Sycamore a place to share with you my obseration in daily lives.

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Dear Friends,

How are you doing? This week, I’d like to briefly share on some lyrics I found in the Bible. It’s a prayer by the prophet Habakkuk, set to music.

Habakkuk was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah. They lived in a very stressful time in which doom was in the air. The Babylonians were about to take over the surrounding nations and ”the people of God were caught up in a crisis of religious and moral bewilderment” (Zondervan NIV Compact Reference Bible, 1989).

Despite the dreadful atmosphere, Habakkuk was able to write the lyrics below:

”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 cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.


The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.”

- Habakkuk 3:16-19

I was very touched when reading this passage because it shows Habakkuk’s hope in times of adversity.

When life sucks

Life was horrible for Habakkuk. Basically, he’s saying, ”I’m a nervous wreck and can’t function. I’m depressed because we’re just waiting to be destroyed. What we’re doing seems futile; there’s no fruit to our labor and nothing to eat.”



Joy in doom

Yet, Habakkuk still was able to rejoice in the LORD. He conveyed a faith and joy similar to what David sang in Psalm 18:2, ”The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” The difference is that David sang praises after God delivered him from Saul, but Habakkuk rejoiced in hope even before God delivered him.


Why happy?

Why was Habakkuk so hopeful in such difficult circumstances? 1. We knew that he spoke to God and God spoke to him. God even told him what was going to happen. This tells us that if we are close to God (really eat up his words and talk to him), we will know His will and not fear what is ahead. 2. Habakkuk understood that God was in control. He had seen God’s glory and power and knew that ”His ways are eternal” (Hab. 3:6). He firmly believed that if he truly depended on the LORD instead of his own capabilities, God would make his paths straight. (Prov. 3:5).


For us today

Are we facing a similar situation today? Are there monster obstacles looming on the landscape of our lives? Are we depressed? Failing? Expecting doom in the near future?


Let us be encouraged by Habakkuk and turn to God for the best answer.


In this week, ”may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).


Peace,

Your friend