You’ve got to love Habakkuk

I found out today that I really, really like the prophet Habakkuk.  You know why?  Here’s a man that was struggling with doubt so he turned to God for the answers to his questions.  And these weren’t just any questions – he wanted to know why God wasn’t acting in the way Habakkuk thought He should.

Habakkuk:  God, why do you allow oppression and social injustice? Why don’t you punish the wicked?

God’s answer was that He had a plan to punish the unjust.  How?  He was going to send people even worse (the Babylonians) to punish them (the people of Judah, His people).

Habakkuk:  God, why would You use wicked people to punish others? Doesn’t that mean You approve of their actions?

God’s answer was to be patient and trust Him.  Then He shared His plan with Habakkuk – that he was going to punish the Babylonians as well (they would be destroyed by the Persians) and He would eventually restore His people to Judah (about 70 years later).  Not only did He tell Habakkuk this, but He told Him to write it down and make it public so that the righteous would know that God is faithful. (Why just the righteous?  Probably because they were the only ones looking.)

So how did the story end?  Habakkuk was able to pray to God because God had renewed his confidence in God’s sovereignty and perfect will.

Like Habakkuk I have doubts and struggles and when I take them to the Lord, He will show me the answer which renews my faith.  I’m the kind of person that asks “why?” a lot so the book of Habakkuk really resonates with me.  That doesn’t mean I understand everything or have all the answers, but it does mean that when I have doubts and struggles that the Lord can and will reassure me if I remember to ask Him.

If you’re struggling with something today, why not bring it to the Lord and ask Him to help you find His truth?