Recently, I was going through a study on Habakkuk and I realized that there was so much more to this book than the cherished verses in Chapter 3 that are often read in times of challenges.
Even if the fig tree does not blossom, And there is no fruit on the vines, If the yield of the olive fails, And the fields produce no food, Even if the flock disappears from the fold, And there are no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will triumph in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18
In order to receive the vision that God gave and then to write it down, Habakkuk took on a posture of waiting on the Lord and staying in position to hear whatever He would say to him. His heart was ready to be admonished by the Lord. Without this stance he may have missed the vision God had given him that not only impacted the Israelites then, but also has a great impact on us now when we read it. This vision came when Habakkuk was watching for the Lord and waiting on Him to speak. Habakkuk had been crying out to the Lord for a long time, and he wondered if God was hearing him, yet he never stopped watching and waiting.
How long, LORD, have I called for help, And You do not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Habakkuk 1:2
I will stand at my guard post And station myself on the watchtower; And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, And how I may reply when I am reprimanded. Habakkuk 2:1
Unfortunately, too many of us cry out to the Lord, but we are too impatient to watch and wait for HIm to respond. We leave our post of intercession too soon because we become impatient as we may think God is taking too long. We also may get distracted by the cares of life and then go and do things in our own strength, which may be disastrous in the end. But we need to remember that God’s timing is not our timing, and His ways are higher than ours. So, we need to learn to trust Him, knowing that He is in control no matter what we see. What we see can hinder what we believe so we should not focus on what is in the natural, but rather we should turn our eyes to our supernatural God who can do the impossible. We should also be prepared for how God responds to us as it may not be what we expected or even what we are comfortable with. Our God is all-knowing so we should keep our faith in Him and remember that He is the Alpha and the Omega, and knows the beginning to the end. Who best to order our steps through the circumstances in our lives?
But as for me, I trust in You, Lord, I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand; Rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. Psalm 31:14-15
When we abide in Christ we can rest in His ways and trust Him. He may not rescue us from our bad circumstances quickly, because He may be using those difficulties to shape our character to reflect Him. He also uses hardships to strengthen us and prepare us for the purposes He has for us. I know I have passed through difficult seasons and when I look back, I could see how God was molding me in the middle of the trial. It is not easy being on the Potter’s wheel, but I am thankful for how God uses those tests to make me a testimony. Now, I can truly count it all joy when I go through trials of many kinds as I know God is using them to make me go deeper in Him. They will not break me, but God uses them to make me into a vessel holy and pleasing to Him. Therefore, now I know that I should not move away from my position of prayer, while I must keep watch for the devil’s schemes to distract me and to make me have ingratitude towards the Lord.
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
We should always give God thanks with a grateful heart, while we watch, wait and pray for Him to make His move in His timing. Let us not slumber when we are supposed to pray, but rather let us be alert and be patient unlike those five virgins whose lamps ran out of oil when the bridegroom came of the scene. Let us always be ready for what the Lord is about to do.
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