I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. (Habakkuk 3:16 ESV)
When You Can Not Help
Have you ever felt so helpless that your body trembles? Your lips quiver at the sound of your fear? Your bones feel rotten? Your legs cannot hold you up?
Maybe, like Habakkuk, it was the terror of warfare.
Maybe it was a growing awareness of the looming effects of your sin.
Maybe it was a political crisis.
Maybe it was crippling debt.
Maybe it was a breaking relationship.
Maybe it was death’s scythe.
Habakkuk felt like that. And in the midst of it, He was granted the faith to wait quietly on the Lord.
He stopped trying to fix things himself. He stopped trying to raise his metaphorical sword and win battles. He stopped trying to solve everything for himself, his family, and his nation.
Because Habakkuk know the Lord would win.
And the Lord DID win. He won when exiled Israel returned home. He won when the prophets stopped writing the Bible, because all the words needed were written. He won when Immanuel arrived. He won when every enemy was sliced, diced, and shattered on the cross. He won with the final enemy, death, trembled and lost on Resurrection Day. He won when the throne was given on the Day of Ascension.
We do not have to wait for His victory. It happened. But now we wait for understanding. Now we wait for consummation. Now we wait for every tear to be wiped away.
But those things ARE coming.