Habakkuk

Transcript

Just a little bit of an introduction as to what brought me to the book of Habakkuk and why I wanted to look at it tonight. Over the last couple of years, I've basically started to look at a couple of the minor prophets about which I know very little or consider myself a little bit of a babe when it comes to a couple of minor prophets. So I wanted to dig into these and do a study for myself and to share that with others as I go through it. So in looking at Habakkuk, I would say consider this not to be a terribly in-depth look, but I think looking at it for myself and digging into it, I see some pretty cool lessons that I want to share this evening. So just for a little bit of background in looking at Habakkuk, and some people say Habakkuk, I'm more comfortable with Habakkuk. We know little of Habakkuk beyond the two mentions of his name in this book of prophecy. In both cases, he identifies himself as Habakkuk the prophet. That's in chapter 1 verse 1 and then again in chapter 3 verse 1. And this is a term that seems to indicate one of a couple of different things, possibly that he was a so to speak a professional prophet or this could mean that Habakkuk was trained in the law of Moses in perhaps a prophetic school or an institution for educating prophets. We have a couple of mentions of these sort of companies of prophets that cropped up after the days of Samuel. There's mentions of that in 1st Samuel 19 and 2nd Kings 4. Habakkuk also could have been a priest involved with the worship of at the temple. There's mention at the end of the book where it closes with the sort of psalm-like statement for the choir director on my stringed instruments. We don't totally know but there's a couple of different options there. Determining the date of the book of Habakkuk is actually pretty easy to get a rough idea, easier than dating a lot of books. He spoke often of an imminent Babylonian invasion. We see this throughout the whole book as you just saw. And we know that this event occurred on a smaller scale in about 605 BC before the total destruction of Jerusalem in about 586 BC. The way that Habakkuk described Judah indicates that it's at a low time in its history and if the dating is to remain sort of close to the Babylonian invasion, we would figure that Habakkuk likely prophesied in the first five years of Jehoiakim's reign, so somewhere between kind of 609 to 598 BC-ish and to a king obviously that led his people into evil. Habakkuk's prophecy was directed to a world that through the eyes of God's people must have seemed on the edge of disaster and I think as we go through this there's probably a couple of parallels probably to what we see in our world today and I think that the lessons are very apt. Even when the northern kingdom had been destroyed about a hundred or so years before this, God's people remained in Judah. However, with another powerful foreign army on the rampage, faithful people like Habakkuk were wondering what God was doing. Hadn't he given the land to this to this people, would he now take it away? Habakkuk's prayer of faith for the remainder of God's people in the face of such destruction I think stands as a remarkable witness of faith and hope. Habakkuk provides us a remarkable piece of scripture as it contains an extended dialogue between Habakkuk and God. So the first two chapters of Habakkuk are kind of back and forth between him, he, and God. The prophet initiated this conversation based on his distress about God's

apparent inaction in the world around him and he wanted to see God do something, do something more particularly in the area of justice for evildoers. The book of Habakkuk pictures a frustrated prophet so to speak, much like Jonah, although Habakkuk channeled this frustration into prayer and eventually praise to God rather than trying to run away or turning away from from God. So just a kind of a quick summary of the three chapters we just read. In Habakkuk chapter one the prophet expresses his concern and frustration to God about the injustice and the violence among his people. He questions why God allows such wickedness to go unpunished and then in response God reveals that he is aware of the evil deeds. He plans to bring about judgment using the Babylonians as instruments of his justice. Habakkuk struggles to understand God's ways but ultimately expresses trust and faith in God's sovereignty. And then in chapter two

Habakkuk awaits God's responses to his concerns about the apparent injustice and violence. Again God instructs Habakkuk to write down the vision clearly assuring him that there is an appointed time for the fulfillment of his plan. This chapter sort of emphasizes the importance of faith and patience as God assures that the righteous will live by faith. It also warns about the downfall of the arrogant and wicked emphasizing that God's justice will prevail. And then we conclude that chapter with a powerful declaration of God's sovereignty and a call to to reverence and worship. And then in chapter three we have a little bit of a shift and it contains a prayer or a psalm attributed to Habakkuk. And in this prayer Habakkuk reflects on God's past deeds and the manifestations of his power. He acknowledges God's nature and he recalls his actions in history such as the like the exodus the crossing of the Red Sea and he expresses awe and fear of God's righteous judgment anticipating a future time of distress. And despite the challenges and the uncertainties the chapter ends with a declaration of trust and confidence in God. So digging in a little bit deeper. Habakkuk lived during the waning years of Judah's southern kingdom. So we mentioned that there's this sort of time of widespread injustice and idol worship and just a lot of evil that he's seeing around him. He's also seeing the looming menace of Babylon which is a development that's sort of causing anxiety and then sort of this looming over everyone. And again I think that there's we can see some parallels maybe to our lives and draw some lessons from this. Unlike some of the other prophets, Habakkuk doesn't directly accuse Israel and he doesn't serve as a spokesperson for God to the people. Instead all of the words that Habakkuk utters is directed to God himself. The book chronicles his own sort of personal wrestling with his faith and his struggle to trust in God's goodness amid the evil and suffering and uncertainty of what's happening in the world. Habakkuk's words take the form of poetic laments closely resembling some of the lament psalms. In these the poet voices a complaint drawing God's attention to the pain and the injustice in the world and sort of insisting that the God intervene. And I think that recognizing this lament structure is somewhat important for grasping kind of the book's design and message. So the first two chapters unfold as a dialogue between Habakkuk and God with the prophet presenting two complaints and God then responding to each. Habakkuk's initial grievance is that life in Israel has become unbearable. The Torah is disregarded, there's violence and injustice and it's all being seemingly ignored by corrupt leaders. He cries out for God to act but then nothing appears to change. Then when God eventually replies he affirms his awareness of Israel's corruption and he reveals to Habakkuk that he's summoning Babylon to enact justice upon Israel, echoing themes that we find in Micah and Isaiah. God's plan is to use this fearsome empire as an instrument of judgment against Israel's wrongdoing. However, Habakkuk then is troubled by this answer and he objects, basically saying, well Babylon is even more wicked than Israel. They're more corrupt, more violent, they worship their own military power. He says they treat people like animals, capturing nations to expand their empire and Habakkuk questions how a holy and good God could use such a nation as a tool in history and demands an explanation of God. He describes himself as a watchman waiting for God's reply which eventually does come. God instructs Habakkuk to write down a vision for the future, assuring him that though it may seem delayed it will certainly come. The righteous, God declares, will live by faith in this hope and promise. So the divine assurance that Habakkuk is to record is that Babylon will ultimately fall. God explains that the violence and oppression of nations fuel an endless cycle of vengeance which he will use to orchestrate the rise and fall of empires. God's use of Babylon does not imply approval of Babylon's actions. He holds all nations accountable to his justice and Babylon will face judgment just like any other nation that acts similarly. This promise is expanded through a series of five woes that denounce the various forms of oppression and injustice typical of empires like Babylon. So it speaks to predatory lending practices, to exploitation of labor, to abuse of alcohol by leaders, idolatry, so making wealth, power, and security into idols, and enslaving people to their own empire. So it sort of looks to these five woes and denounces them. These condemnations are not exclusive to Babylon obviously. They reflect a pattern that recurs in

a certain sense. So God's answer to Habakkuk is relevant for all generations living under the rule of empire powers, of oppressive powers. The unresolved question is whether God will allow this cycle of empires to persist indefinitely, and chapter 3 addresses this, presenting this prayer from Habakkuk. He pleads with God to act in the present as he has in the past, overthrowing corrupt nations. The chapter contains a vivid poem describing God's awe-inspiring appearance, clouds and fire and earthquake, reminiscent of the visible manifestations that we've seen in Micah and Nahum and in the Exodus account. When God confronts human evil, all creation takes notice. So Habakkuk envisions God's future defeat of evil as a new Exodus, and it parallels the deliverance from Pharaoh from Egypt. And just as God once judged Egypt, he will again bring down the oppressive powers. Pharaoh and Babylon both become symbols of violent human empires that are brought down. When God confronts that evil, he will also save his people and his chosen one, and it alludes to the Davidic king to come. The past Exodus thus becomes a metaphor for the future redemption that God will accomplish, defeating evil, establishing justice, and rescuing the oppressed. So this hope empowers Habakkuk to end his book with a declaration of trust and joy in God's covenant promises, even if everything else falls apart. Whether there's famine, drought, or war, all the evil around him. By the conclusion, Habakkuk stands as an example of living by faith, recognizing the darkness and turmoil in the world, yet inviting readers to join him on a journey of trusting that God loves his people and will ultimately address the evil that oppresses and misleads them. So, all that being said, I want to draw a few lessons that I that I've taken away from Habakkuk, and that I think he gives us some really good examples that we can learn from. I think it's quite a cool back and forth between Habakkuk and God, and it's interesting that Habakkuk is speaking directly to God and receiving those answers from God in response to maybe his doubts or what he's expressing, and then that he comes around and shows us some good lessons. So, as he stood in Jerusalem and pondered the state of his nation, he must have been kind of dumbfounded. He was seeing all this evil that was thriving completely out in the open, and yet perceived that God was being sort of strangely silent. Where was God? How long would he allow this mess to continue? And then Habakkuk 2 verses 2 and 3 tells us not long, according to the Lord. We're told that the Babylonians would come in and they would execute that justice on the Lord's behalf. The wicked in Judah and those who thought that they would get away with their evil deeds forever were actually going to soon be punished. The book of Habakkuk offers us a picture of a prideful people being humbled while the righteous live by faith. It reminds us that while God may seem silent and uninvolved, or we may not perceive what it is that he's doing at a certain time or a given situation, that he always has a plan to deal with evil and he's always working out justice eventually, just maybe not on a time frame or in way that we recognize. The example of Habakkuk encourages us as believers to wait on the Lord, expecting that he will indeed work out all things for our good. So how do we kind of apply this in our own lives and in our current situations? Habakkuk asked God the kind of question that I think probably many of us have pondered and maybe asked God ourselves, why do you allow evil in your creation? Why do you turn your eyes away from the oppression and the hatred and the violence against people who love you? Why do you allow your people to be exposed to the evil influences and the powers of the day? And God provides an answer that I think kind of echoes the sentiment in Ecclesiastes 3. I'll read Ecclesiastes 3 verses 16 and 17, where it says I saw something else under the sun, in the place of judgment wickedness was there, in the place of justice wickedness was there. I said to myself, God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, there will be a time, excuse me, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed. So Habakkuk understands the the why of God's punishment of his disobedient people, but he doesn't understand initially why God would use such a wicked nation as a tool of his judgment. He says in Habakkuk 1 verse 4, so the law is paralyzed and justice never goes forth, for the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. And he repeats that similar sentence in verse 12. Yet read how God responds to him. In the next verse, in verse 5, he says, look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded, for I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. So while we can't control the actions of the wicked, God is working in the background, and he uses the wicked sometimes for his glory and for our good and for the good of his plan. And look at what God did throughout the scriptures and know that he will not let the wicked go unpunished. We're told that in many places, including Proverbs 11 and Jeremiah 25, and it's a truth that's as relevant today as it ever was in scripture. Habakkuk's name means one who embraces, and I always think it's kind of neat when the person's name matches up with an element of the account of their lives. By the time we reach the end of Habakkuk, we see a man who embraces or clings to God and his character and his promises, no matter what evil looked to befall his nation. Habakkuk wrote in

the very end of Habakkuk chapter 3, verses 18 and 19, 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 high places. So no matter what the world foists upon us, God is greater and his plans are far above any human consideration. He truly does have the whole world in his hands and even though we cannot see it, it's for us to recognize that he is at work. I wanted to go on a little bit of a side tangent here because there is this theme, particularly in the first two chapters, where Habakkuk is looking for

justice. It made me think about what is it about justice that we as humans are drawn to? There's an interesting draw for us to see justice done. So I have a couple of thoughts about this type of justice and what our relationship is with justice. Why is it that we as humans are so deeply concerned with justice? I think the Bible offers some intriguing answers to this question. Right from the very first chapter in Genesis, humans are distinguished from all other creatures by being made in the image of God. In other words, people are meant to

be as God's representatives and have something that is of God. And humans were also set up to govern the world according to standards of good and evil. This identity forms the foundation of the biblical perspective on justice. According to scripture, everyone should be treated with fairness. Of course, it would be ideal if everyone lived this way, but we all know that the reality is quite different and justice becomes perverted. The Bible acknowledges this throughout. It reveals how we as humans continually redefine good and evil to suit our own interests, each acting after the interests of our own hearts and often at the expense of others. This tendency toward self-preservation means that the more vulnerable someone is, the easier it can become for them to be exploited or situations to be exploited. And throughout the biblical narrative, this pattern appears not just in individual relationships, but also within families, within communities, maybe within ecclesias, and then even in entire civilizations that perpetuate injustice, especially towards society's more vulnerable members. And yet the story doesn't end there. Out of this situation, God chose Abraham to begin a new kind of family, and Abraham's specific calling was to teach his descendants to follow God's path by practicing righteousness and justice. And the concept of doing righteousness might sound unfamiliar or simply like something along the lines of being a good person, but the Hebrew word for this idea of doing righteousness, I don't know how to pronounce this, but it's something along the lines of tzedeka or tzedeka. It's a bit more precise than that. It describes an ethical standard that is focused on a right relationship between two people or two parties, so treating others as God's image bearers. The Hebrew word for justice is mishpat, and while it can mean retributive justice, such as facing consequences for wrongdoing, in which case the consequence is then the justice, in the Bible it often refers to restorative justice, so actively sort of seeking out and helping those who are vulnerable or exploited. Another way to refer to this might be charity, but mishpat goes a little bit further than that, this idea of justice. It also involves advocating for the vulnerable and working to prevent injustice from happening. And this theme is found throughout scriptures. For example, Proverbs asks what it means to bring about just righteousness and urges people to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. The prophets, like Jeremiah, call on people to rescue the disadvantaged and refuse to tolerate oppression or violence against orphans and widows.

The Psalms declare that God upholds justice for the oppressed, provides food for the hungry, and sets prisoners free while thwarting the ways of the wicked. And this Hebrew word wicked in that context is rasha, meaning guilty or in the wrong, and it refers specifically to people who mistreat others or ignoring their sort of god-like image. Justice and righteousness are central to God's character and his expectations for his people. So as Abraham's family, the Israelites were meant to embody these values, and ironically they themselves become slaves and suffer the unjust oppression in Egypt. God confronts Egypt's evil, you know this is being referred to in Habakkuk, declaring Egypt to be rasha or unjust, and then he rescues Israel. And yet the tragic twist is that the Israelites, after being redeemed and rescued from Egypt, committed similar injustices against the vulnerable. So God sent prophets to declare Israel guilty, but injustice was was not limited to Israel, it was everywhere. History has also shown that when the oppressed gain power, they can often become the oppressors as well. So this is kind of the surprising message at the at the heart of the story, that God's response to humanity's history of injustice is then to offer us a gift, and that is the life and the sacrifice of Jesus. So Jesus lived and embodied righteousness and justice, and yet died on behalf of the guilty. And when God raised Jesus from the dead, he declared him the righteous one. Now Jesus offers his life to us, so that we too can be declared righteous, even though we fall short, not because of our own actions, but because of what because of the sacrifice of Christ. And this is, I think, what is sort of embodied by the idea of loving your neighbor as yourself. It's a lifelong commitment inspired by this idea and the words of the prophet Micah, where he says, God has shown you, O man, what is good and what he requires of you, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Now looking back at Habakkuk in this context, we find Habakkuk feeling a profound concern regarding the moral decline and the lack of justice that surrounds him. So seeking intervention from God, he approaches God to present this issue, and initially it appears that Habakkuk believes kind of almost that God would respond without delay. And the issues that he brings before God are of great importance, and he expects God to address them. However, the answers that Habakkuk seeks were they're not immediately forthcoming, and he found himself in a season of waiting. Day after day, Habakkuk observes no change, as reflected in the absence of any mention of sort of national repentance or moral reforms. And consequently, Habakkuk then follows up this lament to the Lord, and he says, O Lord, how long? And the answer is that Habakkuk desires they don't materialize within his anticipated time frame. Instead, he was compelled to wait. When God finally does respond, he reveals that the solution he was implementing was was putting in place would also require years to fully manifest. In his experience of waiting, Habakkuk is in esteemed company. God has historically engaged with his people by requiring them to patiently await the fulfillment of his promises. And I think this is connected to the idea of the fact we don't know what God's timeline is. We don't know necessarily how God is working in his creation, but need to recognize that he is. We can look at many examples of where God basically had people wait for the fulfillment of his promises. Obviously, Hebrews 11 jumps to mind. Abraham endured many years in anticipation of the promised child. Isaac waited two decades for his wife to conceive. Joseph spent over 20 years before his dream came to fruition. The nation of Israel underwent centuries of waiting for deliverance from Egypt. David's ascent to the throne was preceded by many years of waiting. The exiles were to wait 70 years before their return to their homeland. And of course, we all persevere in waiting for the return of Christ. So I think with God, waiting for the fulfillment of promises is kind of a common theme. So why does God subject us to waiting? In essence, it serves to unveil an aspect of his glory to us and through our lives. In one instance, the delay in judgment aims to provide individuals with the opportunity to repent, thereby showcasing God's patience and mercy. We have an example of that in 2 Peter 3. In another instance, God allows circumstances to intensify to such a degree that his power can then be demonstrated through triumph, for example, over death. There's a couple of accounts in John where we see that. In other cases, the delay serves to cultivate spiritual growth by testing our faith. And we're told in James 1 that that testing of our faith can thereby reveal his wisdom. And yet in other situations, the underlying reason for waiting may just be unclear. So I guess the question is then, what if, instead of resenting the waiting, what if I embrace it and recognize it as an opportunity to know God and to better understand his wisdom? I mentioned before that Habakkuk's name signifies one who embraces. He lived in Judah 600 years before the birth of Christ, and at a time that we've been able to discuss is that the nation was experiencing spiritual and moral decline, just widespread corruption and injustice. The conditions in Judah during Habakkuk's time probably bear some similarities to the conditions in our current world. And when we look at the first part of Habakkuk, I think we can probably read those verses and just almost directly parallel it to some of the things that we see in our present-day society. Habakkuk described Judah in the following manner in the first few verses of Habakkuk 1. He starts out by saying, So it's clear that he was deeply grieved by the state of Judah, having repeatedly appealed to God on behalf of his people. He's yearning to know when God will intervene to address the prevailing corruption and injustice within the nation, which I think probably sounds familiar to a lot of us. How long, O Lord? It's probably something that a lot of us have asked God before when we're looking for an answer to a particular situation and we just don't seem to see any answers or see him responding to us. God's response to Habakkuk's prayers did not align with Habakkuk's desires or his expectations. God declares look among the nations, observe, be astonished, wonder, because I am doing something in your days you would not believe if you were told. And Habakkuk is overwhelmed. He persists in questioning God, seeking to understand why his prayer was being answered in this manner. And we would kind of dug into that a little bit. He sought to ascertain how long God would permit Babylon then to perpetrate evil without facing judgment or consequences. It seems to him at first the villains appear to be prevailing and he seeks to understand the rationale behind that.

So when God will you address that? And Habakkuk grapples with these sincere questions and I think fair questions for us to grapple with sometimes as well. Not due to any doubt necessarily in God's goodness or in God's sovereignty but because he struggled to comprehend God's actions or perceived inaction. He genuinely desired to understand God's heart and was willing to wait upon it. However, he wondered how to sustain his faith during this this period of waiting. There's a few things that Habakkuk does that I think we can draw a really good lesson from in the way that he goes about this. So the beginning of Habakkuk 2 he says, I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart and I will keep watch to see what what he will speak to me and how I may reply when I am reproved. So Habakkuk strategically positioned himself like a like a guard on a watchtower at the edge of the city. There's this idea of the elevated vantage point sort of providing an unobstructed view enabling the guard to anticipate approaching events. So notably Habakkuk declares, I will stand and watch to see what he will speak to me. So he's deliberately choosing to position himself in a way that he will be able to see and observe God's response. And in the same way I think that we have that conscious decision. When we experience hurt and pain and struggle and we have a hard time understanding the reasons behind it, I think sometimes our pain can distort our perception of God. We have to evaluate whether we're remaining at the world's level where our view is obstructed by the immediate concerns, the fear, the doubt, or the opinions of others, or the prevailing culture, whatever it is. Or by faith we're choosing like Habakkuk to ascend above these obstacles to the watchtower where we can position ourselves to hear

God's word and to await his guidance. So he also said he did not leave his post. If a guard were to abandon his post on the watchtower the city would be vulnerable to attack. A guard remains steadfast regardless of the circumstances. So in the same way I think that we cannot abandon our post simply because the waiting becomes difficult or because we don't sense God's presence. It seems to be taking longer than we expect. Habakkuk understood this and he recognized that God hears our questions and is neither silent, distant, nor dismissive. God has a message for those who are willing to listen and to await. How often do we pray to God without positioning ourselves to hear his voice? I think it's an easy thing to fall prey to. So Habakkuk positioned himself to hear God and he remains steadfast and consequently God does respond to him. Then we have this short phrase that says not now but at the appointed time. You have to wait is not the response that we typically would desire, particularly in our modern lives and our fast-paced culture. Although many of us are probably currently in a state of

anxiety. It could be for a spouse. It could be for maybe the return of a child to the faith. We could be waiting for relief from depression or anxiety. We could be waiting for any number of different things. The natural question could be when Lord will you address this thing that I'm waiting for? God's response is at the appointed time, which might not be the answer that we want but it's the answer that God provides for us and is the right answer. The Hebrew term for appointed time, I'm not going to try to pronounce it, but it signifies God's unstoppable timing. It's exemplified in the story of Abraham and Sarah where they attempt to sort of force God's timing. We know what happened with that where they didn't wait for Sarah to become pregnant and went through Hagar and it led to all kinds of complications. What seemed impossible to Sarah was indeed possible for God but he stipulated that this miracle would not occur just at any time but at the appointed time. True to his word, Sarah did conceive and give birth to Isaac, fulfilling God's promise precisely as and when he had stated at the appointed time. It's a tough lesson to take away but I think it's a profound lesson. We must wait. The other lesson to take from that section is if God tells us to wait, will we still trust in him while we're waiting? This represents, I think, a critical juncture for Habakkuk and I'm sure for many of us. Does he maintain his trust in God? Will he live by faith even though he knows that he must wait and he doesn't know how long he's going to wait and he doesn't know what the answer is going to be? In verse four, God affirms that the righteous will live by faith, meaning trusting God even when we can't see his hand at work, relying not on our own perceptions but on his word and recognizing that he is faithful. So when we seek to understand God's perspective, we ascend the watchtower positioning ourselves to view things from his vantage point to gain that higher perspective and

then remaining steadfast at our post and waiting and waiting faithfully. And Habakkuk did all of these things. The book of Habakkuk concludes with his declaration where he says from verses 17 to 19 of chapter three, even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty, I will still be joyful and glad because the Lord God is my Savior. The Sovereign Lord gives me strength. He makes me sure-footed as a deer and keeps me safe on the mountains. So Habakkuk worshiped God while he waited, knowing that in the waiting he would encounter God and that God would act at the appointed time. And then indeed, God fulfilled his promise and Babylon was judged at the appointed time, as we know. So the lessons that I kind of drew from this interaction between Habakkuk and God, God's ways are not our ways and yet he is faithful and

always in control, though we can't see it. God wants what's best for us, even when it's difficult to see. Understanding how God works is not my job, but trusting him is. Peace and joy don't come from circumstances, but from God. And we see that sort of shift from Habakkuk where nothing really changed about the situation he found himself in, but his attitude and his decision to praise God towards the end of the book, what changed was his attitude. And then not on my time but on God's time. So in conclusion, to wrap things up, the study of Habakkuk leads us to a profound and enduring truth that faith is not forged in the absence of hardship, but in the midst of confusion and injustice and in waiting. And Habakkuk's journey from questioning God in the face of this rampant evil that he's seeing around him to then rejoicing in him despite unchanging circumstances, it demonstrates a transformation that is both personal and universally relevant to all of us. At the outset, the prophet's heart is troubled by the apparent triumph of wickedness and the suffering of the righteous, and he echoes the timeless human struggle to reconcile God's justice with the brokenness and the evil of the world. And yet Habakkuk does not turn away in despair. Instead, he brings his doubts and burdens to God, choosing to wait and listen for God's responses. Through God's revelation, Habakkuk is reminded of the Lord's past faithfulness and his ultimate sovereignty, how God has acted powerfully in history to deliver and restore his people. This remembrance becomes the anchor for Habakkuk's hope and the catalyst for his faith. And then the conclusion of Habakkuk's prophecy is not a resolution of outward circumstances, but a remarkable inward transformation. Though the world around him remains dark and uncertain and full of anxieties, Habakkuk declares, yet I will rejoice in the Lord and I will take joy in the God of my salvation. So again, his circumstances haven't changed, but his perspective has, and moving from complaint to confidence, from confusion to trust and from fear to joy. In the end, Habakkuk stands as a testament to the power of faith that endures through uncertainty. His story calls us to remember that God's justice will prevail, that his timing is perfect, and that our joy is rooted not in what we see, but in who God is. The righteous will live by faith, trusting in God's promises, even when the answers are not clear. This is the hope and inspiration that the book of Habakkuk offers for every generation, and that is to trust, to rejoice, and to live by faith, no matter what we see in the perspective around us. Thank you very much.