The Hiding of His Power # 3

Habakkuk continues his discourse with his Lord, still somewhat discouraged but, also, encouraged for he says (1:12-17; 2:1):

" ... I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved."

And God answers Habakkuk and tells Habakkuk that His purpose and counsel will certainly come about in His timing (2:2-20:

"... For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry." - And God says, that during the time of waiting, the faith of the faithful will be tried! - "but the just shall live by his faith."

This is the only command that the Lord gave to Habakkuk: "But the just shall live by his faith." In the scripture, the word "but" is very important; it is an adversative conjunction; and it generally marks a distinctive contrast, a contradistinction to all that surrounds. In other words, the Lord is saying, "When things look the worse, and it seems the enemy is having his way: the just shall live by his faith." The Lord is telling Habakkuk that his life is to be a distinct contrast, it is to be diametrically opposed to all that satan instigates in the world, or among the people of God. Habakkuk is to live and move and have his being in the realm of faith.

Then the Lord continues to speak judgment, as well as many prophetic words which were (and are) very hard for the faithful to understand. However, right in the midst of all this judgment, He wondrously declares:

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. But the Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him."

The, as God shares this with Habakkuk, Habakkuk breaks out into a glorious prayer which is a Psalm of praise as well as a warring prayer of the Spirit. For, even though it may look as if all things are not being worked out according to God's purpose, Habakkuk has come to realize that just the opposite is true: - God is truly "hiding His power," and in the unseen realm the enemy is being defeated, and the elect of God are being freed unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

"... and there was the hiding of His power ... and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: His ways are everlasting" (Hab. 3:4, 6)

Beloved, let us become prayer warriors such as Habakkuk by joining "the just" of all ages who, in the midst of their trials, have lived by the faith of the Son of God; and, let us embrace in the Spirit the burden of our Lord for His people- Habakkuk's name implies "embracer of the burden" - and let us sing as Habakkuk:

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places' (Hab. 3:17-19). Amen ... Amen...Amen.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(The End)