It's Not Supposed to Work This Way
Habakkuk is a unique book among the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. It is a little like Jonah in that its message is conveyed indirectly through the experience of the prophet, rather than in a more direct sermonic form. We are brought, as it were to the door of the prophet’s prayer closet and invited to put our ears to the keyhole and listen to Habakkuk’s prayers and the Lord’s replies.
The first chapter is where we hear Habakkuk lay out his complaints before the Lord. They can be summed up as the prophet saying, “This is not how this is supposed to work.” God is not supposed to take a hands-off approach to his sinning people, and He certainly is not supposed to use even more wicked people like the Chaldeans to punish His wayward children. At least that is how Habakkuk was thinking about it.
Habakkuk’s theology was sound. Just read 1:12-13 and you will see that he was no child when it came to his understanding of God’s attributes and nature. The problem for Habakkuk is the conclusions he was drawing from his theology, not his theology itself.
This book, in part, is a theodicy – an explanation of how it is that God can be both good and all-powerful and yet allow sin and suffering to seemingly flourish in this world. The argument is, if God is good then he wouldn’t allow it, so He must not be all-powerful. If God is all-powerful and allows it, He must not be good. There is a lot to unpack there, and a devotional like this can’t do justice to the discussion. (You might want to pick up a copy of Randy Alcorn’s book “If God is Good” for a more thorough consideration).
What I want to point out here is that God doesn’t run from the issue. He doesn’t hide from the fact that we all feel something of what Habakkuk felt back then. God goes so far as to have his prophet write about the problem (along with Job and other places like Psalm 73). My encouragement and this is what Habakkuk demonstrates, is the answers won’t be found in fleeing from God, but in turning to Him in faith.
When I use the word “answers” I’m not suggesting that with a little prayer it will all be clear and make sense to you. What I mean is, you can come to a place where you can be at rest and have peace even when you still feel like it's not supposed to work this way.
