Habakkuk 3: 3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens
and his praise filled the earth.
4 His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.
5 Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps.
6 He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed—but he marches on forever.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.
8 Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory?
9 You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; 10 the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high.
11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.
12 In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations.
13 You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.
16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
If anybody has the right to be frustrated, it’s Habakkuk! As a servant of the Most High God, Habakkuk has studied God’s interventions throughout the history of Israel. Habakkuk knows that at any moment God might intervene and deliver His people from the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and yet God is not moving. When Habakkuk questions the Lord, the only answer he receives is that the vision will be fulfilled but the time of fulfillment has yet to arrive. Habakkuk’s problem is not a lack of faith, but an unwillingness to accept the idea that the Israelites have brought all these problems on themselves.
Deuteronomy 11:13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.
Beginning with Moses, God has repeatedly warned His people of the disastrous consequences of idolatry; however, they have persisted in refusing to worship Him and turning to idols instead. Actions have consequences, and generations of idolatry have brought curses on the Israelites. While Habakkuk can prayerfully intercede, he is powerless to change the inexorable progress of events. Habakkuk has done nothing wrong; however, he is fated to watch the Israelites suffer the results of their unfaithfulness. If Habakkuk were to remain bitter against God, it might be understandable; however, Habakkuk shines through the centuries as an example of faith precisely because he refuses to remain bitter, honoring God instead.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
Not only does Habakkuk surmount the temptation to bitterness, but these last verses remain as a graphic testimony of faith. Habakkuk even designates these verses to be used in worship at the temple.
These last few verses are doubly precious to me because of Tom Elkins, a Christian Ob/Gyn specialist with a great deal of missions experience. Tom once quoted these verses to me, telling me of the missionary surgeon in Nigeria who shared them with him during a time of great stress at the mission hospital where they were both serving. There are many times when we face problems that threaten to overwhelm us. Finances fall apart, jobs disappear, health fails, and we find ourselves in deep physical and emotional poverty. At such times, we can take heart from Habakkuk’s testimony. Caught in the throes of disease, drought, crop failure, and famine, Habakkuk remains steadfast in his faith. “…yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
When we read these words about “deer feet in high places,” we might think of a cute little deer or mountain goat standing on a nice flat mountaintop. But nothing can be farther from the truth than that idea! Look at the picture below. These animals barely have enough space on the rock for the width of their hooves. One mis-step and they will careen into the depths and die.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where there seems no way out. Physical problems, financial problems, political problems hem us in on all sides. We are like those mountain animals, struggling to find tiny footholds in the midst of our problems. Those places are exactly the ones Habakkuk is describing in these verses. Remember, truthful prophets generally aren’t popular, and we don’t know how many threats Habakkuk received or the perils he is facing as he writes these words. If Habakkuk compares his situation to that of a mountain goat, then indeed he is hemmed in with only a tiny space to stand and maneuver. But God has given Habakkuk that space, and God will do the same for us as well.When we wait on God and trust in His mercy, we too can rejoice in the Lord, being joyful in God our Savior. And we can trust that God will be our strength and will make our feet like the feet of a deer, treading on the heights.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to wait for Your mercy and Your grace, knowing that You will give us strength, courage, and the ability to maintain our footing even in slippery high places. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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