Bold Prayer

The first notable thing we observe about Habakkuk is his boldness in relationship with God.

He sees this disturbing vision. The nation in which he lives is crushed. The sight causes confusion within him. He’s upset, not only for the unprecedented destruction, but by those allowed to be the victors. These terrors cause him to question how God, in His righteousness, could allow such calamity against His own people? Habakkuk doesn’t just keep all this bottled up. And he doesn’t accost God at the same time with, “Lord, I don’t understand. What are you doing? I can’t serve a god like this. Your contemptuous ways make no sense.”

What I think is telling about his attitude, and what we learn from the text, is that our prophet doesn’t walk off mad because the answer is not simple, or because he doesn’t like it. Habakkuk doesn’t revert to distrusting God, musing, “How can a good God do such a thing?” He doesn’t forsake Him, even when he is appalled at the impending doom. Instead, the prophet throws what he knows of God’s character back at Him, asking something similar to, “I thought you couldn’t look at iniquity? I mean, I’m truly puzzled by all of this.”

The man isn’t mad. He gets the reality that the Israelites have committed grave sin. The inquiry is more of a desire to understand. Yes. They sinned and sinned greatly. But is the solution allowing the victor to be a more terrible foe? Surely that cannot really be the answer here? 

This is God he’s addressing, in unadulterated bold prayer. And it is exactly the right move in your present for the reasons we just encountered. 

How are you approaching God in your own particulars? 

Today’s realities do not seem to make any sense. I get it. Scripture demonstrates that if we want to flourish, we should follow this example from Habakkuk. We should first take our troubled hearts, our lack of understandings, and what we know of God’s character that is not adding up to our realities, boldly to the throne. 

Bold prayer. 

That’s the first mark of flourishing in your present situation.  

What should be in your prayer today?