THE SECRET OF HABAKKUK’S SUCCESS
LIBERTY AND LOVE #101
There were terrible things happening during Habakkuk’s time and, like anyone would in that situation, even followers of God, he wondered why things had to be the way that they were. And yet even in the midst of adversity, uncertainty and unparalleled evil, Habakkuk decided within himself that he would express his trust in God no matter the circumstances. And here he does it through the words of a hymn: “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” (Habakkuk 3:17-19).
How can the modern believer develop a God-consciousness that will compel us to react this way to trials and tribulations in our own lives? How can we have the kind of confident faith in the face of evil and storms that the prophet did? Well, let us look closer at the pattern of Habakkuk’s thinking and see what we can discern.
Habakkuk determined within himself that he would trust in God no matter what was going on around him. This is not something that arose naturally within him in response to the terrible events and circumstances. This was a decision of the will, that all of us can make, that Habakkuk exercised that enabled him to focus on God when all hell was breaking loose around him.
Notice that instead of burying his head in the sand and pretending that things were not absolutely terrible from an earthly vantage point, Habakkuk actually acknowledges in poetic fashion the extremely dire circumstances in which he has found himself.
The fig trees have no figs. The vines are barren of grapes. There are no olives. There is no vegetation of any kind. The sheep and cattle are dead.But this crazy believer says, in the face of all of this adversity, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”
What’s the story here? How can someone be this way? Well, it may be hard to practice, but it is not difficult to understand. He was focused on God in such a way that external circumstances did not influence the way he felt about God or the way that he trusted in God.
He remembered what God had done in the past. Being certain that the Lord does not change is an important key to staying faithful. Reminding ourselves how he was faithful and saved Noah inside the ark. How he was faithful and spared the Israelites when Moses interceded on their behalf after they turned to idolatry. Remembering how faithful he was to bring down the walls of Jericho and give the city to his people. God is a God of faithfulness. Continuous faithfulness. (I am the Lord I do not change” (Malachi 3:6).
Habakkuk remembered that the faithfulness of God means salvation. “I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” He does not just say I will rejoice in the fact that God can and does save. He says “God is my salvation.” When we think of God, that should be synonymous with salvation. God does not just offer salvation, he is salvation. Jesus Christ is the city of refuge to which we run. He is the ark of safety that saves us from all that would come against us. This is far more than religion. This is relationship. This is rejoicing in the presence and the person of God.
“GOD, the Lord, is my strength.” Whatever you are trusting in is your strength. So many are living lives of hopelessness because the things that they turn to in times of difficulty are not things that can help them or save them. Those who put their trust in God are the ones who wind up always on the winning side. With God as our strength we can withstand any storm. “I can do all things through Christ to strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).
If God is your strength in the present moment, what could possibly come against you? What could defeat you. If God is for us who can be against us (Romans 8:32)? Through Christ we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).
Dewayne Dunaway
