Staring Loss in the Face With Habakkuk
This is another guest post from James Fields, a member of our church. As we head into Holy Week, I thought this reflection on loss would be helpful for us all to consider.
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Imagine that you’ve saved your money for years. You’ve put all your excess aside living on the bare minimum until you could finally afford a home. You’ve saved until you could pay cash for it and once acquired you began putting in sweat equity. You tilled the land and planted an orchard. And over the next five to seven years you nurtured those trees until they began to produce their first crop of your favorite fruits. As those trees were growing, you built fences and storehouses and bought your first livestock. You grew your herd from two dainty sucklings to dozens of animals. Everything you needed the land was now providing you. You observe all that the sweat of your brow produced as you sit upon your balcony and take in the lush greens and grazing animals and you smile, satisfied, and think: It is good.
This is the situation in which we find Habakkuk. He has grown palm trees, grapes, olive trees, grain, and raised herds (Habakkuk 3:17) and he has trained up people to take care of these things while he works as a watcher on the walls keeping a wary eye on the horizon for dirt flying up in the air signifying the distant spinning of chariot wheels and the stomping troop’s feet and horse’s hoofs marching to capture his town. War has been encroaching all over Israel and the people are nervous. Habakkuk feels their fears and shares them too. They’ve all worked so hard to build their lives here and no one wants to leave or fight in battle. They’ve taken on the survivors from neighboring towns. They’ve heard of the unjust and evil ways of their enemies. They’ve seen the destruction as they travel around looking to trade their wares. The hardship of it all causes survivors to act out in the same kinds of violence they saw perpetrated by their enemies, mimicking the evil around them.
In the midst of these racing thoughts, Habakkuk cries out to God begging that God’s people be left alone.
And God answers his cries, but not in the way he would have liked. Instead of assuring him his city was safe, God promised that disaster would come. This is where we see a heart in Habakkuk that many of us do not possess. Where we would be disappointed, disheartened, and angry to learn hardship was coming our way, Habakkuk embraces it with joy.
Habakkuk expresses that he will not just rest in the Lord but would actively express heartfelt joy at how God uses calamity to refine His people. He expresses that when all wealth is taken from him and poverty, famine, and safety have been stripped away from him, he will rejoice in the God who brings salvation, the One who exemplifies strength, the One who pushes us forward and makes us ascend mountains. He is saying that though this may be the lowest point of his life so far, he will not let it take away from his love and joy for God. He knows that, like Job, valleys in our lives often precede mountains. The lowness of this moment is about to get worse as his muscles are strained by climbing the spiritual mountains of God where he can look back at the desolation of his home and livelihood and smile at how far God has taken him.
One of the darkest moments in my life feels so similar to me. Rumors and accusations about my character and life were brought to the spiritual leaders around me and those leaders believed them without investigation or hearing my side of the story. They stripped me of my ability to serve and love on others in my church and forbade me from talking to anyone about it except them.
How dark and lonely was the pit into which they threw me!
But my heart was bolstered by the truth that God is not like this. God knows my heart and my story. He listens with attentive ears and a compassionate and empathetic heart. Habakkuk’s story became my hope in that period of my life.
Whenever the disappointment of these ungodly men returned to mind, I was able to recall this story and remind myself to take joy in a God of endless love. Our lives are full of mountains and valleys. Wherever you’re at now there will be dark periods ahead and I hope that Habakkuk’s story will be a warm embrace and a hope-filled reminder in those days. Nothing can overtake you except what is common to mankind and allowed by our sovereign God. He will place you in valleys so that you can climb mountains. He will put you in places of sorrow so that your faith can grow and your walk becomes more righteous and God- honoring. He allows trials and tribulations so that you can learn to trust Him and lean on Him no matter what comes your way.
Whatever loss or hurt you’re in now, use it to go to your knees before our good God. Whatever it is, bring it before our wise God in prayer, asking for His strength and wisdom to make it through. Whatever it is bring it before our omnipotent God, knowing nothing can stand against him. Whatever it is that brings you low, bring it before our faithful God knowing he never breaks his promises, and he has promised you a future and a hope everlasting.
James Fields
Biblical Counselor
