Quiet Time in Habakkuk 1

EXPAND TO READ: HABAKKUK 1 (HCSB)

1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk’s First Prayer

2 How long, Lord, must I call for help and You do not listen or cry out to You about violence and You do not save? 3 Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. 4 This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.

God’s First Answer

5 Look at the nations and observe— be utterly astounded! For something is taking place in your days that you will not believe when you hear about it. 6 Look! I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter, impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own. 7 They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves. 8 Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night. Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant lands. They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour. 9 All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination. They gather prisoners like sand. 10 They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them. They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it. 11 Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through. They are guilty; their strength is their god.

Habakkuk’s Second Prayer

12 Are You not from eternity, Yahweh my God? My Holy One, You will not die. Lord, You appointed them to execute judgment; my Rock, You destined them to punish us. 13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are You silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself? 14 You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler. 15 The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook, catch them in their dragnet, and gather them in their fishing net; that is why they are glad and rejoice. 16 That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful. 17 Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy?

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PERSONAL JOURNAL:

SIN (verse 2): I have asked this same question many times throughout my life since coming to faith, Father. Many times I have lived in doubt of You or questioned You in my prayer life. Please forgive me for this doubt, Father. Forgive me for often questioning You and Your ways instead of embracing them. Help me to understand that Your ways are greater than my own and that Your vision of things in my life are vaster than my own narrow vision. Thank You for always knowing what’s best for me even if I have trouble accepting it in the moment, Father.

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PROMISE (verse 5b): You make a promise here that kind of shows us how narrow our vision is compared to Yours. We often live and thrive in the moment and wonder why things are a certain way. We wonder why You allow certain things to happen to Your people and not happen to those who oppose You. In this verse, however, You show us how vast Your vision is compared to ours because You say that something is going to take place that we will not believe until we hear it. This means that all those things we see as “wrong” in our eyes are actually a part of Your greater plan and vision. Thank You for always knowing what’s best for me, Father, even if I can’t always see it in the moment.

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ATTITUDE (verse 4): Forgive me for my narrow-minded and selfish attitude towards the things that I witness in my life, Father. Help me to have an attitude that is not only accepting of what Your plans are for my life, but also one that appreciates the long-term vision You have for it, even if in the moment I cannot see it. Looking back on my life, I can definitely see where some of what I believed to be hardships in the moment were actually changes You were wanting me to make in my life or lessons You were wanting to teach me. Although I grumbled in the moment, looking back on it I can appreciate the great works You have done and continue to do in my life. Thank You, Father, for always knowing how to correct me. I pray that I am consistent in the acceptance of Your instruction, counsel, and correction in my life so that I no longer live in a frustrated attitude of the things I witness.

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COMMAND (verse 5a): Here, You tell us to look at the nations and observe; to be utterly astounded. I often harp on the negatives of our world instead of seeing the great things You are doing all over. Help me to be better at following this command, Father. Help me to be better at looking at our world and being astounded at the great things You are doing through the various nations. Help me to no longer dwell on the negative and instead praise the positive things that are always happening all around me.

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EXAMPLE (verses 12-13): Habakkuk gives an example of how our prayer life can often be if we are not fully trusting in You. He recognizes Your greatness through his prayer life, but also displays his Spiritual immaturity through it. He recognizes the great power You have, yet at the same time shows his doubt in the reasoning behind why You do not always hold those living against You accountable for their actions. I feel this is because he is not able to see the bigger picture of events like You are able to see, so he lives in a bit of doubt due to his want to be in control of things and do things his own way. I struggle with this as well, Father. Help me to live less like Habakkuk in these prayers, Father. Help me to live my life in a way that I relinquish control of things to You. Help me to continue to pray to You about my worries and concerns, but not in a way that I show doubt or distrust towards You like Habakkuk does in these prayers.

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*DAILY NOTE: This chapter and the way that Habakkuk prayed to You is eerily similar to how I have prayed quite often in my life, Father. It mirrors the many doubts I have prayed about to You for various things in my life and in the world as a whole. Thank You for showing me this amazing example from Habakkuk. Thank You for showing me that I am not the only one that has prayers like this, because it reminds me that even thousands of years ago, Your believers still struggled and that it’s okay to struggle here and there. My faith in You is growing stronger every day, which slowly but surely has led me down the road of less doubting and less distrust. Thank You so much for being patient with me, Father.

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EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES

I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.