Habakkuk for the Holidays
Habakkuk 3
Sometimes my body shouts, “I can’t!”, while my soul claims, “yet I will…” Whether it’s bad news, the uncertainty of a next step, or the probability of hardship ahead, I don’t like the discomfort. I can’t handle it. I can’t bear it. And yet, my soul begs to differ.
In our concluding chapter, fifteen of the nineteen verses describe Habakkuk’s vision of God intervening in epic proportions - a scene that Marvel Studios must have taken notes from. For His people’s salvation, he sees God dismantle nations, overthrow governments and displace authorities. No earthly ruler resists Him. Stepping in as Savior, he disrupts nature, extending his reach from ocean depths to outer space. No earthly obstacle can limit Him. But Israel has turned their backs.
Now God’s judgment is coming against His people, instead of working on their behalf, and this affects Habakkuk in two profoundly different ways: physically and spiritually. He calculates the physical consequence of Babylon’s pending invasion, and it’s a nightmare: fruitless labor, lack of food, failed investments, financial ruin. His score in red ink at the top of life’s page: F
He shakes, his lips quiver, and his legs go weak. It seems like he’ll weep or faint, or have a panic attack. His body shouts, “I can’t!” Ever feel that stress takes its toll on your body, the world’s brokenness keeps you from sleep, or that sadness saps your energy? Ever heard a devastating word that comes like a punch in the gut? Ever felt sick to your stomach because of what you know?
And yet…though his body feels too fragile to handle the immediate future, there’s another side to his response. His soul hasn’t crumbled in his physical weakness; instead, his faith has been reinforced. It’s only his vision of God, fifteen verses strong, that steadies him. Nothing can outlive his eternal God. No rebellion has the final say. Even this physical life won’t have the last word. Habakkuk may stand on shaky legs, but God is the stability for his feet and the salvation of his soul, come what may for now.
Since Habakkuk’s day, God has continued his intervention in even more earth-shattering ways for the sake of His people’s salvation: Jesus dismantled the authority of sin, overthrowing death’s reign and absorbing God’s judgment. To be His people’s Savior, He disrupted nature, extending His reach from heaven to earth.
And we marvel that, through Jesus, this power infuses everyday strength into our souls, so when our bodies tremble, our souls can echo, “yet I will wait” (v.16), “yet I will rejoice” (v.18). Based on what you know about God, what is your soul’s “yet I will” to your “I can’t”?
