Habakkuk 3:1-19

Habakkuk concludes his book with a prayer in which he calls out to God requesting that He judge with mercy.  He also remembers God’s past provisions and then concludes the book with a declaration of His trust in God and His commitment to God to be faithful and trust Him no matter what may come his way.  The proper response to any crisis in our lives is always to pray.  This is a great example of prayer that we would do well to follow.

PETITION IS A VITAL PART OF PRAYER: In light of all that Habakkuk has learned about God and the promises He has made, Habakkuk asks God to take action against the invading nations as well as to be merciful in His judgments.  We know that God will judge and we know that His power is without limits.  He has demonstrated His willingness to judge all of mankind in the past but He has also demonstrated abounding love and mercy.  This is a request based on the knowledge God has revealed about Himself.  We are certainly encouraged to pray in such a way.  We must not be afraid to ask God to do justice and do be merciful because He is both just and merciful.

PRAISE IS A VITAL PART OF PRAYER: As Habakkuk continues his prayers he begins to recount and praise the Lord for all that He has done in the past.  He remembers how God delivered the nation of Israel and judged Egypt.  He remembers and praises God for the conquest of The Promised Land.  He praises God for the many times He had done just exactly as he had prayed for God to do.  When we pray it is important for us to look back at the mighty works of God and be grateful as well as worshipful for His amazing grace and power.


PROFESSION OF FAITH IS A VITAL PART OF PRAYER:  Habakkuk concludes his prayer with a profession of faith in the Lord that is one of the most beautiful declarations in all of Scripture.  He promises to trust the Lord and continue to worship the Lord no matter what.  His praise of the Lord and trust in God is not conditional upon God’s blessings.  He simply says that even if there is no food to eat and the nation is ravaged by war he will continue to praise the Lord and place His trust in Him.  Our worship of God must never be conditional.  He is always worthy of our trust and our praise no matter what circumstances we may face on this earth.  He knows what He is doing and it is always for His eternal glory and our eternal good.

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