Someone has said that the prophet Habakkuk runs the gamut of emotions in his short book—from sobbing to singing!
Yes, indeed. He begins with sobbing by crying out: “O, Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save?” (Hab. 1:2)
The prophet concludes his record by singing these lines of praise: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on my high places.” (Hab. 3:17-19)
Will we face difficult circumstances in this life? Of course we will! (cf. John 16:33)
Do those hard times and difficulties mean we have been forgotten by God? Absolutely not! (Hab. 1:12)
The faith that sings like the prophet Habakkuk is the faith that knows the Lord…and knows that this connection and relationship is what matters the most!
The apostle Paul understood this—he had a faith that could sing in spite of less than ideal circumstances. In Acts 16:25, Paul and Silas are literally singing as they wait patiently for God’s plan to unfold while they are in the chains of a prison! The apostle would write that he knew how to live during times of lack as well as during times of abundance because he knew the Lord Jesus Christ! (Phil. 4:12-13)
Now that is a faith that sings! What notes have we been belting out?
