These are valid questions that we tend to ask frequently, especially when we see what is going on around us. The question we are really asking is, “God are you still about making this earth in the likeness of heaven and is that still our commission, or do we just quit because it is hopeless to try and change things?” 

Don’t Ignore What is Happening
No true Christian who loves God and people should be indifferent to the moral and spiritual climate or character of the age we live in. It is part of our concern and responsibility. We should take these concerns before God in prayer.

If we are truly pursuing the message of the Kingdom of God, we must address the real-world issues and questions that arise in each moment of history.

So, like us, Habakkuk is deeply troubled and confused and he tells God that the world situation is overrun by evil, and it seems the bad guys are getting all their own way. He cannot understand how God can go on letting the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer, so he makes a big protest to God. But the real question is – what did he expect when he called God to come in judgment?

To many, the only comfort they can find comes from the terribly erroneous message that this whole world is bound for disaster, but God will come and rescue us and then give the bad guys their due, possibly to our delight.

In response to his cry, God gives Habakkuk a glimpse into the future, and it is very interesting. It is found in Habakkuk 1:5-11. 

Habakkuk 1:5-11
“5 Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days — You would not believe if you were told. 6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth To seize dwelling places which are not theirs. 7 They are dreaded and feared; Their justice and authority originate with themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from afar; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. 9 All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand. 10 They mock at kings And rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress And heap up rubble to capture it. 11 Then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, They whose strength is their god.”

God says He will first bring judgment upon Israel (Habakkuk’s people) for her unfaithfulness! I don’t think this is what Habakkuk was looking for. In verse 5 God predicts that what He was about to do here would shock him.

What Habakkuk, who is a righteous man, suddenly realises, is that God is not going to remove him or the other Jewish people from society first. Similarly, if judgment comes upon the society we live in, we are all going to be affected. The New Testament also teaches this.

1 Peter 4:17 – “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

If God comes and brings judgment to society, it will impact us too. In fact, according to Peter, and mentioned in Habakkuk, judgement begins with the house of God first! One of the reasons God’s judgement does not fall on our land is because of His care for us. He often spares the nation to save us from being affected.

Obviously, Habakkuk is now really confused. He thought he knew who God was. He believed he had mastered all the standard definitions of God’s character, and on that basis, could order a pre-programmed God response to what was happening; and he assumed God would comply.

And now we are right at the heart of the problem that is raging today. Not only do we think we understand God, but we think we can coerce Him into all sorts of actions, simply because we believe we know enough about Him to predict (or demand) how He will act.

But Habakkuk meets a different God than he had ever envisioned and at this point he becomes anguished. This is a standard response for anyone who encounters the living God. Habakkuk learns that any judgment from God causes the righteous to suffer too. No one gets spared.

The issue of injustice is going to continue right through history, right until the end. This is revealed in Revelation 6:10 where the martyrs already with the Lord cried out, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 

God Is Not Predictable
If you do a study of the Old Testament prophets, one of the interesting things you will find is that they are frequently dismayed and surprised by God.

Why – because none of them ever managed to work Him out and nor could they get Him to follow their reasoning. The problem, which still exists today, was that the Prophets were more interested in controlling history and telling God what He needed to be doing than hearing how all of history is being controlled by God whose purposes are larger than their, or our, understanding.

Sadly, today, so much prophecy has lost its biblical significance. It is no longer steeped in the fear of the Lord and believing in the unexpected. It doesn’t represent God and gives us no indication of where and how He is working, mainly because it has no idea of His plan for the ages as laid out in the Scriptures. It is being used more as a tool to satisfy our lust for revenge, prosperity, or our own well-being, rather than on what God is doing in our midst. As a result, we learn that the Scriptures call for us to pray more for God’s mercy than for His judgment.

Romans 11:32 – “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”

If we are going to truly embrace the role of the Great Commission and be Christ’s representative on earth, one of our roles is to be long-suffering. This is seen in the fact that simply seeing the consequences of sin in the world, causes us to suffer, especially when we know that it could all be avoided.

Back to Habakkuk
Habakkuk’s hope for controlling history is shattered by God’s surprising response. So, in verse 17 he asks, “Are you going to let these people just rampantly destroy all the nations?” Similar cries are all throughout Scripture.

Habakkuk is left feeling lost, but he makes a good recovery. He is starting to get the point we all need to grasp.

Habakkuk 2:1 – “I will stand on my guard post, and station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved.”
He has been humbled and realises that he also is not blameless. As a result, he begins to approach God very differently because he now understands that he will suffer God’s judgement along with his people.

God assures him that any judgment that does come, won’t be in vain. God’s judgement is always redemptive. He tells Habakkuk that a refining is coming and something good will be produced through it.

God then tells him to record the vision (verses 3-4) and then watch it unfold. We are not told what the vision was, but three key elements emerge that we should take to heart today.

Lessons to be Learned

1. The first lesson is human futility. 
   God gives a stinging indictment on the so-called good works and progress of humanity without following His plan. We cannot do anything useful without Him.
2. A lesson on God’s judgement.
   No one escapes it when it comes. Our best response is to pray for mercy and grace and to realise we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory.
3. That God is working and does have a redemptive plan. 
   We must learn that He has all things in control, and we must develop a sense of trust despite the circumstances around us. God alone is our strength. Self-serving interpretations of the world or history, or what God is about to do, don’t cut it unless they clearly come from God.

Habakkuk 3:17-19.
V17 – Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
V18 – Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
V19 – The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.

He has learnt to leave any judgement of our nation to God and to wait patiently for God to bring about His plan and purpose. This doesn’t tell us not to pray and be concerned. In fact, it calls for intercessors to come, but we all must realise that we are not righteous either, so let’s all err on the side of mercy.

A Modern Day Example
In 2020, we were told that 2019 was the year of Covid. The virus was originally called COVID-19. But this was so wrong. The biggest virus from the enemy is (or was) not COVID-19. It was that the enemy again used something we were all focused on, to promote fear and discouragement. He does this to disempower us from fulfilling our assignment because fear always brings paralysis.

The Point
What looks like something that is going to be disastrous, will often be something that will force us to push on beyond the storm. This is the way of the Lord. He causes all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28). Don’t throw your calling and strategy away because of unforeseen circumstances.  Hang onto what God said to you and expect it to happen!

The Gospel we preach reveals the righteousness of God, not humanity – and what we must learn is that even our cries to God for Him to act according to our understanding of His righteousness are at best limited by our fallenness.

This means our own flesh or sense of justice often affects our understanding of how God is unfolding history. We cannot trust our own view of justice – and neither does God. I cannot ask God to conform to it – I must labour hard to discover His will and accept that even when it doesn’t seem to be happening. The true Gospel is a gospel of salvation and redemption because a terrible judgement has already taken place for sin – and God took that upon Himself. It is good for us to remember that and worship Him for it.

Like Habakkuk, we must accept that we are in the world to grieve over its situation; to share in its sufferings; to experience God’s pain and judgement; to intercede, and to bring redemption as far as the curse is found.

We have a calling, a purpose, and a role of stewardship on this planet, and we must get on with what God has called us to do as long as He tarries.

God bless you.
Bruce Billington