The Lord Appeals to our Complaints

One of my favorite pastimes is finding treasure in the obscure and biblical books that no one remembers. I believe the Old Testament books that are small but mighty have some incredibly powerful and complex truths hidden in them. Like a treasure hunter, we need to be diligent enough to explore these less than obvious books of the Bible. I believe God is extremely intercessory in my reading of scripture and if I just lean in- he will reveal powerful truths that pack a powerful and lasting punch.

Let me just start out by saying- what a good God we serve that he would be kind enough to appeal to even our complaining!

The book of Habakkuk has three chapters- three chapters that cause you say, “God really appeals to my humanity and does what he can to ease my worries.” Recently I have become obsessed and enthralled with the book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk. "Who or what is Habakkuk" might have been your very first thought. Habakkuk was a prophet in the latter days of the Old Testament- approximately 605 BC. It is one of the 12 books of the Minor Prophets. To add some context to the story, Habakkuk was a prophet when the Lord’s people in Judah were in despair. This is just about all we know about the book- but the content amassed in those three chapters trumps the contextual evidence given. Habakkuk was struggling to comprehend the ways of God. He just could not understand how a proclaimed “good God” could allow the things to happen to his people as they were happening. God’s response shows us a snippet of how his thinking and plan is high above even our complaints. So Habakkuk makes his appeal to God.

Habakkuk has two complaints. In the first complaint- he asks God how long they must cry for help without so much as an answer. “How long, O Lord must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you “violence!” but you do not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2) I believe Habakkuk’s complaint reflected the cries of Judah. His appeal was a cross section of the cries that were ringing through all of Judah. They simply could not understand why the God who had saved them so many times before had yet to do so- and they had enough.

But the Lord was so gracious in his response. He said, “Look at the nations and watch- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5) The Lord then proceeds to tell him how he was going to do this. I believe the most significant part of the Lord’s answer is the fact that he said- if you knew the plan, you probably wouldn’t believe it. I believe all of us experience this same wonder about what our future could possibly look like without realizing that if we knew the big picture, we may have a really difficult time believing it- because he is really that good and that majestic. His plan does not even fit into our earthly comprehension. Have you ever thought about that? Perhaps the Lord’s plan is too big for you to even imagine. It is best to keep you guessing and asking you to remain faithful.

The second time Habakkuk cries out he asks why the treacherous are the ones who prevail. Why are the wicked rewarded for their evil ways while the righteous are punished? “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” (Habakkuk 1:13) WHY God. I simply don’t understand. Habakkuk then said, “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”

The Lord answered, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3) I believe the Lord wanted them to write down this revelation so that they could look back and see all the works he had done. Even though the revelation awaited an appointed time, they would be able to look back and see that God had indeed answered their prayers in HIS timing, the perfect timing.

I believe one of the most powerful aspects about this book of the Bible is the fact that the Lord listens to our cries and complaints and then he responds. Even though he may not respond in the timing we like and with the response we expect, he responds all the same. In our humanity, it is so difficult to comprehend why the timing and response may not be according to our plan. Here’s the thing- even our “perfect plan” doesn’t stand a chance against the creator of the universe and his DIVINE plan.

When your prayers remain unanswered- remember, “The revelation awaits an appointed time.” Write down your prayers and the revelations you receive from God. He will show you, in his way, his timing, not yours, that he is good and he has been listening to every appeal you make. He was awaiting an appointed time- a time you are not to know and an answer you would not believe even if you were told.