel like just giving up. But no, we must look to the Lord and gain our strength and resilience in the truth, the truth that the Lord is our Salvation. We must look to Him in every situation and rejoice.
So, if in your prayers, you must complain to the Lord, make sure you also acknowledge that He is the Eternal, All Powerful God and whatever He has to do in your situation will need to take place. BUT… in your waiting you will have strength and you will see God’s mighty hand move in your life.
Lord God, help me to see your mighty hand move in my life. When I see things fall apart, my prayer is that I will see it rebuilt by Your hand. I rejoice in Your Name Father. I pray with joy in my heart that You have everything in Your control and You know exactly what You’re doing. Help me Lord to wait quietly as I see Your Glory Shine in my life.
~AMEN~