My Morning Musings

My chest tightens and tears flow, my spirit is heavy, I can feel the burden that Habakkuk is carrying as I read his book. “Oh Lord, how long shall I cry… how long shall I call for help…” Habakkuk felt as if God wasn’t listening or couldn’t hear him. Evil and godlessness was all around him and it seemed as if God didn’t care at all. 

An answer to Habakkuk’s cry assured him that God did in fact hear, however the answer wasn’t what Habakkuk had hoped for. The evil around him was to get worse, not better. Judah was going to drift further from God and the Babylonians would seem to be triumphant over them. How can someone continue to stand strong in faith when God Himself has answered their prayers with news that what they were asking for would not happen. How in the world do you respond to that?

I would hope my response would be like Habakkuk’s. We don’t know how long Habakkuk had prayed and cried out to God before Habakkuk 1:1, but the feeling I get when reading those deeply burdened words; I can only imagine it had been many, many years. Just imagine years and years of praying only to be told “hey, I hear you but what you’re asking for just isn’t going to happen. In fact, it’s going to get worse.” How heartbreaking. How discouraging.

Habakkuk doesn’t get upset or give up his petition. He goes again to God in prayer. Under such a heavy burden, he cries out again and the words that he spoke speak volumes of the man of God Habakkuk was. In a situation that most of us would use as an excuse to walk out on God, Habakkuk declares “O Lord MY God, MY Holy One, You are everlasting …” 

I can almost see it as if I were watching the scene unfold… Habakkuk lifts his soaking cheeks and tear-filled eyes to Heaven as the words of chapter 2 verse 1 come spilling from his lips. “I WILL stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch…” 

From his strong declarations of God’s character, it certainly seemed that deep down Habakkuk knew that God would be faithful, but in the moment, His heart was burdened and heavy. 

This verse (Hab. 2:1) intrigued me to do a word search on the words “watch” and “wait”. I wanted to get a clearer picture of what Habakkuk planned to do until the Lord’s will for Judah was fulfilled.

Waiting doesn’t sound very fun. When I think of the word “wait”, I think of sitting around with nothing to do, wasting time. Example: Waiting at a doctor’s office; waiting in traffic; waiting at the DMV… Waiting just doesn’t appeal to me at all. I am definitely not a fan of having to “wait” on anything!

Then the word “watch” – my first thoughts are lazy, inactive or relaxed – just watching. Example: watching a movie; watching a game; watching the clouds or stars in the sky… usually if I’m “watching” something, I’m not the one who is active but rather I am watching an activity being performed.

Neither of these words seemed to fit in this instant. I just can’t picture Habakkuk living his life with this heavy burden and not doing anything about it. So hence a word search…

From the KJV dictionary:

Watch – 1. To be awake; to be or continue without sleep. 2. To be attentive; to look with attention or steadiness. 3. To look with expectation; to be vigilant in preparation for an event or trial.

Chills yet? It gets better!

Wait in Hebrew is “Qavah” which means to wait actively with anticipation, hopefully watching for God to act. 

WOAH! That verse now takes on an entire new meaning. Habakkuk wasn’t saying “oh well, I guess I will just sit here and have a pity party until God feels sorry for me and grants my wishes.” But rather Habakkuk is boldly proclaiming “I hear you God. Your plan is not mine. Your timing is not my timing. But I’m not giving up! You are MY Faithful God! I WILL stand – I won’t sleep or relax. I will watch – I’ll be attentive, I will be steady in my relationship with You. I will look with expectation and be vigilant while preparing for a glorious event! I will continue to be active in my faith as I anticipate and watch, full of hope for You to do a work and to restore my praise (JUDAH).”

I’m so convicted at the thought of how many times have I prayed a few times for something then give up because I feel like Habakkuk did. I wallow in my self-pity and dive deep in to a pit of despair because God didn’t give me what I wanted, like I wanted it, when I wanted it. 

I’m determined to break this mindset.

The song “Wait on the Lord” has been on my playlist for years now, I love it, but it now has a new meaning. Waiting is not sitting around, twiddling my thumbs, biding my time until God moves. Waiting means I must continue praying, I must stay active in my walk with Him and active in my church. I must busy myself with the King’s business, watch with anticipation and excitement, and EXPECT God to answer in His perfect timing. No, His answer may not be what I pictured it to be, but it will be His will and I will ultimately see how His hand was working on my behalf to give me just what I needed, how I needed it, when I needed it. 

Oh! If only Habakkuk could have seen from his watchtower far in to the future on the nearby hill of Calvary, he would have known the answer to every question that burdened his heart that day. God would be faithful to His people by sending the promised Messiah. Praise would be restored!