The sun has just begun to set on the horizon and cast a pale orange light onto the rocky path in front of you. The wind blows through the surrounding trees and sends shivers down your spine. Pensively, you take a small step forward and fall to the ground as another set of rocks makes you lose your balance.
Shaking the dust off your clothes, you rise to your feet and hold onto a tree beside you. For hours, you have been trying to hike a mountain alone, but you have no way of retracing your steps. You tried charting out the path beforehand, but in your weariness, you forgot a few turns along the way.
Now, the sun has almost completely dissolved into darkness, and your only company is the deep regret you feel about setting out on this journey in the first place. Squinting into the ever-growing darkness, you grasp for any other trees to help you as you walk along an uneven and jagged pathway. Step by step, you slowly shuffle forward and try to find any footholds as you climb further into the unknown.
There have been many people throughout history who have encountered similar situations in which they felt lost and ill-equipped for the journey before them. The prophet, Habakkuk, is a great example of someone who had many moments of doubt and fear, especially about what the future was going to look like.
In the first two chapters of the book, the prophet pleads to the Lord for relief from the wicked people of the tribe of Judah. The prophet feels that there is no justice in the land and believes that God is not listening to his prayers. Although, throughout the course of Habakkuk’s disbelief and lack of faith, the Lord was preparing a solution to bring restoration and justice to the land by having the Babylonians wage war against the people of Judah.
Habakkuk’s initial reaction to the Lord’s answer is not of immediate joy, but rather of uncertainty. The prophet struggles to accept what the Lord had told him because he is afraid and does not think that true justice would arise from further attacks. However, the Lord explains to the prophet that “the righteous shall live by his faith” and not by anything else (Habakkuk 2:4).
All believers must remember that the Lord’s ways are not our ways, nor should they ever be. Habakkuk’s example reminds us that God not only hears our cries, but he also works out a much better solution that is far beyond
our comprehension.
God’s help is redemptive and restorative. There will never be a trial or situation that is impossible to traverse because God will always make a way to get through it.
Near the end of the book of Habakkuk, the prophet’s disposition toward the Lord completely changes. After the prophet accepts the answer he received from the Lord, he begins to praise him and rejoice in the fact that better days are coming because the Lord is in control of everything in his life.
Habakkuk 3:18-19 says, “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.”
Even as we may feel that we are walking along an uncharted and treacherous path, God will always give us strength for the journey. The key is acknowledging that we cannot go through life solely by our own strength. Ultimately, it is God who equips us with exactly what we need at just the right time.
Psalm 121:1-3 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.”
As we look toward the mountains and embark on an unfamiliar path, God will always direct our feet toward the securest positioning. Just as Habakkuk had to accept the Lord’s answer to his prayer, so too do we need to be ready to follow the Lord’s plan.
Habakkuk strengthened his faith in the Lord once he realized his trust in God was not contingent on exterior factors, but rather on the positioning of his heart. As Christians, we can rejoice and be joyful because God is always at work, and he will always prevail. Habakkuk walked through several difficult trials, but he had joy because he recognized God’s presence in his life.
Amy Carmichael, a missionary to India, once said, “There is only one way of victory over the bitterness and rage that comes naturally to us — to will what God wills brings peace.”
No matter the journey or path that you are currently on, remember to continuously look up and be aware of how God is working in your life. He will steady you and be your guide if you simply remember to lean on him.
Davis is the feature editor for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X.