I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us. 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, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. – Habakkuk 3:16-18
“Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress”… Ouch. Life is often like this. The Bible talks a lot about waiting, patience, enduring through the tough times. But this prophet knew that what he was waiting on would not bring abundant blessings, joy, or immediate deliverance.
This prophet knew that what he was waiting on was distress. Despair. Hardship. Trouble.
Many of us suffer from something that most likely will never be removed from us. We study to grow our patience. We hope to increase our endurance. We have faith that in the end we will be restored, when we are taken home to be with Jesus.
But the waiting we are doing now? That is a lot like Habakkuk’s waiting. Trouble.
It’s here, it’s coming, and we know it’s just around the next corner. Our health, as we get older, is most likely to get worse instead of better. Our disabilities are likely to multiply. Our pain is likely to increase. Trouble.
Even on our shining, refreshing days when our invisible illnesses and our visible problems are manageable, we can know that worse days are going to return. These times are only an oasis… a temporary stopping point the Lord has provided on our walk through this desert. Some day, not far from now, will bring more trouble.
Yet here is how Habakkuk ends this lament.
“Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
Knowing that distress was sneaking up on his people. Knowing that their cups would be filled with despair. Knowing that hardship was strapped to their backs. In full realization of the trouble that was coming.
“Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
If that makes Habakkuk crazy, Lord, let me be crazy like Habakkuk! Let me lift my hands and voice to exult in You. Let me rejoice in You, the God of my salvation, no matter what my quiet waiting produces!
And let me never forget:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – Jesus (John 16:33)
Let’s Go Deeper:
1. What kind of trouble do you find yourself waiting on?
2. How patient are you during these times?
3. Write here a verse that helps you to exult in the troubled times.
4. What is one thing you can do, today, to help someone focus on the praise at the end of the lament?
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May God Bless You,
Shelly