Read Habakkuk 3:3–15, pausing at each Selah. Why do you think Habakkuk calls for a pause at those points in his prayer? How does pausing help you to experience God’s mighty acts anew?
Theology professor O. Palmer Robertson says, “A collage, a collecting of many images to convey an impression both of past experience and of future expectation, is the medium of the prophet.” In what ways is Habakkuk’s prayer of praise a “collage”? What is the organizing principle of his collection?
Habakkuk’s prayer of praise references judgments upon the wicked; it also repeats, with some variation, God’s promises. Read Habakkuk 2:14. How is Habakkuk’s prayer of praise a reiteration of God’s promises and an exhortation to believe God will fulfill His promises?
W. David O. Taylor writes that prayers of praise declare themselves “in hope, not in a denial of reality.” Where do you see this mindset in Habakkuk’s prayer?
Having an accurate memory, as Eugene Peterson says, helps us to stand even when our lives are falling apart. We read Scripture and find records of God’s faithfulness and of faithful living even when God’s promises couldn’t be seen on the horizon. What person or story in Scripture helps you to hope in God and live by faith, even when life isn’t going the way you had hoped or planned?
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Matt Blackwell explores Habakkuk’s song of trust, calling us to remember God as our Creator, Savior, and Judge.
