As I’m writing this we are coming up on one year in America of the Covid-19 pandemic. A half-million people in this nation have died, more than any other nation. This is hard to process given the fact that there are more Christians in America than any other nation on earth. We aren’t a “Christian nation” but the majority of citizens (roughly 60-70%) identify as Christian.
Whether you believe God directly orchestrates things, or merely permits things, doesn’t matter. All Christians know that the Lord could have prevented the widespread sickness and death and hardship in our country. But He didn’t. It’s confusing.
On top of it, the general trust in the Church has never been lower. Multitudes of Christians are falling into all kinds of sins, and many are casting off the faith completely. Most churches have shrunk numerically during the pandemic. There have been very few conversions. And many pastors are leaving the ministry. Again, all this can be confusing.
Where is God?
In the midst of this season of affliction, some Christians are crying out to the Lord for mercy. There have been special times of prayer and lament. Pastors have gotten together to pray for revival. Initiatives like 100 Days of Pursuit are happening all over. For some, the pandemic has made them more serious about their relationship with Christ than ever before.
But it’s confusing when we pray, and things actually get worse in our country. We pray for revival and for our cities and towns to experience Christ. We pray for friends and family to come to Jesus. We pray that churches would grow and multiply. We pray that there would be a fresh powerful movement of Christianity in this generation that would sweep many into the kingdom of God. But we’ve not seen any of this.
We’ve actually seen the opposite. How can we not be confused by this? I’ve personally prayed for revival in America for over 30 years. I’ve seen good things happen here and there, but am heartbroken, over the state of things, in general. What are we supposed to do? How do we flourish in the midst of all this? Where is God? What is He doing? Why isn’t He answering?
The crisis in America, and our confusion about it, affect our pursuit of God. It really saps our motivation. I’ve watched over the years, people who had a great energy to pray for revival, become weary. They were the kind of people who always attended prayer meetings and fasted regularly. But seeing almost no answers to their sacrificial prayers, year after year, eventually, caused their fervor to wane.
A Book for our times
The Book of Habakkuk is pure encouragement for the times we are in. Habakkuk is a prophet during a time when the spiritual state of things was very low (he was a contemporary of Jeremiah). In addition, the nation of Babylon, their vicious and violent neighbor, was breathing down their neck. The prophet is just utterly baffled by what’s going on and doesn’t hide his feelings before the Lord. The short three-chapter book begins with this lament—
The first complaint
O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you "Violence!" and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. — Habakkuk 1:2-4
I love that the Bible gives us glimpses of great saints who were genuinely confused at times. Habakkuk is questioning the justice and goodness of the Almighty. Perhaps he knew God could handle his questioning. In some ways, this kind of raw honesty shows how comfortable the prophet was, pouring out his heart unfiltered.
The beautiful thing we see is that the Lord God is listening. He doesn’t scold the prophet for questioning Him. He simply answered. And the answer—at first—sounded very exciting and just what the prophet wanted to hear.
God’s response
Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. — Habakkuk 1:5
Maybe he thought—“Yes!!! This is awesome, revival is coming. Justice is coming. God is going to bring such a spectacular outpouring of grace that we will shine like stars amongst the nations. It is going to be so wonderful, so fantastic, so stupendous—that we wouldn’t even believe it if He told us about it!”
But, that’s not what God meant at all. The next verses describe how fierce and terrible Babylon is.
They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. — Habakkuk 1:7
And God says He’s going to raise them up to invade the land. Habakkuk is a prophet, remember, so he catches on very quickly to what God is doing. He realizes that God is using this foreign enemy, Babylon, to discipline His own people.
The second complaint
Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. — Habakkuk 1:12
He understands it but clearly doesn’t like the idea at all. And, again, doesn’t hesitate to let the Almighty know what he’s thinking. Here’s just one sentence of his complaint—
Why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? — Habakkuk 1:13
I am curious if Habakkuk might have wondered after he prayed this if he went too far in practically accusing God of being lazy. I’m not sure. It’s a little too honest, right? He then plants himself and waits for the Lord to answer. You get the idea that he may have had to wait a while for the answer. Here’s what God starts off by saying—
God’s second response
And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end-it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. — Habakkuk 2:2-4
He tells the prophet to essentially write this down in his little journal. The Lord then talks at length about the sins of Babylon and how He sees everything, and He will judge everything in His perfect time. No one will get away with breaking God’s laws. Specifically, the Lord gives five “woes” dealing with stealing, evil gain, bloodshed, ruthless ambition, drunkenness and angry sexual abuse, and idolatry. Habakkuk takes it all in and says this—
Prayer for revival
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. — Habakkuk 3:2
What he’s praying here is that while God’s wrath is upon His own people that He would remember mercy, and let judgment fall on their enemies (Babylon). He is telling God that he has heard about the great things in the past like when Moses divided the Red Sea and David conquered the Philistines. He’s crying out that the Lord would do these kinds of great redemptive works in his day!
The prophet goes on in his prayer remembering some of the mighty works of God throughout history. He’s reminding himself of God’s power—“the mountains saw You and writhed.” Somehow as he’s praying all these things, it’s as if he realizes that the Lord has a perfect plan. Perhaps he remembered what the Lord promised in response to his second complaint—
Future glory!
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. — Habakkuk 2:14
The prophet really seems to change his tune from lament to praise by the end of the book. He begins to see the vision. He sees that the Lord is at work. He sees that—in time—God will redeem His people and scatter His enemies. Habakkuk is realizing that, even though things are bleak at present ...
“I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me”
… the Lord will soon defeat their enemies and make all things new.
Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. — Habakkuk 3:16
Joy in God !!!
The last verses of Habakkuk are some of the most frequently quoted passages in the Old Testament, and they speak to us in our pursuit of God during a time of crisis and decline. Yes, it can be a little confusing at times, and we can be honest with the Lord about how we feel, as the prophet was.
But may we land where he landed—in a field of praise! He exemplifies 2:4 that says, “The righteous shall live by his faith.” Our trust is in God. He is working all things together. Our prayers do not fall to the ground. Even in seasons of affliction we can find joy in our God. He makes our feet like the feet of a deer. He makes us firm when everything else is shaking.
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, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. 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. — Habakkuk 3:17-19
“To the choirmaster”—yes! In other words, this is the part that should be sung with joy! Whatever the circumstances are in the world, the nations, the Church or in our personal lives—don’t stop seeking Him! That’s what faith is all about my friends. It’s easy to seek Him when blessings fall from the sky and everything is going smoothly. Let’s be the kind of seekers who run hard after God despite pandemics and political tensions, financial hardships and illness, the decline of Christianity and a great falling away of believers. May we “tread on high places” and not sit in the muck and mire of our self-pity. Lord, have mercy! If this pandemic is some kind of divine discipline upon our nation, so be it. May we listen to what the Father is saying and may we find our joy in Christ alone.