September 16, 2025
Even people who stand for what’s right can be struck down by evil, and it rattles us to the core. 2,600 years, and nearly a hundred generations ago, Habakkuk saw the same chaos and cried out to God. That’s a hundred lifetimes of families who have walked through fear, grief, and hope, just like we do.
Habakkuk begins with a deep cry to God, confused and in pain:
God’s answer is jarring. He tells him he will use Babylon, a corrupt and violent empire, to discipline Judah. Evil men will destroy God’s people. Probably not the answer Habakkuk expected.
Maybe we are feeling the same way right now and wondering,
Habakkuk wanted answers to the same question:
“You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?" (1:13)
In response, God doesn’t lay out a timetable or give all the reasons.
He says: write down the vision exactly as I am telling you, wait for it, and live by faith (2:3-4). Evil’s victory is only temporary. Babylon itself will face God’s judgment. The earth “will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (2:14).
By chapter 3, nothing around Habakkuk has gotten better. Babylon’s threat still hangs over Judah. But the prophet recalls God’s mighty acts. His coming in power, His splitting of the waters, His rescue of Israel, His crushing of wicked nations.
On that memory he takes his stand, choosing to rejoice:
“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strenghth; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places.” (3:18-19)
This is hope that refuses to die. It’s anchored in God’s unchanging character and promises. It’s not built on headlines, news, or the pain of today.
And that’s the call for us now - 2600 years later. We don’t ignore the darkness. We face it, like Habakkuk did, and bring our honest questions to God.
But we also remember a hundred generations of families who have watched God keep His promises.
So, hold on.
Keep praying.
Keep doing good.
Keep loving people.
Believe the vision of the Lord is at hand even when you don’t see it yet.
The same God who carried His people through Habakkuk’s day is carrying you now.
Today, choose to spend time bathing in the hope of the King:
1. Exchange an hour of news for an hour in His word. Don’t just cherry pick verses. Read a full book. Habakkuk is a good start – it’s only 3 chapters.
2. Exchange an hour of scrolling with an hour of praying. Close your eyes, go into your room. You don’t need special words. The Lord is with you.
3. Exchange an hour of hopelessness with an hour of showing someone in your life the love of Jesus. A simple phone call. A visit. A meal prepared and shared.
4. Cry out to God. He knows your thoughts, pains, and fears - and He loves you. Draw near to Him in your pain with truth and honesty.
