There are much more famous prayers in the Bible than the prayer of Habakkuk the prophet in chapter three of the book that bears his name, but few equip us with what to pray and how to pray when our hearts are heavy and hope seems dim. Habakkuk has heard news that makes his body tremble.
…my lips quiver at the sound;
rottenness enters into my bones;
my legs tremble beneath me. (3:16)
What to do in such a dark moment or troubling season?
If life doesn’t turn out the way I always envisioned…
Though I don’t make the team…
When I don’t get into that dream school…
If he doesn’t turn out to be Mr. Right…
Though she decides to break up with me and date someone else…
When a friend who ought to know and be better is the one who causes unspeakable pain…
If I don’t ever get married…
Though we have to stay in that first tiny apartment much longer than we anticipated…
When we’re unable to have children…
If the house deal falls through…
Though the job isn’t all I expected it to be…
When I show up to work on Monday morning and hear that I’m no longer needed…
If I wait, and wait, and wait, and I’m not sure how much longer I can wait…
Though the follow-up with the doctor is the toughest news I’ve ever had to process…
When I have to stand beside the grave of a loved one I could never imagine losing…
…what then? What to do? Where to turn? God’s prophet prayed. Even though Habakkuk knew days of trouble were ahead, his knowledge of God’s character and past work drove him to pour out his heart in prayer. And since the LORD saw fit to preserve it, we get to listen in…
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
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… (3:17-19)
What an absolutely incredible prayer.
If… though… when… God is enough.
If… though… when… I will rejoice in the LORD.
If… though… when… God is my strength.
If… though… when… are all beyond my control, but I’ve anchored my soul to “yet,” and that “yet” makes all the difference when hearts are heavy and hope seems dim.