“A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:1-2 ESV)
Who God is and what God does directly affect who man is and what he does. Habakkuk’s prayer, though the beginning of a chapter in our English Bibles, flows directly from the concluding verses of chapter 2, which leave the prophet reflecting on the words, “the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him” (2:20). Chapter 3 rejoins him as he appropriately addresses the LORD in his holy temple through prayer.
Unlike the braggadocious Babylonians, Habakkuk responds with a reverence that befits those who stand before the Lord. He also responds as one who has received the answer for which he had been searching (2:1). He had stationed himself as a night watchman on his tower with eyes peeled for the light of morning, and now he could see not only a slight glimmer but the full blaze of the glory, power, and majesty of the Lord.
As he begins his prayer, Habakkuk says, “O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear.” The report of the Lord had put to rest Habakkuk’s complaints. Though Babylon was approaching with insurmountable force, its conquest was not only known by God but decreed by him for the refining of his people. Babylon would come with destruction, but the destruction was not meaningless. Sin has consequences, and Judah’s rebellion against God had provoked his just wrath. Babylon was the means the Lord would use to punish the sin of Judah. Babylon’s destruction, though dreadful, was therefore equally providential.
This report impressed on Habakkuk the fearful reality of sin, both that of Judah and of Babylon. While Babylon was acting under the sovereign rule of the Lord, they were still guilty of their prideful, violent, idolatrous actions, and their punishment would eventually come as Judah’s had.
As Habakkuk considered the report and entered the sanctuary of the Lord, he appealed to God’s merciful character. He says, “In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.” His appeal that the Lord would be merciful “in the midst of the years” is a prayer that the Lord would show mercy in the midst of the time of judgment. Even as the Lord is dispensing wrath, Habakkuk is asking that God would dispense mercy as well.
He is not asking that the Lord would withhold the judgment that he had promised would come, but that the judgment would not be the final act of the Lord toward his people. Judah deserved complete destruction, yet Habakkuk knows that the Lord is merciful and that he has promised, throughout the history of Israel, that there would be a remnant who would be preserved. Habakkuk’s example is a helpful reminder that it is always good to pray for those things we know God has promised. We should also pray to the Lord in accordance with the attributes by which he has made himself known. Habakkuk understands that God’s justice and mercy are not opposed to one another but that they are compatible as attributes of the one God who exists in perfect simplicity.
We ought to live in light of the fear of the Lord in a way that causes us to enter his presence with both profound reverence and profound boldness. There is no presumption in Habakkuk’s words, but there is most certainly an unwavering confidence—as should be in every one of our prayers. May our hearts understand the nature of the One who “is in his holy temple” as we come to him to appeal for the mercy he so readily shows.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Beholding your work should cause us to stand in awe and fear before you. May we, like Habakkuk, understand the justice we deserve as we appeal to you for mercy.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Prayer Requests:
- Tuesday: Pray for the ongoing effort to send missionaries to the lost and unreached.
- Wednesday: Pray for missionaries planting churches in Eastern Europe.
- Thursday: Pray for missionaries serving in pro-life, prenatal ministry in Peru.
- Friday: Pray for short-term teams in Zambia using medical care to reach the lost with the gospel.
- Saturday: Pray for the staff and students of SBBE Toledo seminary in Spain.
- Sunday: Pray for missionaries working as design and construction professionals.
- Monday: Pray for missionaries serving in Germany.
