(Part 7 in a series of posts on Habakkuk.)

Habakkuk 1:6

We saw three reasons from Habakkuk 1:2-4 why people sometimes think that God does not care.

1. We pray but do not see God’s answer right away.
2. We are in trouble and God does not deliver us right away.
3. We see the wicked triumphing over the righteous.

Now we are looking at three ways that we know God does care from Habakkuk 1:5-11. Last time we looked at the first way found in verse 5:

    1) God assures us that he hears our every prayer.

Now in verse 6 we find another way we know God cares.

    2) God promises us that he will deliver us in his time.

We know that God cares, because God promises us that he will deliver us in his time. This is the answer to Habakkuk’s “How long?” question. God has his purposes, and we must trust his timing. Look at verse 6 where God tells Habakkuk how he will deliver him. “I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own.” (Habakkuk 1:6)

This was the amazing something that Habakkuk would not have believed even if told. While Habakkuk was busy crying out, “How long?” God was orchestrating the events of history so that the Babylonians would come to world dominance and power and finally bring an end to the violence and injustice in Judah.

Habakkuk had to wait for God’s timing for deliverance, but God assured him that once the Babylonians came, the deliverance would be swift and sure. Look at all the words relating to speed and quickness spread throughout verses 6-11. The Babylonians are impetuous – the Hebrew word means “to be hasty or in a hurry.” They sweep across the earth. Their horses are swifter than leopards, their cavalry gallops headlong, they fly like an eagle or vulture. They sweep past like the wind.

When we are in trouble and God does not deliver us right away, we may sometimes think that God does not care. But God promises to deliver us in his time. Psalm 34:19 says, “A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.” Psalm 91:15 says “He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.” And 1 Peter 5:10 reminds us that we need to look to God’s timing for our deliverance, not our own. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” God promises us that he will deliver us in his time. God cares.

(Looking ahead: Next time we will look at the third way we know God cares from Habakkuk 1:6-11.)

Here are the links to the whole Blogging with Habakkuk series: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.