From Fear to Faith

Habakkuk 3:2-6, 17-19

What might trigger the greatest fear you would ever face?  Perhaps a complete economic collapse.  A war or enemy invasion would do that.  Also a great famine.  All of these were events that the Prophet Habakkuk and the people of Judah faced.  When faced with these, would you fall down in fear and panic, or perhaps be filled with anger at God?  Or would you move from fear to faith in God, as Habakkuk did?  Our Scripture today shows us a glimpse of some very dark and fearful times, and how the prophet went from fear into faith.

We have very little personal information about the prophet Habakkuk, other than that his ministry was shortly before the Babylonian Empire’s invasion of Judah.  His book was not written as messages to the people, but rather as a dialogue between himself and God.  One of the issues that he wrestled with, which many people today also wonder about, is why does God allow evil to prosper, and when will He act on this?  Our Scripture passage from the final chapter of this short book, contains a prayer to God, a song, and a declaration of faith.

As the prophet observed the conditions of his world and nation at the time, he knew that the invasion and destruction of his nation was imminent.  Thousands will be killed, and those who remained would be taken captive or starve.  As a believer, Habakkuk knew that this was God’s judgment on the people’s sins.  However, he prayed that God, in His judgment, would also have mercy (vs. 2).  He knew that God must judge sin, but prayed that He would also choose to show mercy on His people.

Habakkuk recalled, perhaps in a vision, God’s glory and His deliverance of His people in the past.  He recalled the Exodus, when God led the people from the south (vs. 3).  He also spoke of God’s radiant glory, the same glory that was seen at Sinai (vs. 4), along with His judgments, both against Egypt with the plagues and also His people when they sinned (vs. 5).  As Habakkuk continued, he also described how all of creation trembles before its Creator (vs. 6).  Mountains melt before Him.  When God rises to judge, nothing can stand.

Next we move to the last three verses of our Scripture passage, which are among the most beautiful declarations of trust in all of the Bible.  The prophet listed the loss of several major crops of that area, along with the loss of cattle (vs. 17).  In an agrarian society, which that was, this was a total economic collapse.  It would be the equivalent of losing your job, all of your savings, your home, basically all security all at once.  This was definitely what was going to happen when the Babylonians invaded, and perhaps it was already beginning.  There would be no escaping this devastation.

Most of us would probably be filled with fear, panic, and anxiety at such a time.  During the Great Depression many people felt they couldn’t handle such a time, even considering suicide, which increased during those years.  Fear and panic was not the response of Habakkuk, nor should it be of any true Christian.  The prophet rejoiced in the Lord (vs. 18).  It was a conscious choice that he made, as he stated I will twice in that verse.  Fear may seem to be a natural reaction to an economic collapse, but we can choose to live in the joy of the Lord.  Habakkuk realized he had no control over certain things, so he chose to control his response.  He rejoiced in the Lord regardless of what happened.  He drew from God the strength to go on.

This is not a denial of extremely difficult times, nor naive optimism.  What Habakkuk had, and we also should have, is a faith rooted in God’s character, not in our circumstances.  The prophet found his joy, not in what God gives, but in who God is.

As his song of praise to God continued, Habakkuk did not say that his circumstances, his nation, nor his resources were his strength.  He said that God himself was his strength (vs. 19).  He knew that God would give him stability in an unstable time.  He would give him sure footing like a deer in dangerous times, and would lift him above the chaos.  As we see, faith is not always getting what we want, nor in always understanding everything that God does.  Faith is trusting in God’s character, rejoicing in Him, and standing firm even when everything else falls apart.

When we face sudden tragedy and loss, we may wonder where God is, and be tempted to give up.  But in such times we must remember that God is with us.  He will show us kindness in the midst of tragedy and loss.  God is all-powerful and sovereign.  There is no way He will fail.  His promises are as good as kept.  Failure and success are not about us or circumstances.  We stand on a mountain with feet like a deer.  With God we are secure and victorious.

Habakkuk began with a complaint and ended with a song.  He started in confusion and ended in confidence.  He moved from “Why, Lord?” to “I will rejoice in the Lord.”  That journey is the journey of every believer who learns to trust God’s character more than in their circumstances.