Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; 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, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains. —Habakkuk 3:17-19, NLT
Habakkuk wrote those words about 607 BC, when Judah was in its final decline and Babylon, the new world superpower, was making threats. It was a time of intense political crisis and spiritual bankruptcy. The dire predictions of prophets like Habakkuk had fallen on deaf ears, and in just a few short years the armies of Nebuchadnezzar would march in and take the rulers of Judah captive.
If ever there was a time to be pessimistic, this was it. But at the end of his short book, knowing full well what lay ahead for Judah, Habakkuk declares his faith in God’s faithfulness.
At some point, life will knock you flat. When it happens, what will you say to God?
There is a school of thought in some Christian circles that we strike something of a bargain with God—we honor him with our religious devotion, and he in turn blesses us with wealth, health and success. Quid pro quo.
Arguing against that is Stephen, the faithful disciple who was stoned to death for his faith; Paul, the faithful disciple who lived out the end of his life in prison before being executed in Rome; John the Baptist; the unnamed martyrs of Hebrews 11…
So what do we do when life throws its worst at us? Do we blame God? Curse God? Or praise God?
I hope that I would be able to follow Habakkuk’s example, but who can know how he’ll react when he is tested?
This I do know: only a fool puts his faith in his own resourcefulness, or in good luck, or good karma, or in a well-managed investment portfolio.
Like Habakkuk, the Lord is my strength.
He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains.
I like your point about the socio-political situation in which Habakkuk wrote.
Many of us learn that quid-pro-quo equation as small children, and it’s a notion that’s hard to shake…which is why we have so much trouble with the Book of Job and with horrific tragedies like the Shoah (Holocaust), and also why it’s easy to assume that if someone suffers misfortune (dire poverty, e.g.) s/he must somehow “deserve” it. Argh and double argh.
Some would argue that when bad things happen to good people, God is testing them to see the mettle of their faith. That’s also not a viewpoint I favor; it makes God too petty and malicious for my understanding.
To me, it’s more like this: bad things happen. Suffering exists. This is an imperfect world. I believe that some part of God is here with us, and suffers with us (Jewish mysticism would call that the Shekhinah, the immanent Divine Presence in creation). And it’s not that if we cling to God, God will repair our earthly misfortune — rather, that if we cling to God, our earthly misfortune won’t be so bad, because we’re holding on to something far greater.
Thanks for this thought-provoking post!
This I do know: only a fool puts his faith in his own resourcefulness, or in good luck, or good karma, or in a well-managed investment portfolio.
Like Habakkuk, the Lord is my strength.
It’s sort of a nice little paradox that it’s when the worst happens that we understand this the most. We cannot blame or curse God, because it’s exactly when things are worst that we understand best that He’s our only hope.
“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” To those who aren’t experiencing the worst, those can seem like harsh words, but to those in the depth of trouble they can be very comforting.
I meant to add that I really liked this piece, but I hit the post button too soon. These are subjects dear to my heart, and you’ve treated it thoughtfully here.