by Enoc Garcia, Washington Conference Communication Director
Have you ever wondered where God is when life doesn’t make sense? You pray, you wait, you hope for an answer, but things don’t seem to get any better. Sometimes, they even get worse.
If you’ve ever felt this way, you’re in good company.
The prophet Habakkuk knew what it was like to wrestle with God. As he looked around, all he could see was violence, injustice and suffering. Finally, he cried out, “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:2, NKJV).
I love that the Bible includes stories like this. God doesn’t seem offended by Habakkuk’s questions. He listens. And He answers.
But God’s answer isn’t what Habakkuk expected. In fact, it raises even more questions! So the prophet does something remarkable. He decides to wait.
“I will stand my watch,” he declares (Habakkuk 2:1).
And while Habakkuk waits, God teaches him something that changes everything: “The just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).
I’ve learned that faith isn’t always understanding what God is doing. Sometimes faith is simply trusting who God is. My circumstances may change. My feelings may deceive me. But God’s faithfulness never changes.
God reminds Habakkuk that He is still working, that His glory will fill the earth and that He is still seated on His throne.
By the end of the book, something beautiful happens. Habakkuk’s circumstances haven’t changed, but his heart has.
Even if the fig tree doesn’t blossom, the fields produce no food and the flocks disappear, he declares, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).
What a journey! The prophet who began by asking, “How long, O Lord?” ends by saying, “Yet I will rejoice.”
Perhaps you’re wrestling with God today. Perhaps you’re waiting for an answer that hasn’t come. Wherever you find yourself, remember that the God who hears your questions is the same God who holds your future.
You may not understand what He is doing, but you can trust His heart.
We may wrestle. We may wait. But because our God is faithful, we can still worship.