Confidence In The Lord (Habakkuk 3)

What would it mean for us to have confidence in God? It’s one thing for us to believe that God can do something amazing, and it’s another thing to live faithfully while the world is crumbling around you.

Habakkuk has revealed how terrible the world has become in His lifetime. The Law is paralyzed, justice is perverted, and the innocent are in a constant state of suffering. Judah is the last remaining country belonging to God’s people and most of them are living in complete and total rebellion against God’s will. He sees all this and wonders how long God will let this go on before stopping it.

Can we relate? Things are changing rapidly in America. Skepticism, materialism, and distorted teachings are rampant, making it easy to wonder if God is still in control. Now, imagine God raising up Islam to persecute and destroy those who profess to be Christians. Would we still have confidence in God after that happens? Or, let’s get more down to the personal level. What if God lets you suffer some form of pain, loss of funds, loss of family, loss of ability, etc? How much confidence will we have in God during that trial?

Chapter 3 contains a prayer/song and a post script where Habakkuk demonstrates an unshakable faith. Throughout this chapter, we see that confidence in God isn’t just believing He’s powerful enough to act—it’s trusting His plan, even when it looks different from what we expect. What’s one area in your life where you need that kind of confidence right now?

Pleading For Revival and Mercy

Habakkuk’s words in Chapter 3 have to be considered based on what he says in verses one and two.

Habakkuk 3:1–2 (ESV) — 1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. 2 O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

The time spent conversing with the Lord has caused Habakkuk to write poetry. He is giving his people a prayer, “according to Shigionoth.” This means that what he writes here is similar to the Psalms and he intends for it to be sung with enthusiasm and triumph. This word in particular points to highly emotional, passionate song of praise.

Verse two introduces this prayer/song, saying that he has heard the report of God’s work, and, though he fears it, he calls for God to revive it, to make it known, and to show mercy in His wrath. In other words, Habakkuk knows how God has treated His people in the past. He knows how God has constantly tried to convince His people to pursue His ways and be holy as He is holy. When they failed, God always brought the sword, famine, or pestilence to correct them and remind them that He demands obedience. He had never destroyed the people completely, and Habakkuk is hoping that He won’t do that this time.

He deeply wants God to revive His people and glorify His name. He’s asking God to create a spiritual awakening and renew people’s hearts like in the days of Samuel and David.

Awe at God’s Power

In the next section, we will see an amazing description of God coming to destroy His enemy.

Habakkuk 3:3–15 (ESV) — 3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4 His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power. 5 Before him went pestilence, and plague followed at his heels. 6 He stood and measured the earth; he looked and shook the nations; then the eternal mountains were scattered; the everlasting hills sank low. His were the everlasting ways. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. 8 Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Was your anger against the rivers, or your indignation against the sea, when you rode on your horses, on your chariot of salvation? 9 You stripped the sheath from your bow, calling for many arrows. Selah You split the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw you and writhed; the raging waters swept on; the deep gave forth its voice; it lifted its hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their place at the light of your arrows as they sped, at the flash of your glittering spear. 12 You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. 13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah 14 You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.

What is this? Is this a recounting of all that God has done or a vision of what God is going to do? It’s both. He starts with God coming down from Teman and Mount Paran. Teman and Paran are mountains in the south where God wandered with Israel in the wilderness for 40 years. So, he is referring to a historical event and illustrating how God conquered Egypt before moving into Canaan where He defeated all of His enemies in the promised land. This prayer is a reminder to Judah that God has the power to defeat all those who rise up against Him. He split the rivers and made the sun and moon stand still.

So, this is about looking at the past to focus on the future. If God has done this previously, He can completely destroy everyone He decides to destroy. This is also a picture of what God’s coming judgment will be like.

Notice in these verses the immense power and destruction He is bringing. Nature itself is witnessing and unable to stop His wrath. Raging rivers, towering mountains, the depths of the sea, the sun and moon, all are trembling at the coming fury of God. God is more powerful than nature because He is the one who set nature in motion. Verse 4 even alludes to the idea that what we have seen previously is a veiled display. We cannot handle God in His fullness.

The overall point of this text is to say that everyone ought to be terrified of God’s wrath and fury. There is no man on earth who is able to stand against His judgment. He will crush the heads of His enemies and pierce them through from thigh to neck. Singing about this is supposed to motivate us to trust in Him and believe in His salvation. He will save His people and His anointed. This is crucial. We don’t worship and praise a figure of our imagination. We worship and praise the one true God over all that we experience.

This song and prayer makes me think about the greatness of God when I sing praises to God. I often fail to focus on that. Do you focus your mind and heart on how great and powerful He is?

Unshakable Faith

The final section of this book is the post script. In light of what God has revealed to Habakkuk, and what was spoken in the prayer/song, Habakkuk has this to say about how he views God and what he is planning to do during these dangerous times.

Habakkuk 3:16–19 (ESV) — 16 I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. 17 Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.

The news that Habakkuk’s people are going to suffer the wrath of the Babylonians is terrifying, but the idea of suffering the wrath of God is even more so. Habakkuk knows whose side to choose. He knows to put his faith and trust in the Lord. Notice how his words transition in verse 16. He goes from saying, “Rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me” to saying, “Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us.” God’s words have strengthened and emboldened him. He doesn’t want to suffer or die, but he has chosen to trust God to deliver a far worse degree of suffering on Babylon. They will not be able to stand the punishment they are about to receive.

In the rest of this section, we see wonderful statements of confidence in the Lord. It’s as though this greater understanding of God has led him to a humble, submissive, and accepting demeanor. He appears to be fully devoted to God even though financial, career, and relational aspirations are completely hopeless. He has decided to rejoice in the Lord. He has just been promised that the world will fall all around him and he decides to make God his lone source of joy and satisfaction. He trusts God to give him strength and lift him up on the mountain heights because, “The righteous will live by faith.”

Finding Confidence in The Lord’s Will

How many of us would share in his joy? If we were told by God that all of our 401k will disappear in an instant, would we rejoice in the Lord? What if all the grocery stores were emptied, the crops died out, the animals caught some disease and died, or were killed by an enemy? How would we respond?

What we see in the final part of this book is an amazing statement of trust, that’s hard to imagine. We hear these scenarios and we might claim that we would be joyful because we think, “It will never happen to me.” But Habakkuk is being told by God that this is exactly what is about to happen to him. Yet, he makes the decision to keep trusting in God. He’s not explaining how he plans to resort to violence, stealing, or coming up with some bunker to survive in. He could have created a bunker, but he says that he’s going to believe in God’s ability to save him.

I want us to take a moment and consider the message this book is giving us.Just look at Habakkuk’s response to this terrible news. He starts with a plea for God to remember mercy as he brings wrath, then he offers a prayer that recognizes God’s greatness and power, and he ends with a resolute statement of faith. What a great example. Is it any wonder that New Testament writers bring up Habakkuk in powerful ways?

The Message

Habakkuk’s words show us that, in the darkest of times, the righteous live by faith. Things will get really bad for Habakkuk. People will be killing people, food will get scarce and he and his family might starve to death. All their financial prosperity might disappear, but God can provide the strength and exaltation he desires better than sin ever could. This is faith. It’s a deliberate choice to trust in God, no matter what. We know He has the power to save us and we believe those who remain faithful will be saved. So, we endure. This teaches us what living by faith looks like, finding joy and rest in His promises.

The New Testament shows us that this is the mentality required to be a follower of Christ.

Matthew 16:24–27 (ESV) — 24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of this Habakkuk level trust. He chooses to trust in God even though it meant suffering a terrible death on a cross. His trust and suffering resulted in our salvation and the ultimate exaltation.

Conclusion

As we conclude this series on Habakkuk, let’s remember how truly blessed we are to live in such a wonderful and blessed community. But also, don’t be deceived by the spiritual depravity of our day. God sees and knows what’s going on. He desires to save. But don’t forget that there is a day of judgment that is promised for all of mankind. Don’t be deceived into believing that God will ignore our willful disobedience. He saves and forgives all those who live by faith in him. Is that you?