Lesson's from Habakkuk

 I want to take a moment to talk to you about Faith. We talk about having faith: faith as a mustard seed, faith to move mountains, the shield of faith to quench fiery darts, etc. But sometimes I wonder if we truly understand faith and what it is suppose to look like in our lives.

The book of Habakkuk is one that gets overlooked by most Christian although Habakkuk 2:4 is one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament. Most Christians don't even know where it is in the Bible or who Habakkuk was. Allow me to introduce Habakkuk to you.

Habakkuk is 8th in the minor prophets and is believed, in Rabbinical tradition, to possibly be the Shunammite woman's son, who was restored to life by Elisha in 2 Kings 4:16. It is also believed that he was a temple prophet, which means he was a worshiper in the temple. Habakkuk is unique among the prophets in that he openly questions the wisdom of God.

To summarize the book, Habakkuk sees the injustice among his people and questions God as to why He doesn't take action. God told Habakkuk His plan and Habakkuk didn't like God's plan. God basically told Habakkuk, "I am a just God and what ever I decide to do is up to me, but the real issue is, do you trust Me?" God told Habakkuk that the real issue was his faith in God, his trust in that what ever God chooses to do, or however God decides to intervene on behalf of man.

As Christians today, we are faced with the same dilemma Habakkuk had, do we trust God to do what is best in our situation? We have an idea of how we want the outcome to look, and if God doesn't operate the way we think he should, we get upset with him. We need to remember Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." God has a plan and that plan is perfect for what needs to happen in our individual situation as well as how it affects the big picture of our lives and the lives around us. We have to remember that God is sovereign and just and "we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

For Habakkuk the story ends with him trusting God completely. The question is, how will your story end. I don't know your situation, but God knows the smallest detail. Ask yourself, "What can I do to affect real changes here?" If you are honest you will find the answer is.... Nothing! Putting your situation in God's hands and allowing him to work is not only the best answer, but the only answer. Learn this lesson of Faith from a minor Prophet, we must grow from a faith of perplexity and doubt to the height of absolute trust in God.