The Mandate of the Prophet Habakkuk

Habakkuk’s openness and honesty in his relationship with God is refreshing. Like Job, Habakkuk brings his complaints and questions directly to the Lord.

This righteous prophet struggled with the reality that wicked people often prosper. The leader must value justice, fairness and equity. What gladdens or satisfies a leader makes a crucial statement about their values. In the book of Habakkuk we learn to deal with the problems of evil and injustice, since he affirms God’s perfect goodness as well as God’s plan to punish all iniquity. Habakkuk’s first complaint to God questioned why the Lord was allowing the people of Judah to continue in their wickedness and injustice.

We work in exactly the same way. When the road gets tough we go to God to complain but we never understand the reasoning behind why God has called us in the first place and we are too impatient to allow the workings of God in the time God has allotted.

When the Lord answered that he was preparing the Babylonians as his weapon of judgment on Judah’s unrighteousness (see vv. 5–6), Habakkuk made a strenuous objection.

We need to understand that God always has a plan in place and He alone works all things together for our good. Be patient, God is working on your behalf.