Habakkuk: Finding Strength in Times of Questioning

By Layo Oladejo

Devotional Reading: Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17‭-‬18 NLT

Do you find yourself in circumstances where you don’t understand what God is doing? You may be frustrated with Him because you feel He’s not doing anything, or He’s silent in a hard situation. You may see God working, but not in the way you had envisioned. How do you respond to God in those times?

The book of Habakkuk is a dialogue between Habakkuk and God when Judah was disobedient, and he felt like God was tolerating their sin and not dealing with it. Habakkuk teaches us how to approach God before the throne in prayer in those times we struggle to understand why.

We’ve all asked God questions at times. God, why? How long is this going to go on? Where are You in this? Why are You silent? One of the things I love about Habakkuk is that he was real with his feelings. He didn’t understand what God was doing, and he wanted to know why. It’s okay to ask questions and be honest about our feelings with God, but let those questions lead us to a place of trust.

Habakkuk poured out his emotions in his dialogue with God and then listened to God’s response. Even though God’s answer wasn’t what Habakkuk had expected and didn’t make sense to him, he expressed his trust in God through praise. Chapter 3 is his prayer after God revealed to him how He would deal with Judah’s sin. God would send the Chaldeans to take Judah into exile, but Habakkuk didn’t moan and groan about God’s answer; he turned to praise.

Prayer and Confession
Be honest with God in prayer, as Habakkuk was. Tell Him what you’re feeling and thinking, but end with praise and expressing your trust in God. Use the end of Habakkuk’s prayer in Habakkuk 3:16–19 to guide you in prayer, personalizing it to what is going on in your life today.

Further Reading: Habakkuk 1-3
Reading The Prophets: Jeremiah 26-30