Greg Chandler
09/18/14
Frightening times tend to bring out the survival instinct in many. With the financial panic of the past few years and the political disarray seen throughout the world, some of these survivalists have stockpiled their homes with food items, secured sources for drinking water, bought gold, and built elaborate defense systems in their desire to be prepared. Perhaps those who have taken such measures might be better served by studying the actions of an ancient survivalist who sought protection in much better ways.
As the nation of Judah followed her sister Israel in the paths of wickedness, a man named Habakkuk grew concerned since the Lord seemed to take no notice. In making his grief over this known to the Lord he stated, “The law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted” (Habakkuk 1:4). In reply, the Lord assured Habakkuk that He was very much aware of Judah’s wickedness and would soon bring punishment upon them by the hand of the ruthless Chaldeans. The Lord’s answer brought little comfort as Habakkuk wondered how justice could be served by a nation that was even more corrupt than Judah. Again, the Lord answered him with the assurance that, once the work of the Chaldean’s was completed, they would also be brought down and punished for their wickedness.
Though Habakkuk never came to a full understanding of the Lord’s ways, he did come to understand how to survive. This realization came by fully committing himself to trust in the Lord he served. The final chapter of his short book records a beautiful prayer in which Habakkuk lauded the power of his mighty God. In this prayer, he acknowledged that the ways of the Lord would win out over those who fight against Him: “You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck” (Habakkuk 3:12-13). Still, Habakkuk knew that the Lord’s ultimate victory would create hard times in the interim even for those who served Him. In anticipation of these times, he prayed, “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” (vs. 16). How was this survivor comforted despite the bad times to come? He knew who was in control: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vine, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places” (vv. 17-19). Habakkuk could face a troubled future because He knew the God who had sustained him throughout the past.
Economic downturns, government condoned immorality, and geo-political upheavals throughout the world have many Christians troubled about the future. These feelings are exacerbated by radical religions that seek world domination through fierce rhetoric and public forms of torture. How can Christians face a future for themselves and their children that seems so bleak in outlook? As illustrated by the survivor Habakkuk, they learn to look up rather than around. Jesus warned His followers about allowing the future to rob them of godly peace. In discouraging ungodly anxiety, He quipped, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:24). Displaying His sense of humor, Jesus told His hearers that they had enough to worry about today without borrowing troubles from tomorrow. In this statement, however, is the deep meaning that Habakkuk had understood long before; trusting in God’s protection is the only sound way of confronting an uncertain future. As he surveyed what the future might hold, he prayed, “In wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2b). No matter what might happen, he knew that God watched for the welfare of His people. Christians of the twenty-first century can have the same hope.
Did Habakkuk believe that God would somehow insulate him from the troubles to come? Certainly not, and neither should modern Christians. Sometimes bad things happen to good people because of the sin soaked world in which they live. Sometimes the righteous suffer because of the unrighteousness of others. God, however, has not forgotten His people and has promised that anything they must endure here will be rewarded many times over. The righteous must remember that God has not prepared earth as their final destination, but instead is preparing them for a place where sorrow and wickedness cannot invade. The faithful, like the ancient survivors, “Desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16). They desire a city prepared by God and thus trust that, come what may, God will help them reach this city.
Worried about the future? Rather than spending vast amounts of time and effort buying gold or canned food, spend time thinking about the God who controls all. This is the God who will not prevent every hardship, but will prepare a place for the faithful in His home with many rooms (John 14:1). This is the destination for the ultimate survivalists. Like Habakkuk, they trust that God is in control!