When God feels distant - he is right here (Habakkuk)

I had a friend in grade 8. An amazing listener. I remember how she would quietly listen to my thoughts and random ramblings without interruption. Her silence and lack of response to my utterances had me in doubt that she was really listening, but her eye contact would reassure me. However I would nervously check in and ask “Dude, are you still listening?”. And she would nod that she was. After I was done and she would always respond. I would walk away from these moments feeling heard and understood by my friend, even though her response may not have been what I would have expected or hoped for.

Reading the prophet Habakkuk’s prayer, the conversation between him and the Lord, brings back memories of the moments I just described with my friend. 

However, Habakkuk is on the side where he has been pouring his heart out to the Lord about the injustice and oppression he sees before him. The situation remains the same, more so, it is becoming much worse. The Law seems to be ineffective, justice does not seem to prevail and the innocent are at the mercy of the wicked. 

“How long, Lord, must I call for help

and you do not listen

or cry out to you about violence

and you do not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2)

Habakkuk’s cries and call for help to the Lord in the face of violence and oppression have been numerous, he has probably lost count. His voice might have gotten hoarse and his tears probably have run dry. His soul has grown weary of asking for the same thing from God. Like the psalmist in Psalm 42,  whose tears have been his food - here, Habakuk’s cries and call for help have been his food. Yet the situation continues to take a downward spiral. It seems as though God is silent. Neither is he saying or doing anything. I can imagine a “Lord, are you even listening?” from Habakkuk’s weary heart. The world as Habakkuk sees it is going off its hinges, added to that there possibly struggles within his own heart in the midst of the wickedness around him. “When will the Lord say something? When will he bring justice? When will he bring rest?” Habakkuk is been wrestling inward and outward. Despite circumstances not changing - Habakkuk continues to bring up his numerous cries to the Lord. 

“Why do you force me to look at injustice?

Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

Oppression and violence are right in front of me.

Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

This is why the law is ineffective

and justice never emerges.

For the wicked restrict the righteous;

therefore, justice comes out perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:3-4)

Where is God in the midst of suffering and violence? What has happened to his Law and Word that he set to govern his creation? Arrogant people have taken over it and they do as they please. Their pride screams, “Where is your God? Look at us, we are in charge!”.

“They mock kings,

and rulers are a joke to them.

They laugh at every fortress

and build siege ramps to capture it.” (Habakkuk 1:10)

Ever felt like that? As if the Lord is silent in the never ending and difficult circumstances within you and around you? Things just never seem to come right, sin is constantly taunting you - one step forward, ten steps back and the heaviness it brings. The wickedness and evil in your neighbourhood and in your country. Its bad news after bad news. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you PRAY - it just never seems to change but only get worse and much more difficult. It starts to feel as if God is distant. Is God even there with you amidst all of this? Evil, sin and wickedness seems to be in control. God’s silence feels like he is not even there. Habakkuk  feels as though the Lord is complicit in the Chaldean’s oppression and wickedness (Habakkuk 1:3).

Yet notice how persistent the prophet is in his prayers. Although the situation is getting worse, he continues with prayer and cries out to the Lord. He does not give up, he does not walk away, he does not lose heart. Habakkuk continues to pray about the situation before him. Despite the circumstances he does not lose heart. What keeps him going is the one whom he is praying to: the Lord. It is because of whom he is praying to that prays without ceasing, relentlessly cries out for help and pours his heart out to so freely and desperately even frustratingly. He even waits for God to respond to him:

I will stand at my guard post

and station myself on the lookout tower.

I will watch to see what he will say to me

and what I should reply about my complaint. (Habakkuk 2:1) 

Habakkuk knows that the Lord is Sovereign (Habakkuk 1:12). He bring about change to the situation, and nothing happens without him knowing. He is capable over overthrowing the evil and arrogant Chaldeans in a heartbeat. He also knows that the Lord is the Lord of mercy, justice and salvation (Habakkuk 3:2; Habakkuk 3:13). The Lord created the Law, created order and for the world and its inhabitants to flourish. He will restore the dignity of his people by saving them from the oppression. He will rightfully deal with evil at its root (Habakkuk 3:14). The Lord is holy and despises wrong doing. Prophet knows that the Lord despises sin and it infuriates him (Habakkuk 1:13). 

Habakkuk is confident that the Lord will always remain true to his character to who he is. And he trusts that. God may seem silent and distant but one thing is for sure is that he is still who he is says he is. Therefore Habakkuk’s knowledge of who God is fuels him to pray and wait for the Lord. 

One thing to learn from Habakkuk’s unanswered prayer is that circumstances are not to determine our relationship with the Lord but his character should. It is of utmost importance that we grow in the love and knowledge of the Lord as it is what grows our faith and pursuit of him. In hard times we are reminded by Habakkuk to fix our eyes upon who God is - that despite the circumstance we face, God’s character is bigger and worthy of putting our hope and trust in especially when circumstances have no guarantee of ever coming right. In addition to that we have a greater hope in Christ that if circumstances do not change on this side of eternity, we have home that when Christ returns all things will come right and be fully restored to how it was intended to be under his rule (Revelation 21:1-8). How much more for us as compared to Habakkuk have more reason to hope and rejoice in this truth amidst hardship, suffering and wickedness around us.