I grew up believing that one should never question God. Looking back, I don’t know if I was told that, or if my personal view of God led me to think that. Regardless, as an adult studying scripture, I learned that approaching God boldly with our doubts and questions is exactly what the characters in the Bible did. At first reading, I cringed waiting to read how God would annihilate these folks with a bolt of lightning. Instead, I learned that God not only answered their questions, but seemed to encourage more questions.

The book of Habakkuk is short on length but long on questions and complaints. And  Habakkuk doesn’t waste any time getting right to the point either. The book begins with a bitter but justified complaint.

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!

Habakkuk 1:2Habakkuk 1:2
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
Habakkuk Complains to the Lord ² Our Lord, how long must I beg for your help before you listen? How long before you save us from all this violence?

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I could echo these words today. Why does a little 8 year old girl in my 3rd grade class battle leukemia? Why do so many of my close friends live in miserable marriages? Why are so many of our children at school abused and neglected? Why is there so much turmoil in the world?

Habakkuk is a reminder that we see the here and now, just a small blip on the timeline of history and eternity, but God sees the whole picture. God has long-range plans that our minds cannot comprehend. When we feel that God has forgotten us, He is thinking of us. When we see evildoers getting by with their schemes, God is setting up judgment in His own time. And believe me, we will do best to wait on His justice. It is always a much better punishment than I could ever plan. Judgment may not come on our time schedule, but it will come. Righteousness will prevail.

God answered Habakkuk, yet Habakkuk complained again. God did not get fed up with him, but instead honored his cries with an answer so moving and deep that Habakkuk broke out into spontaneous praise. Habakkuk came to realize in his conversation with God that painful times are inevitable, but God is just and fair. Evil would not triumph in the end and above all, God can be trusted to defend His own.

We can stand up with Habakkuk and shout for joy on that fact!