In Wrath Remember Mercy

Taking things at face value, Habakkuk was faced with a devastating, bleak future.

God has proclaimed judgement on the wicked nations. Not just the gentile nations, but also against Judah for their many sins.

And Habakkuk knows how terrifying it is to be on the bad side of God.

Who can stand against the almighty, sovereign Creator? Even the everlasting mountains, the deep waters, and cosmic entities– these which no man can control will tremble just at the sight of God (Hab 3:6, 10-11).

Needless to say, the wrath of God is terrifying. Just hearing about it is enough to cause Habakkuk to tremble and quiver, rottenness entering his bones (Hab 3:16).

But Habakkuk knows that all he can do is to pray that “in [God’s] wrath [He] remember[s] mercy.” (Hab 3:2), and have continue to have faith in Him.

From this prayer, we see Habakkuk’s humility shine forth.

In Habakkuk 2:1, he admitted humbly that his lack of understanding of the situation is not because God’s plan was faulty, but because his own thinking was wrong.

Likewise we see in chapter 3 how Habakkuk continues to humbly accept the will of God for Judah.

This is despite knowing that the plans God has will bring about terror to his nation.

If we were in Habakkuk’s shoes, we might have murmured against God in our hearts, saying “How can He do such a terrible thing?”

Often, our human instinct in the face of an unpleasant situation is to question. We question God’s fairness, God’s goodness, God’s love for us.

But let us not give in to our instinctive desire to complain and murmur.

Instead, learning from Habakkuk, let us remember the nature of God.

That God is sovereign so we have no right to complain against Him.

And that God is merciful, so let us appeal to His mercy in times of distress and trouble.

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD

Moreover, Habakkuk’s true faith shines forth through the hymn that he writes.

To be faithful during difficult times is not easy.

It is something that goes beyond the lipservice of saying “I believe in God”. It shows through our actions, our emotions, our thoughts.

If while going through a rough patch in life, someone says they have faith in God, yet they are often heard complaining about their situation and praying isn’t a high priority to them. There is reasonable doubt as to whether this person truly has faith.

On the other hand, if someone, despite going through a difficult time, remains joyful each day, thanking God for the little mercies every morning and esteeming the quiet time they have with God, we would likely acknowledge them as someone truly faithful.

This is what is reflected in Habakkuk’s hymn. That though there may be no good results that come (Hab 3:17), he chooses to rejoice in the Lord and find strength in Him (Hab 3:18-19).

He neither forsakes God nor murmurs.

Instead, Habakkuk chooses to believe in the goodness of the Lord.

Today, let us strive to have such faith, aiming to be a Christian that remains steadfast and loyal to God, even when faced with the possibility that we will see no improvements to our situation.