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TL;DR:
Habakkuk 3:17–19 teaches that we can find strength and joy in God even when everything around us seems to collapse. The prophet Habakkuk lived amid political chaos and moral decline in Judah in the late seventh century BCE. His example calls us to persistent faith, resilient joy, and steadfast hope in dark times, confident that God’s ultimate victory is certain.
What meaning do the final words of Habakkuk have for us today? How can Habakkuk help us find joy during difficult times?
Habakkuk 2
2 Then the Lord replied:"Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.
3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come
and will not delay.4 "See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness."
Habakkuk 3
1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. . . .2 Lord, I have heard of your fame;
I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord.
Repeat them in our day,
in our time make them known;
in wrath remember mercy.
17 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,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
— Habakkuk 2:2–4; 3:1–2, 17–19 (NIV)
Some years ago, I rode with a truck driver from the Italian port of Leghorn inland to Florence. A native of Livorno ("Leghorn" is what English speakers call that city), the truck driver had been part of the anti-Nazi underground resistance during the last months of World War II.
During our hour-and-a-half trip together, the truck driver began talking about Mussolini. He talked about how absurd Mussolini was to think that he could win a war against much of the world. In the late 1930s, this truck driver said, Italy was neither militarily nor economically prepared for war. Mussolini did not know that because he was a sovereign who wouldn't listen.
When the Italians were defeated rather quickly in North Africa and then in Sicily, whatever confidence the Italian public had in its dictatorial leader rapidly dissipated. These defeats reinforced the perception that Mussolini listened only to himself. (See missionary stories from Italy.)
The message of the prophet Habakkuk is that our Creator is a very different type of sovereign. Habakkuk tells us that the Lord answered him.
Adverse circumstances need not threaten our faith in the Lord. In fact, the more we commune with Him, the more reverential trust and deep faith we have in Him.
That stands in stark contrast to Mussolini's leadership. The more the Italians came to know him, the less they trusted him. Yet, almost to the very end, Mussolini kept telling his listeners that German scientists were secretly developing superweapons that would turn the tide of the war.
Our God has no need to frantically develop superweapons. We can confidently say with Habakkuk: "Although [the worst imaginable may happen], yet I will rejoice in the Lord" (3:17–18). No matter how dark the day, we are assured of the Kingdom's final victory.
Habakkuk 3:17–19 was among the first texts I used as a teenage preacher. Over the years, it has become the basis for one of my "sugar sticks" (that's what preachers have sometimes called the sermons they turn to frequently).
I used it first in services in several senior living communities, discovering quickly that senior adults make supportive audiences for struggling young preachers. Then, during the summer after my freshman year at college, I was asked to speak in the large college church. To help overcome my stage fright, I turned to this now-familiar passage from Habakkuk. About five years later, I used I preached from the passage in a seminary preaching class taught by the late James McGraw.
My sermons on Habakkuk 3:17–19 have never seemed to stir people. I doubt that anyone today would recall having heard me preach on Fountain of Joy. However, the message is always relevant to our daily lives. Interestingly enough, Dr. McGraw wrote on his evaluation sheet that one of the sermon's strong points was the "relevance of the theme to this audience today."
Habakkuk's message to us is that we can have total confidence in God's wisdom and providence even when we cannot understand life's toughest problems.
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength.
I wrote this devotional blog post while Barbara and I were serving as missionaries in Italy. It is one of a series of 52 brief devotionals written for The Standard, a weekly Faith Connections take-home curriculum piece for adult Sunday school classes published by the Church of the Nazarene.
Habakkuk 3:17–19 conveys a message of faith, resilience, and trust in God amid difficult circumstances. Here are four lessons we can learn from these verses:
Briefly put, Habakkuk 3:17–19 is a powerful reminder of the importance of faith, joy, and trust in God, even in the face of adversity. It calls us to remain steadfast in our faith and find strength in God's provision and guidance.
Memorable Quotes About Other Bible Verses
Habakkuk is one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He wrote his book during a time of political and social turmoil in the ancient Near East. Understanding the cultural and historical context of Habakkuk's writing provides insight into his message and themes. Here are some key aspects of that context:
H – Hope endures when troubles rise; God's sovereignty is never shaken.
A – Although answers are delayed, we wait in faith, trusting His perfect timing.
B – Belief blooms in the heart that reveres and communes with the Lord.
A – Amid confusion, we anchor in God's wisdom and providence.
K – Knowing God brings joy, even in the bleakest of seasons.
K – Keep rejoicing, for His light outshines every shadow.
U – Uplifted by His strength, we walk steadily on life's roughest paths.
K – Kneeling in trust, we discover joy that overcomes adversity.
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.