When have you experienced something that felt unjust?
How did it affect the way you prayed and communed with God?
Habakkuk was surprised by the way that God was working. He did not understand why the land was in turmoil and why God would allow the Assyrians to reign, let alone bring the Chaldeans to judge Judah. The Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians, were a wretched, wicked people. Habakkuk questioned why God would use a more wicked group of people to judge Judah. Sometimes we are surprised by the plan of God, and how we react and respond to God shows our faith.
UNDERSTANDING
Unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture says or means about a particular topic.
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT
How did Habakkuk use the imagery of trees, fields, and flocks to describe the situation in Judah at the time? Why do you think he use agrarian language?
How would you have responded if you had lived in Judah at the time?
How did Habakkuk respond? How did he get to the place where he could praise God?
How can you rejoice and trust in God when troubles and suffering come?
Habakkuk used agrarian imagery because that was the society that he lived in. Wealth and prosperity was based on the amount of land, crops, and herds that a person had. When trees did not produce fruit, land did not produce crops, and the flocks dispersed, the land would be in utter turmoil. This was a worst case scenario, yet Habakkuk praised God. Many of God’s people went through suffering and pain but continued to trust in Him. Paul is a good example of this in 2 Corinthians 12.
I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body.
But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God.
So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10 NLT
Why did Paul say he was given the thorn in the flesh? What do you think the thorn could have been?
What does Paul conclude when he considers his suffering?
How have you seen God’s strength in your weakness? How?
Both Paul and Habakkuk asked God to change a source of pain and suffering in their lives. Both men asked God to help them, yet for both, God left the trial in their lives. Paul did not boast because he knew that all the good and all the bad that occurred came about because God ordained it in His sovereign plan. Paul cried out to God three times to remove the thorn but God did not, and in the end, Paul, much like Habakkuk, praised the Lord for being strong in weakness. Paul trusted in the character of God.
What circumstances in your life have led you to question God? Who are the people in your life with whom you can share your questions?
Habakkuk questioned God about His will and His sovereign plan, but he did not stay in a place of questioning. Is it proper to continually question God in these moments? Why or why not?
What are practical things that you can do to stretch your trust in God?
In Romans 1:17, Paul quoted Habakkuk 2:4, “The righteous shall live by faith,” when he talked about preaching the gospel. Compare and contrast Habakkuk’s use of the phrase and Paul’s use of it.
In what ways can your prayers be more like those of Habakkuk and Paul? What would it look like to pray for your nation the way that Habakkuk prayed for his?
PRAYER
Close by thanking God for His wisdom and plan. Praise Him that He is sovereign over His creation. Ask God to help you rejoice in your trials and suffering. Pray that God would be the source of strength for the people in your group when they are weak. Ask God to remind you of His gracious acts toward you, that you would rejoice in His character and His salvation.