Letters to the Frontlines

Good evening, dear fellow laborers in the Lord.I've been wanting to write to you to let you know that you are in my prayers and that I'm thinking about you. I've been asking God to give me something to share with you all. I just want to be an encouragement to you. Below is something that He gave me during my devotional time this morning and as I meditated on it throughout the day. Trust me. It's not anything new; I'm sure. Just a small reminder. Also, I'm sure that I only scratched the surface of this small book and that much more can be said, but I hope it will be helpful in some way. I appreciate you all. Here it is....(sorry if it seems lengthy)A minister’s prayer set to musicText: Habakkuk 3:1-19Intro: as I read this chapter this morning, I saw one of God’s servant disturbed, doubtful, discouraged and disappointed by what was going on around him. He had questions. He wanted answers. We may have asked the same questions at least once in our lives, questions like: Why so much evil in the world? Why do the wicked seem to prosper while the righteous suffer? Why doesn’t God do something about it? These were some of the questions that Habakkuk took to God and God graciously answered him. In fact, the book of Habakkuk is basically a dialogue between him and God. In the first chapter, Habakkuk took his concerns to God about the violence, trouble, strife and contention that was running rampant in the country. There was much oppression, lawlessness, persecution and immorality at that time. To Habakkuk, it seemed as if the wicked went on without being punished (1:1-3). To Habakkuk, it seems as if God wasn’t listening to his cry - “How long shall I cry, and thou will no hear…why” (1:2). These circumstances and situations were not pleasant to witness or experience. He even questions God why He seemingly allowed the wicked to go unpunished. Have we not all been there or even asked the same question? You know as well as I do that God’s answers may not always come when we want them to come because God’s timing is always perfect. God does, however, answer His servant by reassuring him that everything was under control (1:5-11; 2:1-3). As it has been said “God is still in control in spite of the apparent triumph of evil.” There is coming a day when God will judge all wickedness. Amen! In other words, while God was preparing the Babylonian empire to unfold His temporary judgement upon the people of Judah who had turned their back on Him, there would come a time when He would deal with the wicked.  Habakkuk then addressed his concern why God would even use the Babylonian empire to bring this judgment upon Judah for their sins (1:12-17). Even though God is always just in the way He executes judgement, Habakkuk struggled with God using the Chaldeans to execute such judgement. Habakkuk then records God’s answers to many of his questions (Ch. 2). God wanted Habakkuk to wait on Him and walk by faith, trusting in His plan (2:1-4). To me, chapter 2 reminds us that God is aware of all that is going in the world. In the chapter, Habakkuk speaks of pride, drunkenness, greed, immorality and idolatry. God made it very clear that all wickedness is in vain and will one day be judged by His very hand. It’s a reminder that, though wickedness seems to run rampant in the world, God is still on His throne in heaven and has everything under control. With God’s answers to his questions, Habakkuk now composes a song with his prayer to God. “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth” (3:1). This song was composed as what is called a dithyramb, an impassioned poem. It carries with it a strong emotional spirit that Habakkuk was feeling as he witnessed what was going on around him.This prayer comes shortly before the Babylonian invasion and captivity, which Habakkuk prophesied would happen (1:6).  When you read through the book, you get a glimpse of a disturbed and confused spirit. Habakkuk is saddened by what is happening around him. He questions if God is even aware of the circumstances in which he found himself and is puzzled why God is not intervening. God then responds to Habakkuk’s questions, reassuring him that everything is under control. With God’s answers and in spite of the current circumstances, Habakkuk finds reason to rejoice and maintain joy in his heart.  “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief signer on my stringed instruments.” What spoke to me was how God’s servant could still rejoice in the midsts of the current circumstances. How does he do that? This is what I see in the passage. Habakkuk could still rejoice in the midst of everything going on around him because…  He strengthened himself in God’s power - “the LORD God is my strength…” Strength in this context refers to firmness and an inner force to encounter the circumstances around you. When it seems as if things around are out of control, when the wicked seem to prevail and the righteous suffer, when you don’t completely understand what God is doing in the midst of all what is happening, you can rely on the strength that God gives you to continue on. Going on in our own strength will only disappoint us. I read that “Habakkuk’s feelings were not controlled by the events around him but by faith in God’s ability to give him strength.” What a good lesson for all of us! We may not like what is going in the world today and the seemingly prosperity of the wicked while the righteous suffer, but we have a God that gives us strength to continue on. Amen! Next, He submitted himself to God’s purpose and plan - “I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk came to understand that, in spite of God’s pending judgement upon the people of Judah, God would eventually deal with the Babylonians. This tells me that God was working behind the scenes. He had a perfect purpose and plan. Habakkuk may not have totally understood God’s plan but he eventually learned to submit to it. Listen: there will be times in our life and ministry that we may not understand why things go the way they do, but we can be sure that God has a purpose and plan. Therefore, we can rest in His will. Habakkuk understood that a day of salvation was coming. Though the times seemed bleak and barren (v. 17), God was going to intervene. Amen! God knows what He is doing and His plan is always right. Lastly, He stabilized himself in God’s provision - “he will make…he will make me to walk.” Habakkuk found stability in God’s provision of grace to run the race of life and to climb the roughest mountain. Habakkuk refers to his feet as being like the feet of a hind, a female deer known for her stability and sure-footedness even on rocky cliffs. He then mentions how God made him walk upon high places, a reference to rough, mountainous terrain. I believe the point to these two statements is that God provided His servant with what was necessary to face the hardships that came with the time. For us, it’s a promise of God’s provision of His sustaining grace to help us pass through the challenging circumstances that we encounter in this life until God settles it all at the end. The point is: until God deals with all the wickedness in this world at the end, we can rely on the provision of His grace to give us a steady, stable and sure walk. Righteousness will reign one day.  Conclusion: As servants of the Lord, we may also see things in the ministry that we don’t completely understand and we may even witness certain circumstances that are not pleasant. In this book, Habakkuk speaks of a time of lawlessness, immorality, idolatry, pestilence, floods, calamity, etc. Not a very encouraging ti...