Talk To Yourself!

Habakkuk 3:16-19

¹⁶ I heard, and I trembled within;

my lips quivered at the sound.

Rottenness entered my bones;

I trembled where I stood.

Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress

to come against the people invading us.

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud

and there is no fruit on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

¹⁸ yet I will triumph in the LORD;

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

¹⁹ Yahweh my Lord is my strength;

He makes my feet like those of a deer

and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

God gave His prophet the vision of what was coming down the pike. It wasn’t good! I am reminded of Amos 3:7: “Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets.” God was showing His prophets what was coming on the nation of Israel. He did this out of love. He desire was that they would listen and repent and He would pull back. They never listened!

I can almost hear Habakkuk saying, “I must wait quietly for the day of distress” (16). He saw it coming but there was nothing he could do but pray and preach.

His declaration of faith in God in verses 17-19 is one of the most amazing in Scripture. He said, in essence, “No matter how bad it gets—and it’s going to be bad—I will actively trust in God.”

Was this a one-time decision? I think that when times got tough Habakkuk probably repeated these words many times.

We all go through times when our faith is supported by our words. We talk to the Lord and remind ourselves at the same time. He has promised us that there will be times when the climbing gets tough. During those times you will be tempted to turn back. But praise the Lord—and remind yourself at the same time—that He will keep your feet secure and strengthen you to keep climbing.