The Prophet Habakkuk
This little prophetic book by Habakkuk is one of the least read and understood books of the Bible. The prophecies were probably written around 600 BC, just as Babylon was emerging as the latest Super-power in the Middle East. Judah was already being threatened by this powerful enemy, and Daniel was among the large number of Jews carried off into captivity around 605 BC. but the land was not conquered until 586, when Jerusalem finally capitulated.
It seems that Habakkuk prayed for deliverance from the Babylonians, and then had to wrestle with the issue of unanswered prayer. If this is something you ever struggle over, read Habakkuk’s experiences and learn from them.
Read Habakkuk 1:1–4 Habakkuk’s Complaint
v 2. How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen!
How often have you felt that way!
Even in the daily routine of life, trying to get hold of a telephone help line can be frustrating; first the music, then press this button, make a selection of 6 offered options, then the message that your call means a great deal, so you hang on, and finally, silence.
How like praying! You have been praying, sometimes with real urgency, and nothing seems to be happening. You ask questions – why is God silent and apparently inactive; doesn’t He care; is He even listening; is prayer just wishful thinking; is everything just predestined so praying makes no difference as God had already decided what to do anyway? Questions … questions … questions! I guess the whole matter of prayer that seems to go unanswered is one of the biggest and most distressing issues in the life of many Christians. After all, didn’t Jesus say ‘Ask and you will receive …’ and so on. And isn’t there a whole library of stirring tales about ‘How God answered my Prayer’ ? So, God, what about my prayers, eh? Don’t I matter? Doesn’t my predicament mean anything? Why does prayer work for other folk but not for me?
If that is you, you are in good company! Here is the prophet Habakkuk, entrusted with writing part of the Bible, and he too is complaining about HIS prayers going unanswered. Shouldn’t God’s prophet be the man with the answers? But Habakkuk is no different from the rest of us, it’s just that he has the gall (confidence?) to complain directly to God about it.
And God IS going to answer him, so, read on this week. This is a tale of learning to wait patiently. And I believe most of us need to occupy a desk in the school of learning patience. I certainly do!
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