The Book of Habakkuk
- Jack Schull
- Jul 12
- 7 min read
The Minor Prophets: Habakkuk
As we continue our trek through The Minor Prophets. The book of Habakkuk is one where we find the permission to bring our questions to God. We’re to stay anchored and waiting on Him. His timetable and processes may not be the ones we want, but we’re reminded that His Sovereignty is ultimately in control and He is for our good. Habakkuk tells us the righteous are to live by faith. Faith is not the absence of doubt, but biblical faith is choosing to trust God over your own perceptions. Biblical faith says: I trust the God who is good, whether or not I can see what good He is up to in this moment. Faith invites us to anchor ourselves in worship in the midst of our “waiting room” seasons.
The Minor Prophets
Minor in length, not in message
Three words sum up the message of all of The Minor Prophets:
Return. Repent. Restore.
Return to the Lord and His covenant.
Repent of your sins.
Experience restoration with God.
he Book of Habakkuk
3 chapters (can be read in 6 minutes)
Habakkuk begins in confusion and ends in renewed confidence.
He starts with questions and finishes with worship.
The Historical Situation:
—612-605 B.C.
-Babylon—one of history’s most brutal empires—is rising.
-Habakkuk, a prophet whose name likely means “to embrace” or “wrestler”—takes his grief directly to God.
The nation of Judah was spiritually declining after the reforms of King Josiah. Violence, corruption, injustice, and idolatry were spreading.
Meanwhile, a new world power was emerging: Babylon.
God's people were drifting, and the culture around them was becoming increasingly hostile to God's ways.
He feels stuck ‘WAITING’ — but instead of abandoning God when he feels stuck in a season of waiting — he brings his anguish, his questioning, his complaints TO GOD! Habakkuk is known as the psalmist prophet
Habakkuk doesn't primarily speak for God to the people.
He speaks to God on behalf of the people.
Habakkuk 1:1-5 NLT
This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision.How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted.The LORD replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.
The book opens with what scholars call a “lament dialogue”—a genre present throughout the Psalms and the book of Job.
==Habakkuk is not having a crisis of faith. He is having Real faith talk with God. Dead religion talks about God or performs rituals for God.
A living faith argues with God. Goes to God…converses with God - seeks God and LISTENS……listens & looks for His answers, his activity, his leadings…
QUOTE:
“Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness.” — Martin Luther
Prayer is about engaging with God…relationally.
Habakkuk does exactly that. He lays hold of God with both hands and will not let go until God speaks and engages back…
God does speak—and His answer is almost worse than the silence.
see V. 5-11
This sends Habakkuk into his second complaint (1:12–2:1).
It is a longer, and a careful theologically sophisticated protest.
He appeals to the character of God.
And then, in one of Scripture’s most beautiful moments of holy stubbornness, Habakkuk says in 2:1
I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.
He changes his location…setting…
*Mark Batterson (pastor / author) always says:
“Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective”
Habakkuk climbs the tower not to see more clearly in the darkness, but to position himself to receive new light from God.
Habakkuk: is teaching us to Keep Trusting God Even When Life Doesn't Make Sense
The Bible does not censor HABAKKUK’S questions.
Biblical faith is not pretending everything is okay, when it’s not.
Many people think faith means never questioning.
Scripture teaches something different.
The Psalms are filled with questions.
Job asked questions.
Jeremiah asked questions.
— key Insight:
One of the major themes of Habakkuk is God's sovereignty over history.
The Lord is not merely reacting to world events.
He is directing history toward His purposes.
Truth is:
God remains the King of Kings - The King over All
even when earthly rulers appear all powerful.
Immature FAITH runs away from God or rushes ahead of God
Mature Faith learns to Wait on God…
Habakkuk 2:1
I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
Habakkuk chooses to wait.
Not quit.
Not walk away.
Not become cynical.
But Wait on God.
And it's in the waiting that God adjusts his perspective...
Habakkuk 2:2-4 ESV
And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it.For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Quote:
“Waiting on God requires the willingness to bear uncertainty, to carry within oneself the unanswered question, lying in the darkness as a seed lies in the winter ground.” — Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction
The wait—the time between promise and fulfillment—is not wasted time.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith (v. 4)
But what did Habakkuk mean?
The Hebrew word (faith) אמונה (emunahh) is richer than our English “faith.”
It carries connotations of steadfastness, reliability, trustworthiness—almost the sense of “fidelity.” The righteous person is one who lives in a posture of settled trust in God’s character and word, especially when circumstances give no visible reason for trust.
In Habakkuk’s context, this is revolutionary. The Babylonians are coming. Everything visible screams that God has lost, or does not care, or cannot be trusted. And into that darkness, God says: the one who is truly righteous does not live by what they see. They live by what I have said.
3 Things This Faith Is Not
1. Faith is not the absence of doubt. Habakkuk doubted fiercely. Faith is choosing to trust God’s word over your own perceptions. Doubt and faith are not opposites. Doubt says “I don’t understand you, God.” Unbelief says “I won’t trust you, God.” Habakkuk doubted. He did not unbelieve God… He still chose to TRUST GOD.
2. Biblical faith is not positive thinking or just pure positive thinking.
==Biblical faith says “I trust the God who is good, whether or not I can see what good He is doing.”
3. Faith is not a feeling. Nowhere does God tell Habakkuk, “Feel better about this.” Faith in Scripture is always an orientation of the will, not a condition of the emotions. You can be terrified and faithful at the same time.
Quote:
“Faith is not believing in spite of evidence.
Faith is obeying in spite of consequence.”
— Os Guinness, God in the Dark
Then as Habakkuk begins to wrap up and move toward the end (ch. 3)…he invites us into the END OF THE MATTER - what we’re to do in the midst of our confusion at times, our lack of understanding, our questioning of God — WORSHIP anyway…
Worship as an ANCHOR FOR LIFE
Habakkuk 3:2 NLT
I have heard all about you, Lord.
I am filled with awe by your amazing works.
In this time of our deep need,
help us again as you did in years gone by.
And in your anger,
remember your mercy.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
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,
18
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
This may be one of the strongest statements of faith in Scripture.
Though the fig tree does not bud...
Though there are no grapes on the vines...
Though the olive crop fails...
Though there are no sheep...
Though there are no cattle...
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
Notice he does not rejoice in circumstances.
He rejoices in God.
Takeaways for Modern day Disciples
1. Bring Your Questions to God
God welcomes honest faith.
You do not need to hide your doubts, fears, or confusion.
Faith isn't pretending.
Faith is bringing everything to Him.
2. Trust God's Character When You Cannot Understand His Ways
Habakkuk doesn’t receive every answer to every question.
But he learns something better.
He learns God can be trusted.
3. ANCHOR your life in Worship
Habakkuk's circumstances remained difficult.
His confidence grew because his focus shifted from the problems - to the Lord.
A Growing & Maturing faith says:
"Even if I don't understand, I will trust."
"Even if the answer is delayed, I will trust.”
"Even if I must wait, I will trust."
The invitation is to anchor your life in the God who remains faithful, sovereign, and good no matter what’s unfolding…
He’s the same God yesterday, today and forever — even when we cannot yet see what He’s up to or understand fully all that He is doing…
==There’s a lot of things we can get caught up in while we’re in the "waiting room" seasons of life…
We can become consumed by irritation or anger
We can shipwrecked by disappointment and doubt
Give ourselves over to distractions
We can get lost in worry or fear
We can pull back into isolation
OR
We can position ourselves to WORSHIP (while we wait on God) — we worship the ONE who is sovereign and supreme & grow our trust in Him.
Quote:
"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
-Corrie ten Boom
