Insight
In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet Habakkuk wrestles with God’s justice in disciplining Israel through the actions of a nation even more corrupt than they (1:12–13). Habakkuk’s struggle illustrates a theme seen throughout Scripture of honestly wrestling with God. Anguish, doubt, and even anger at God aren’t seen as problems to be suppressed. Rather, truly walking with God means being willing to place all of our humanity, our whole heart, honestly before Him.
Habakkuk’s transformation—from the anguished “how long” of 1:2–4 to the confidence, joy, and awe of 3:16–19—illustrates the biblical principle that honest wrestling with God is rewarded by deeper transformation. Like Job, through honestly bringing his pain and anger before God, Habakkuk was transformed, not so much by easily understandable explanations, but by encountering face-to-face the overwhelming goodness, power, and beauty of God (vv. 3–15).
By: Monica Brands
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