Further Study: Trusting God’s Goodness
Read the following comments and discuss how they help us to understand better 
Habakkuk’s messages.
“There is an answer to Habakkuk’s question. It is an answer, not in terms of thought, but in terms of events. God’s answer will happen, but it cannot be spelled out in words. The answer will surely come; ‘if it seem[s] slow, wait for it.’ True, the interim is hard to bear; the righteous one is horrified by what he sees. To this the great answer is given: ‘The righteous shall live by his faith.’ It is an answer, again not in terms of thought, but in terms of existence. Prophetic faith is trust in Him, in Whose presence stillness is a form of understanding.”—Abraham J. Heschel, The Prophets, p. 143.
“We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and apostles have testified—the faith that lays hold on the promises of God and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way. The sure word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord of lords. The time of waiting may seem long, the soul may be oppressed by discouraging circumstances, many in whom confidence has been placed may fall by the way; but with the prophet who endeavored to encourage Judah in a time of unparalleled apostasy, let us confidently declare, ‘The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.’”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 387, 388.
Discussion Questions:
- Summarize Habakkuk’s dialogue with God. What was his basic complaint? How did he respond to God’s answers?
- Could it be that, in God’s eyes, honest questions and even doubts are more a acceptable religious attitude than a mere superficial belief? Justify your answer.
- Seventh-day Adventists of past generations all believed that Christ would have been back by now, and that they would have seen the ultimate fulfillment of all these wonderful promises. How do we learn to maintain faith as we, another generation, await His return?
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Seventh-day Adventists speak volubly about the future as it relates to Jesus' Second Coming. My question is this: What about the importance of exercising our faith for what happens to us and others now?
Habakkuk trusted God,even when he was not sure what God would do for him. As it says in Habakkuk 3:17-19(NLT)we should always trust in God and even when it looks like it's over, we should always hang on 'cause God is with us. May God bless you and keep you safe from harm. One day there will be no suffering anymore 'cause God is coming to take us home! Your faithful sister in Christ Jesus! God loves us all!
Maintaining faith. As a 4th generation adventist, I struggle with maintaining a hope and beliefe that Christ will return. As a father of two girls, they ask me frequently, why he has not returned. I find myself giving them the same answers my father gave me.
The Answer That Matters
This is a very good question as to the present application Habakkuk is addressing God. How long will the Lord just be a spectator of supreme evil without intervening? (Habakkuk 1:2-4) This passage referes to present circumstances Habakkuk is experiencing among his own people. The same question reoccurs at any time today in very tough life situations. God did not give Habakkuk a lecture as to why all this was happening, explaining all the reasons behind. The prophet got to know only the principle that matters in such a situation: The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). Trust and obey, there is no other way.
Daniel certainly did not have the answer at hand, as to why he was taken to Babylon as a captive. Later on he discovered that God can change a seemingly meaningless situation into a meaningful task of mission and witness. The book of Daniel was not written in Jerusalem, but in the Babylonian captivity. Faith is connected with hope in trying present day life situations (Romans 5:1-2). Trust is a continual habit of intimate relationship with God to be cherished on a daily basis remembering that we do not have all the answers for evil hitting us and others today.
Winfried Stolpmann
God is not here yet because many are not ready! God, have mercy on us for not speaking Your truth more freely as your coming draws nearer!