Habakkuk
3 reminds me of Mani
Manithan. For 25 years Mr. Manithan walked backwards in his personal
protest against violence and terrorist bombings in his home country
of India. The interesting part is that now, he can no longer walk
normally. He said his mind has forgotten how to do it and that it is
too uncomfortable; so he continues to walk backward. I sometimes
wonder if the world has forgotten what normal feels like. Today most
people do not even consider God in their daily activities. There is
no reverence for the greatness of God. It was similar in the days of
Habakkuk. After questioning God for two chapters, this short book
closes with a prayer of praise. He begins, “Lord,
I have heard of Your fame; I
stand in awe of Your deeds“.
Today we are bombarded with an endless stream of people that are
famous for accomplishing nothing. Realizing the people no longer
remembered God, he adds, “Lord,
Repeat them in our day, in
our time make
them known“.
As we systematically remove God from our education and monuments and
public discussion, people are blindly unaware of the cultural turn
around. The prophet continues with a shocking statement, “…in
wrath remember mercy“.
We have remade God into a kindly, doddering old gent that loves
everything and everyone. Is that what the Bible teaches? Proverbs
9:10 tells us, “The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
knowledge of the Holy One is understanding“.
Does that sound uncomfortable to you?
His
every mention of God includes brilliance, power and complete
authority. “His
splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from His hand, where His
power was hidden. He stood, and shook the earth; He looked, and made
the nations tremble“.
We talk of being kind to mother earth, but God the Father is in full
control, “Were you angry
with the rivers, Lord?
…Torrents of water swept by;
the deep roared and lifted its waves on high“.
He adds, “In anger You
threshed the nations“.
What was God’s purpose?
“You
came out to deliver Your people, to save Your Anointed One“.
The invasion and captivity of the nation was used to preserve the
line of Messiah. Has He been trying to get your attention?
The
prophet writes about the end to the conflict that was yet to come,
“You crushed the leader
of the land of wickedness…
With his own spear you pierced
his head“.
Even knowing this, Habakkuk was far from peaceful and serene. “I
heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay
crept into my bones, and my legs trembled“.
Yet looking toward God gave him hope, “Yet
I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation
invading us“.
He describes a season distress, “Though…
there are no grapes on the vines…
and the fields produce no food…
there are
no sheep in the pen and no cattle
in the stalls…“
But knowing
God’s perspective provides a new orientation, yet
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior“.
Habakkuk closes with description of normal to those that have
forgotten, “The
Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a
deer, He enables me to tread on the heights“.
Friend, is it time to put the past behind you? The first
uncomfortable step is acknowledging God’s authority, “As
the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than
your ways and
My thoughts than your thoughts”
(Isaiah 55:8). Look toward the Savior and be astounded!