Habakkuk 3:18 Deep Dive // Tremble and Rejoice

"There are things going on that are difficult...and yet I will rejoice in the Lord."

— Natalie Abbott

Today's episode: Join host Natalie Abbott as she delves into the profound beauty of finding joy even in our struggles. In this episode, Natalie walks us through Habakkuk's journey from honest criticism of the injustices he sees to complete trust in the God who is just and who saves those who trust in him. You'll be encouraged to be honest and to trust in God through your own trials.  saying with Habakkuk, "Yet, I will rejoice in the LORD!"

This month's memory verse: "Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior." — Habakkuk 3:18

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Links from today's show: 

• Get your copy of How to Remember, by Andrew Osenga.
• Check out Qava to help you study the Bible (use code DWELL50 for 50% off).
• Get The Biggest Story Holy Bible here for 30% off with a free Crossway Plus account.
• Celebrate with a Piper and Leaf Tea Advent Calendar (use code DWELL10 for 10% off)

Transcript

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Visit PiperandLeaf.com and use the code DWEL10 to save 10% or find the link in our show notes. Hey, welcome back to the Dwell Differently podcast. I'm your host, Natalie Abbott, and today we are talking about a beautiful verse about finding joy, even in hard seasons. It's from Habakkuk 3.18. It says, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God, my Savior. And at first glance, we're like, yes, I will rejoice in the Lord. God is my savior. I'm going to find joy in him. But there's that one little word at the beginning, yet, which implies that there are reasons for not rejoicing. There are things that are going on that are difficult or hard. And yet, in spite of those things, I will rejoice in the Lord. So that's what we're going to be talking about today. How do we find joy even in difficult situations? And so we're going to look at the context of this verse in Habakkuk and we're going to see what we can learn there from the context about how truly beautiful this verse is and how it can really buoy us in times when we are going through something really difficult. So that's my hope that as we memorize and meditate on this verse, that we would understand it in its context so that we could have an even fuller understanding of the beauty that we can find in it. So today we're going to be talking about the justice and the mercy of God. We're going to be talking about what it means to like honestly wrestle with God in our faith. We're going to be talking about the glory and the power of God. And we're going to talk about this idea of both trembling and finding joy, like holding those two things in tandem with one another, that we can both be in a place of awe and trembling and yet also rejoice in our Lord. So that's what we're talking about. And I'm excited to have you here along with me. We're going to just kind of walk through the book of Habakkuk and see those thematics of honesty, of justice, of God's glory and power and even joy. So, first off, let me just let you know where Habakkuk is like when is that happening? What's going on? So, roughly around 600 BC is when Habakkuk is writing. There is now an evil king in Judah. His name is Jehaiakim. He's the son of Josiah, who is a really good king. But we know from other prophets that this is coming, judgment is coming. That wickedness and evil is marking the day. There's violence, strife, and wickedness. And so Habakkuk goes to the Lord and he makes this complaint. He says, How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you don't listen or cry out to you violence, but you don't save? Why do you make me look at injustice? And why do you tolerate wrongdoing? He says, There's destruction and violence before me. There's strife and conflict. Therefore, he says the law is paralyzed. So the law isn't working. People aren't following it. It is paralyzed. It's not doing anything. And justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. He is saying, God, everything is wrong with the world. Everyone is doing terrible things. I'm crying out to you for help. How long am I going to have to do this, Lord? But you are not listening. So that is pretty raw and very honest that he is basically complaining to God. Like, how long are you going to let this go on? What are you going to do about this, God? Like, this is terrible. Look at what is going on. Your law is being paralyzed, or you can't do anything. I need you to step in and to bring about your justice. And what I love about this is just the sheer honesty. He is being completely himself. He is telling God exactly how he feels. And what a beautiful model for us when we consider things that feel unjust or situations that we find ourselves in where we're like, God, do you even see? Do you even hear? I keep praying about this. Like, don't you see me? So what we get next is the Lord's answer, which of course, God always answers. What a beautiful truth for us to just wrap our minds around that. When we give him our even our hard things, that he hears us and he answers. So in verse five, he says, look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. And I'm sure Habakkuk is like, Yes, I can't wait. Here it comes. But then God says, For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told, I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless, impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings, not their own. So while there's evil happening in Judah, there is way more evil happening in the rest of the world. Babylon is this unrighteous, merciless, invading power. They are dreaded and fearsome. They are fierce and devouring. They're violent and arrogant. And God says, This is who I'm going to raise up. This is my instrument of justice. To which Habakkuk says, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay. So again, Habakkuk is going to be totally honest. He says, God, your eyes are too pure to look on evil. You can't tolerate wrongdoing. Then why are you tolerating them? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? And that's the key here is Habakkuk is saying, Well, I mean, we're bad and everything, but Babylon is way worse. So why would you use what is unjust to judge this other injustice? So he says in chapter two, I will stand my watch and station myself on the rampart. So he's like, I'm going to stand on the wall of the city and I'm going to look out and I'm going to see what you're going to say. He says, I will look out to see what he will say to me and what answer I am to get for this complaint. So he's like, All right, here we go. This is it. God is going to answer me. And I love this again that he's like, actually, God, I'm not satisfied with your answer. So I don't know if God is ever giving you an answer that you are not satisfied with, but I love that he says it because God knows that you feel it. So why not say it? He is like, uh-uh, God, this is not okay. I am not okay with this answer. In fact, I'm so not okay with it that I'm gonna wait here and I'm gonna watch, I'm gonna stand on the towers, and I'm gonna see what you are gonna do. So God again gives this answer back to Habakkuk. He says, Write down the revelation, make it plain on the tablet so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time, it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it. It certainly will come and will not delay. So God's like, Yes, yes, you wait there and you you see. In fact, write it down and tell everybody about what I am gonna do. He says, See the enemy is puffed up, his desires are not upright, but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness or his faith. And so what God is doing right now is saying there are two categories here, Habakkuk. There are the righteous who live by faith, and then there are my enemies. There are only two categories in Israel and in the world of people. Are you righteous? Are you living by faith, or are you my enemy? And he says these five woes for his enemy. He talks about how these enemies that are not specified here, usually God's God's woes are specified, but he just says that they're the enemies of God. So I'm I'm thinking he's including the people of God who are quote unquote the people of God, who think that they are the people of God, who are actually just doing all kinds of wicked things. So the first thing he says is that they will experience loss, that even though they're heaping up what isn't their own, that the plunderer will be plundered. So you see in each of these woes, sort of this, you think that this plundering that you're gonna do is gonna heap up all this stuff for you, but actually you're gonna be plundered. So God is using the very thing, the wickedness that they are doing, and he's bringing it back against them. Um, number two, he says, insecurity, you're gonna have insecurity. So even though you're building up your house with evil gain, that the stones themselves will cry out against you. So what should have been what made you secure are gonna be the very things that come against you. And again, this imagery is like that the people that the Babylonians are are taking over, or the people that are being oppressed by the people in Israel who are doing these wicked things, they are the ones who are gonna come back and cry out against him, that the that their security is actually insecure. The houses that should make them feel secure are gonna come back against them. Um, and then the third one is emptiness. He says, Woe to him who builds a town with blood. They will never have enough. You're never gonna be full. In fact, he says the opposite is gonna be true. The whole earth is gonna be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. So there's this beautiful imagery of you, what you are doing is unfulfilling, and yet the glory of the Lord is gonna fill the earth. And then the fourth woe is woe to him who pours out wrath to make others drunk and expose their nakedness. So it's this idea of shame that the that the Babylonians and the wicked people are exposing the shame of their neighbors. Um, but he says, you will drink from God's cup of wrath and you will be exposed as uncircumcised. So, in other words, you think that mocking and shaming others, that there is something for you in it when the reality is that you yourself are gonna find shame because you are uncircumcised. You are gonna be exposed as somebody who is not in favor with God, which would be a huge problem for the people of Israel because they really relied on circumcision as a sign that they were God's people, that they were righteous. And God is saying, No, not even you, you're gonna be exposed as unrighteous, as actually not pleasing to me. And then finally, this fifth woe is this woe of speechlessness. It says, Woe to the one who trust in idols. They are speechless, they can do nothing. In contrast, all of the earth is silent before the magnificent God of the universe. It says, For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. So you again you see this beautiful picture of God Himself being um glorious and that the earth itself is silent. So, whereas these idols that you're praying to, those are are silent. They can't speak, they can't do anything. But God, when God reveals himself, when God shows up, then everybody is silent. Like we, there's we're speechless because of who he is and his glory. Have you ever felt tired of shallow, consumer-driven faith? I know I have. In his book, How to Remember, songwriter and producer Andrew Osenga, who's worked with artists like Andrew Peterson and Sandra McCracken, reflects on faith, doubt, and the search for something more ancient and true. It's not a how-to book, it's a companion. For those who've wrestled with disillusionment and are looking to rediscover the simple, sustaining beauty of the gospel. As Russell Moore puts it, Andrew Osenga explores something many Christians feel but don't know how to articulate. The hunger for something older and truer than spiritual performance. This book doesn't scold or sell, it listens, laments, and then leads us back to something we've almost lost. How to remember is for those who love the church even when it's hard. Find your copy at Moodypublishers.com or wherever you get good books. There'll be a link in our show notes if you're looking for a link. Okay, I'm super excited to tell you about this next thing. It's the biggest story Holy Bible for kids. The biggest story Holy Bible for kids comes from Crossway and it helps children see the beauty of God's redemptive story from start to finish. It's perfect for ages six through 12. It's a full-color Bible that draws kids in with engaging book introductions and digging deeper sections that invite them to learn, reflect, discover, and pray through what they read. Whether used at home or in church or in the classroom, it helps children grow in their understanding of God's word and his plan of salvation. How awesome is that! If you haven't seen it before, the illustrations are beautiful. You can pick up a copy wherever books are sold or visit crossway.org backslash biggest story to get 30% off with a free Crossway Plus account. And we'll have a link in our show notes. Habakkuk has this final response in chapter three, and that's where we find our verse. And it is both terrifying and glorious. It is fearsome and encouraging at the same time. It is this very complex group of verses. And so I'm gonna read what he says, and it's actually a song. There are like song denotations at the beginning of chapter three and at the end. So it's meant to be sung. And I think that that's a wonderful thing. And as we as I read it to you, I want you to just consider like what would it feel like to sing this song with other people? Like, at what point would something like this be an encouragement in a in a need? And I think just thinking about the people in the world who are under persecution, who are being martyred for their faith, something like this is just an encouragement that God is powerful, that God is glorious, that God is going to come in his just judgment, that there is a day that is marked out where God will judge. And that is the kind of revelation that we have here, this the theophany of God where he is just whoa. And so, in instead of summarizing it for you, I want to read it for you. Um, but before we get the theophany, we get this statement from Habakkuk. He says, Oh 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. And so Habakkuk has been won over by the Lord that indeed there are there is injustice, and that God, would you in your work that I am even fearful of, that I just I know it's gonna be a hard thing. Would you, in your wrath against injustice and wickedness, would you also remember mercy? So that is this beautiful beginning of this prayer. And so here's what God does: He actually shows him what his work is gonna look like, he gives him this beautiful vision about how he is gonna judge wickedness and how the righteous will be saved by faith. Remember what we learned just a few minutes ago. It says when God speaks about those five woes, he says, but the righteous person will live by faith. And so we see that in this. We see this distinction between God's judgment of the wicked and God's love and salvation for those who have faith in him. So verse three of chapter three of Habakkuk says, God came from Temon, the holy one from Mount Peron, his glory covered the heavens, and his praises filled the earth. Again, we hear this idea of his praises and his glory filling the earth and the heavens. His splendor was like the sunrise, rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. Plague went before him, pestilence followed his steps, he stood and shook the earth, he looked and made the nations tremble, the ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed, but he marches on forever. I saw the tents of Cushin and distress, the dwellings of Midian and anguish. Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea? When you rode your horses and your chariots to victory, you uncovered your bow, you called many arrows, you split the earth with rivers, the mountains saw you and writhed, torrents of water swept by, the deep roared and lifted its waves on high sun, and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear, in wrath you strode through the earth, and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness. You stripped him from head to foot. With your own spear you pierced his head. When his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were hiding, you trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waves. This picture of God coming in judgment, and this picture of him crushing the leader of the land of wickedness and putting him to shame, stripping him from head to foot, piercing his head with his own spear. Like this is the justice that we long for, for all the things that are wrong with the world to be made right, to actually be put away with, to be sent out forever. And yet we find Habakkuk, and this is what he says. I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound, decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us, though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattles in the stall, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God, my Savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength, and he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Again, you see this picture of Habakkuk waiting patiently. Only instead of waiting for God to change his mind, he says, No. Lord, you are right in your judgment. And even though all of these things I too will experience, I will go without food, I will not have my basic necessities met. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God, my Savior, because God is the one who saves. He saves the righteous. And though he judge with wrath, even, though I tremble in fear, he says, My heart pounded and my lips quivered at the sound. Decay crept in my bones and my legs trembled. That even though he is trembling with the knowledge that this is gonna be really hard, even though he is going to endure through all of this suffering, he knows that God's purposes, God's justice, God's salvation will prevail. And so he can say, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God, my Savior. So Habakkuk is left in this place of trembling, this place of awe, this place of holy fear, knowing that God is going to do exactly what he asked him to do. God is going to judge all of those injustices. He is going to put away everything that is wicked and evil. And so in his trembling, in his fear even, he can rejoice. And so I wonder where that leaves us. Um, where does that leave me? Will I be honest with God? And am I ready to hear his response? I think one of the things that's most pressing on this to me is that God doesn't do things the way Habakkuk would want for him to do them. And yet he comes to a place at the end where he is resolved that God is right and that he will have faith in him. The righteous will live by faith. And so he chooses to live by faith. He chooses to believe, even in his difficult circumstances, that God is more powerful and that God has good things in store for him. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will, I will read, I will find joy in God, my savior. He believes, he believes that. And so I guess for me and for you, as we consider the things that we struggle with, the ways that God answers us that we don't like even, can we still believe him? Will we be like Habakkuk? Will we have faith in him? Will we live by faith? And will we even find joy in those trembling moments where we are afraid, where but yet we are resolved to believe that God is doing something greater, that God is bigger, that he is better, that he is good, and that his plans for us are good. And this is this picture of eternity, that in eternity God will make all things right, that he will wipe every tear from every eye, that we will live in his presence forever, and it will be glorious. What a good verse! What a beautiful, difficult, complex book. Thank you for listening to me, and uh, hope that it was helpful for your understanding both of this verse and of this book, but most of all of who our God is and who we are. Thanks for joining me today.