A Word from Habakkuk 3

Have you ever wished that you could see God act in the world today in the same powerful way that He did in ages past? Would you like to see Him feed multitudes and provide streams in the desert? Would you like to see Him lift up the lowly and bring judgment on the proud? Would you like to see Him reveal His glory in a way that allows all people to discover what a Great God He is?

Well you know, we’re not the first folks who’ve longed to see God work in the world in a powerful way. The prophet Habakkuk lived in a time when God’s people were being threatened—and when the prophet couldn’t understand why God wasn’t doing something about all the violence and wickedness that he saw in the world around him. And so, in Chapter 3 of the book that bears his name, he offered this prayer:

Lord, I have heard of your fame;

     I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.

Repeat them in our day;

     in our time make them known. (3:1-2a)

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see God “repeat in our day” His mighty deeds of the past. But at the same time, I’m sure that countless believers have prayed for that down through the years. And many, I suspect, never did get the see the display of God’s power they were seeking. And so, the question becomes: What are we going to do in the absence of “divine fireworks”? And here, too, Habakkuk provides an example. Because he goes on to say:

Though the fig tree does not bud

     and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

     and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

     and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

     I will be joyful in God my Savior. (3:17-18)

So today, I pray—and trust—that God will be at work in the world. But if we don’t get to see His work in the way that we’d like to see it, I pray that we’ll trust Him just the same. Amen.