Habakkuk sees the invasion of the Babylonian army. He sees the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, He sees the total, utter and complete devastation in the land of Judah. He sees a time when there will be no more figs, no more fruit, no more fields, no more flock, no more flesh, and no more finances.
But, in the midst of the despair, Habakkuk found a multitude of delight.
Thus, instead of his heart racing, his heart was resting. Instead of being filled with fear, he was filled with faith. Instead of feeling like a victim, he felt like a victor.
As our country faces an economical crises, the believer must learn to trust and rest in God. We must not give way to panic and despair. We must believe that God is in control of all circumstances.
This world is unraveling. This world is coming apart. This world is winding down. The end of all things is at hand.
One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see was the flame, the smoke, and the blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.”
But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”
In our time of trial, we may not be able to see the Lord, but the Lord can still see us. In our time of tragedy, we may not be able to see the Lord, but the Lord can still see us. In our time of tribulation, we may not be able to see the Lord, but the Lord can still see us, and that’s all that matters.
The Psalmist declared in Psalm 121:4, "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." God never takes a day off. He is always working .We may not always see what He is doing, and we don’t always sense what He is doing. Yet, we are assured in His Word that He is always at work.
I. The PROPHET’S ANTICIPATION (17
Habakkuk mentions the basic ingredients of life for the Jewish people: figs, vines, olives, fields, flocks and herds are soon to be gone.
This caused him to tremble in verse 16 when he looked to himself for answers.
He saw a CRISIS - CHAOS - CRASH.
He looked on the horizon and saw drought, devastation, and destruction.
No part of the economy of his day would be spared.
He could clearly see what was coming!
Remember, the economy of Judah at this time was based almost exclusively on agriculture and livestock. Agriculture could be divided into permanent crops – fruit trees, olive trees, grape vines – and annual field crops, like wheat and barley. Neither the permanent nor the annual crops are going to yield anything.
The final two items are the flocks and the cattle – that is, sheep and cows. All their livestock are dead.
He sees the devastation of God’s judgment. He sees the force of the Babylonians as they wreak havoc upon the land. He sees a time of economic depression when the fields, the flocks, the figs, and the fruit will be destroyed. He sees a time when God withdraws His hand of blessing and extends His hand of cursing.
Now Habakkuk’s situation is worse than anything we can imagine in this country.
Habakkuk could not rejoice in the circumstances he anticipated.
II. The PROPHET’S AFFIRMATION (18)
Habakkuk says, even when the simplest sign of God’s favor is absent, even then he would still rejoice in Him.
The word “rejoice” literally means to jump for joy. The word “joy” literally means to spin around in.
Habakkuk may not have been able to understand God’s ways, but he could STAND ON God’s Word. He may not have been able to trace God’s plan, but he could trust God’s providence and it led to triumphing with God’s praise. I can just see as Habakkuk has himself a spell. He begins to jump for joy and rejoice when there seemed to be no cause to rejoice. The inward look was bleak. The outward look was bitter. But, the upward look was bright.
YOU CAN ALWAYS REJOICE IN THE LORD WHEN YOU CANNOT REJOICE IN THE LAND!
A poor black slave, who was once asked if he were never unhappy, said, “When all de world are saying, ‘Dis is my hours,’ ‘Dat is my cottonfield,’ I just look up and say, ‘Dare is my house, and dare is my Saviour,’ and when I own de Lord me tinks I own everything.”
Habakkuk is not panicking, but he is praising.
A. Note the determination in his rejoicing - “I will” - He chose to rejoice. It was a matter of his will.
I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
No matter what happens, Habakkuk has already made a deliberate choice to rejoice.
B. Note the domain in his rejoicing - “in the Lord”
He was not rejoicing in his circumstances but over them by rejoicing in the Lord. Notice that he rejoices “in” the Lord; when He has nothing else, He has the Lord. When I can’t rejoice in my situation, I can always rejoice in my Sovereign.
He resolves to delight and triumph in God.
1. Sensible to rejoice in the Lord
If a man loses 3/4 of what he has, it may be natural to grieve over what he lost, but it is more sensible to rejoice over what he have left.
When you the Lord you left, you have all you will ever need!
2. Satisfactory to rejoice in the Lord
What remains to the child of God is the best part. It is the only part that is eternal to begin with.
The prophet had learned life’s ultimate lesson. Our satisfaction is not to be derived from material things, but from God Himself.
Many people are rejoicing in their homes, their cars, their lifestyle. However, when they are gone what is their to rejoice in.
When all is gone, Habakkuk’s God is not gone.
A despairing man confessed to his pastor, "My life is really in bad shape."
"How bad?" the pastor inquired.
Burying his head in his hands, he moaned, "I’ll tell you how bad--all I’ve got left is God."
The pastor’s face lit up. "I’m happy to assure you that a person with nothing left but God has more than enough for great victory!"
Things might get bad in this life, but things do not affect my salvation! My salvation does not depend on things going well. Salvation rests solely on the grace and power of God!
III. The PROPHET’S ASSURANCE (19)
Why is it that Habakkuk was determined to rejoice in the God of his salvation?
He saw and realized some things that we all need to remember in our affliction.
A. He had sufficient strength
People today seek strength in various ways. For some it is financial security; for other it is pills and drugs; for others it is pleasure. However, these always fail, but God never fails.
When problems come, the solution is knowing where to turn. There is no problem too great for His power and no problem too little for His concern.
One day a little boy was attempting to turn over a big rock as his father watched. The little fellow was grunting, straining, and heaving, but he just could not turn the rock over. His dad asked him with a smile on his face, "Son, are you using all your strength?"
"Yes, Dad, I am using all of my strength."
"No, you are not," came the Father’s reply, "You have not asked me to help you. I am your father and my strength is your strength."
If the Sovereign Lord is your strength, then your strength is more than sufficient.
B. He had sufficient security
“He maketh my feet like hind’s feet” - A hind is a female deer, and a hart is the male or buck. The hind’s home is the mountains. The rear feet of the hind step in precisely the same spot where the front feet have just been. Every motion of the hind is followed through with single-focused consistency, making it the most sure-footed of all mountain animals. A female deer can place her hind (back) feet exactly where her front feet stepped, not one inch off!
The hind was sure-footed. The hinds leap over rock and crag, never missing their footholds. Our LORD will give us grace in the most difficult days if we will only look to Him.
Those who know God are able to survive in the diffcult places of life.
A little boy once prayed, "God please take care of yourself because if anything happens to you we’re in a world of trouble!"
Conclusion
There has probably never been a darker hour in this world’s history than the one in which we are now living. When we look at things that are going on in our world, may we remember Habakkuk and his faith.
When God is all you’ve got, you’ve got more than enough. Jesus is more than enough.
If Jesus is not sufficient for all, he is not sufficient at all.
