Spiritual Growth

Reading:  Habakkuk 1-3
My Verse:   (3:19) "The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army;  He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places  [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!"

Oh, I love this verse! Lord, this is definitely one to hang onto!

 I really like this book of Habakkuk.  It is so wonderful to watch his progression - spiritual growth.  He starts off complaining, questioning Your wisdom. And You talk to him and explain what You are doing.  Its great!  You cared about this man and gave him an answer, an answer that You wanted him to convey to all.  "Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may read it as he passes by." (2:2) 

Habakkuk questions You in the way that we all do.  It is often so hard to understand why some things happen.  Here Habakkuk questions why, You,  God are going to have an evil nation punish Israel.  But You encourage him and tell him that "but the just and righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness." (2:4)  And then You go on to let Habakkuk know that the Chaldeans will overtake Israel but will in turn be also punished for their evil living.  "Woe to him who builds a town with blood and establishes a city by iniquity!  Behold, is it not only by appointment of the Lord of hosts that the nations toil only to satisfy the fire [that will consume their work], and the peoples weary themselves only for emptiness, falsity, and futility?" (2:12-13)  Wow!  This is so great!

Habakkuk comes to the point where he can "live by his faith".  He knows the judgement is coming and it will be dreadful but still he is able to hang onto his faith in God's love and all-knowing.  "Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!" (3:17,18)

Ditat Deus- God Enriches!