Habakkuk’s Prayer

GracePointe Church of Christ in Elizabethtown, PA

Habakkuk pleads with God to act in the present like he has in the past, bringing down corrupt nations. What follows is an ancient poem that describes a powerful and terrifying appearance of God through clouds, fire, and earthquake. When the Creator shows up to confront human evil, it will get everyone’s attention. Habakkuk continues by describing the future defeat of evil among the nations as a future exodus. Pharaoh, like Babylon, serves as an archetype of violent nations. In this poem, the Exodus story of the past has become an image of a future exodus God will perform. He will once again defeat evil and bring down the Pharaohs and Babylons of the world, bringing justice to all people and rescuing the oppressed and innocent. It’s this promise that enables Habakkuk to end the book with hopeful praise. By the end of the book of Habakkuk, the prophet becomes a shining example of how “the righteous live by faith.” He recognizes just how dark and chaotic the world and our lives can become, but he also sees how this invites us into the journey of faith, trusting that God loves this world more than we can imagine and that he will one day deal with its evil.