August 5, 2024

Habakkuk 3.2 (NIV)

Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.

I can intercede for social and political changes that can make whole countries suddenly ready to listen to God’s message for the first time.*

Translators don’t agree on the exact rendering of the first clause in this verse. Does it matter if Habakkuk meant, “I know God’s reputation,” or if he was referring to an actual revelation? The end result is, “Wow! You are awesome, God!”

Habakkuk’s prayer that God would do it again (“Renew them in our day”) was specific to his circumstances but couldn’t we – shouldn’t we – make it our plea for our times? We are involved in spiritual warfare and most of the time it seems that the enemy is winning. We know that we are on the winning side but isn’t it time for God to step up and show the world who’s boss? 

But wait a minute! Habakkuk seems suddenly to recall just what God is capable of. Does he – do we – really want God to unleash his full fury? We want to get the world’s attention, don’t we? We want them to repent. But we also pray that “in exercising His wrath, God will remember mercy,”* for it is not only the wicked who need fear God’s justice. We all stand in need of God’s grace to deliver us from the penalty of our sins.

Justice demands . . . that the sinner should be condemned; mercy pleads that he may be saved - and mercy prevails.*