I Wish I Could've Shared Coffee With Habakkuk

In my recent travels with some Old Testament prophets, I have uncovered some very interesting writers.  They wrote of truth, judgment, destruction, and hope.  They exposed their souls and wrote with abandon.  They told it all.  I'm pretty sure I would have liked hanging out with those guys.

Habakkuk was a writer who was told by God to "Write down the revelation".  That connects our hearts right away! I know we would have been friends.  He starts out with a complaint, "How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?"  Basically, Habbie cried out to God and said there was chaos everywhere, the wicked are prospering and God needed to bring judgment on the people of Judah.  He asked God "the-why-aren't-you-doing-anything?" question.

God answered Habakkuk but not in the way that he expected.  His plan was to bring the Babylonians into the picture.  The Babylonians or Chaldeans were already the most evil of people in the neighborhood and very, very powerful.  They were going to bring so much force that God described it as ..."you would not believe even if you were told."  God had it all planned out, yes, He was literally bringing the "heat".    

Habbie's response was very familiar as he complained once again.  "Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?  Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?"  Habbie was very bold to ask God all the why questions.  The Lord's answer was "Write this down...I don't want you to miss this!  And you will need to share it with the world."  Then God's woe commenced.  I am sure that it was painful to watch as Habbie mourned over the loss of life.  I think God brought the evil ones into the picture so that the people of Judah would go running to God to save them instead of the powerful ones.

"But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."

Instead of drying his tears, God said..."Who's the LORD here...I AM.  Trust me....you will see good out this and don't forget I'm still God at the end of your day.”  Shaking-in-his-boots Habakkuk fell down in worship.  He wrote the entire third chapter in adoration to God.  In the middle of his desert moments of destruction, came the restoration of his faith.  


I can't help but be impacted by his example.  I often encounter difficult circumstances as life hands me a buffet full of un-awesome stuff.  It's hard to see God at work in them and seeing good happen out of them.  And I have a tendency to ask God "Why aren't you fixing this?"  The good that comes from these moments-days-years is the deep trust I have in God.  He is for me, and is looking out for my good all the time.  I have to stay in His pockets of safe rest, secure in His love and provisions, no matter what comes across my plate.  Even if...it keeps me in the middleof the desert, full of life's un-awesome.