Habakkuk was a prophet in Judah who lived around 600 BC, during a time of great trouble and turmoil for the nation of Israel. Though he started out questioning God about the injustice and violence he saw around him, Habakkuk learned to trust God fully by the end of his book.
In Habakkuk 3:17-19, the prophet lays out a powerful testimony of trusting God no matter the circumstances. Even if all the familiar sources of stability and security – food, livestock, livelihood – are stripped away, Habakkuk declares he will still rejoice in the Lord. He resolves to find strength and joy in God alone, not in favorable circumstances.
What can we learn from Habakkuk’s example about growing our trust in God?
1. Honestly acknowledge doubts and fears
Habakkuk begins his book by honestly pouring out his doubts and complaints to God. He is disturbed by the violence and injustice he sees among God’s people and asks why God does not intervene (Habakkuk 1:2-4). Rather than reprimand Habakkuk for his frank questions, God listens and responds (Habakkuk 1:5-11).
Like Habakkuk, God invites us to come to Him with full honesty, voicing our real pains, doubts and emotions. Pretending to have it all together often distances us from God. But candidly sharing our struggles opens the door for God to meet us in our need.
2. Remember God’s character and past faithfulness
After hearing from God, Habakkuk chooses to remember truths about God’s character: “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong…” (Habakkuk 1:13). Despite his doubts, the prophet recalls God’s holiness, justice and compassion for His people.
We too can follow Habakkuk’s example by recounting God’s faithfulness in our lives. Remembering how God has guided, provided for, or healed in the past builds faith that He will remain faithful, even when circumstances look bleak in the present.
3. Wait patiently for God’s timing and purposes
Habakkuk is left waiting for God’s plan to unfold – “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me…” (Habakkuk 2:1). Though Habakkuk does not yet grasp God’s bigger purpose, he commits to patiently waiting on the Lord.
Likewise, trusting God often involves persevering through seasons of waiting, when God seems silent and His plan unclear. Habakkuk models faithfully persisting in prayer, watchfully expecting God to act.
4. Allow God to adjust your perspective
As Habakkuk waits on God, the Lord begins adjusting the prophet’s perspective. God assures Habakkuk that the wicked will not prevail. He encourages Habakkuk to live by faith, not fear (Habakkuk 2:4). God broadens Habakkuk’s focus beyond the current troubles to a global vision of God’s glory filling the earth (Habakkuk 2:14).
If we listen closely, God will expand our limited outlook as well. He reminds us of His control over every nation and authority. He calls us to live by Kingdom priorities and values, not the world’s. God adjusts our perspective to see life from His higher vantage point.
5. Worship God based on who He is, not our circumstances
By the end of his book, Habakkuk’s focus is firmly fixed on the greatness and worth of God Himself: “the Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before him” (Habakkuk 2:20). The prophet’s circumstances have not changed. But he now worships God simply for who God is, not what God does.
Like Habakkuk, we can make the paradigm shift from praising God for what He gives us to praising God for who He is. Regardless of our circumstances, we can exalt God for His supreme majesty, beauty, wisdom and power.
6. Embrace a life anchored in God, not our stuff
Habakkuk began questioning God when the familiar anchors of life – produce, livestock, wealth – were threatened. But by the end, Habakkuk declares even if all these things are lost, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord” (Habakkuk 3:18). He chooses to find security in God alone.
Similarly, we can train ourselves to rejoice in God’s presence above any other blessing. Upheaval often shakes loose our grip on lesser things. In the process, we can discover the one unshakeable Anchor for life: Christ within us.
7. Remember God’s proven power and care
In his darkest hour, Habakkuk intentionally recalls God’s powerful deliverance of Israel from Egypt long ago (Habakkuk 3:3-15). Though generations have passed, the prophet remembers God’s mighty miracles on behalf of His people.
We too have a storeroom of memories we can revisit: times when God answered prayer, healed sickness, provided amazingly, opened doors, gave direction. Recalling specific instances of God’s care and rescue in the past ignites faith for the present need.
8. Receive God’s joy and strength in place of fear
By the end of his book, Habakkuk’s outlook has shifted from fear to resilient joy: “I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). In response, God empowers him, making his feet “like the feet of a deer” and enabling him to “tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19).
When we trust God’s good heart, we too can exchange worry for worship. As we exalt God, He lifts and strengthens our hearts. He enables us to rise above trying circumstances and walk in joyful freedom.
9. Remember God’s faithfulness and help others do the same
Not only did Habakkuk learn to trust God himself, but his book memorializes this journey for future generations. The final verse hints that Habakkuk wrote down his revelation to teach others (Habakkuk 3:19). His experience could stabilize and encourage God’s people for years to come.
When we see God prove faithful to us in trying times, we have a responsibility to share this with others. Our testimony can help anchor the faith of those currently walking through storms. Our stories remind the wider Body of Christ of God’s enduring faithfulness through the ages.
Just like the prophet Habakkuk, we will face seasons that test our trust in God. But as we walk closely with God through the ups and downs, our faith roots can grow deeper. Following Habakkuk’s progression provides a model for building unshakable confidence in God despite changing tides.
By repeatedly rehearsing God’s past faithfulness, His proven character and His steadfast presence with us, we learn to trust God completely. We discover the freedom and strength of depending wholly on the Lord rather than our circumstances. And our lives become a testament, stabilizing others when storms come.
10. Trust can only grow through taking risks and enduring trials
At the beginning of his book, Habakkuk struggled deeply with doubt and troubling questions. But by clinging to God through the storm, the prophet reached unshakeable trust on the other side. His faith was refined and strengthened through the furnace of trials.
If we avoid all risks and difficulties, our trust in God will remain weak and conditional. It is only through walking through storms, vulnerable dependency and unanswered questions that sincere trust can take root. Each time we choose vulnerability again, faith is renewed.
11. Community reinforces our trust in God
Habakkuk wrote his revelation to teach God’s people. As they studied his journey, it would have affirmed their own experiences of God’s faithfulness. This communal reinforcement bolsters and emboldens our trust.
Sharing honestly with other believers about our questions, struggles and breakthroughs normalizes the ups and downs of faith. We realize we are not alone in wavering trust. And hearing others’ stories of God’s proven faithfulness in their storms re-ignites our own trust.
Habakkuk probably also found great encouragement in studying examples like Abraham, Sarah, David, Elijah – imperfect people whose trust in God grew over time. The biblical “hall of faith” (Hebrews 11) reinforces that wavering trust is normal, but God always proves faithful.
12. We grow by shifting focus from self to God
Early on, Habakkuk focuses on questioning God’s plans and demanding answers. But the turning point comes when the prophet fixes his eyes on God’s glory and worth, not his own confusion. This outward focus fuels his trust and empowers him to rejoice despite circumstances.
Similarly, our trust strengthens when our focus shifts from “Why, God?” to “Who are you, God?” His unchanging character and love eclipse our limited perspective. We find security in who He is, not what we can grasp.
Habakkuk models moving from self-reliant questioning to humble, worshipful trust in who God reveals Himself to be. We grow in faith by fixedly gazing at the Almighty, not analyzing our doubts.
13. Trust requires surrendering our limited understanding
When confronted with Babylon’s impending invasion, Habakkuk struggled to reconcile this with God’s justice and mercy. But God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than man’s limited perspective (Isaiah 55:8-9).
By the end, Habakkuk surrendered to the reality that he could not grasp or predict God’s plans. Instead of demanding answers, he chose to trust the wisdom and goodness of God’s ways above his own understanding.
Similarly, authentic faith means laying down our need to logically understand everything God does or allows. We accept that He remains trustworthy and in control, even when life makes no sense to us.
14. Trust frees us from fear of the unknown
Early on, Habakkuk dreaded the impending invasion and all its uncertainties. But through his wrestling, the prophet reached confidence in God’s hidden purpose amid the unknowns. This freed Habakkuk from fear and anxiety about the future.
Full trust in an all-knowing, ever-present God delivers us from terror about the future. We hand over the need to see and control everything. We accept mystery, knowing God holds our lives securely.
Habakkuk models embracing the adventure of walking into unknown situations, guided by God’s trustworthy hand. His faith replaced fear with freedom and resilient joy.
15. Trust requires an eternal perspective
Habakkuk’s doubts arose from his limited earthly outlook – how could God let His nation suffer? But God gave him an eternal viewpoint – God was ushering in His Kingdom across all nations and generations (Habakkuk 2:14).
Similarly, our trust wavers when we adopt a short-sighted perspective. The higher vision of God’s activity across eternity bolsters faith in His trustworthiness. Temporary trials serve His larger, unseen purposes in our lives and world.
Like Habakkuk, we grow by asking God for eyes to see life and circumstances from heaven’s perspective. Earthly understanding fuels doubt, but God’s eternal outlook anchors our trust in Him.
16. Trust grows through consistent time with God
Habakkuk repeatedly stands in God’s presence, pouring out his heart, waiting on God, listening to His responses. The more time he spends with God, the more his faith is renewed.
Regular, raw, real time in God’s presence is equally essential for us. Setting aside daily time to process honestly, reroute our focus to God, recall His faithfulness and receive His input builds trust steadily over time.
Habakkuk models consistent, two-way interaction with God fueling greater faith. Attempting to trust God from a distance will never work. There are no short-cuts; trust requires real relationship.
17. Trusting God brings deep fulfillment and joy
Though stripped of everything familiar, Habakkuk overflows with joy by the end – “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will take joy…” (Habakkuk 3:18). Absolute confidence in God’s faithful character leads to profound joy, beyond circumstances.
Centering our life on unshakeable trust in God brings deep contentment, stability and purpose. While earthly comforts and success will eventually fade or fail, God will never fail those who put full trust in Him.
Despite immense loss looming ahead, Habakkuk discovers the rich fulfillment of relying completely on God. His example reminds us where true, lasting joy is found – in intimate relationship with God alone.
18. Trusting God brings strength to endure trials
Though weakened by devastation, Habakkuk finds supernatural strength as he trusts fully in God – “He makes my feet like the deer…He makes me tread on my high places” (Habakkuk 3:19). Confidence in God empowers him beyond his natural limits.
God often allows storms we can’t endure in our own strength. But as we turn to Him fully, He provides strength and stability from within. Trusting God opens the door for His empowering presence in our weakness.
Habakkuk found confidence in God alone enabled him to withstand and even thrive during the coming calamity. Our faithful God also brings inner strength amidst outer turmoil.
19. Trust is strengthened by proclaiming God’s greatness
In the depths of his despair, Habakkuk intentionally proclaims the greatness and worthiness of God (Habakkuk 3:3-15). Remembering truths about God’s supreme glory and miraculous deeds boosts the prophet’s flagging faith.
Turning our attention fully to worship, even when we don’t feel like it, realigns our perspective with truth. Rehearsing God’s attributes, past acts and loving kindness toward us revives weakened trust.
Habakkuk models the importance of declaratively praising God’s greatness amidst storms. Proclaiming spiritual reality reinforces wavering trust in God’s present goodness, care and power.
20. Trust grows as we relinquish self-sufficiency
Initially Habakkuk thought he could handle his doubts and fears alone. But only through bringing them honestly before God did the prophet find resolution. Admitting his inadequacy opened the door for restored faith.
Often our lack of trust in God stems from relying too heavily on our own ability to control and secure our lives. But faith flourishes when we humbly acknowledge our insufficiency apart from God.
Like Habakkuk, laying down false confidence in our own solutions and admitting total dependence on God re-establishes rightful trust in Him. We grow by recognizing our need for Him.
In summary, Habakkuk’s experience provides many practical lessons for deepening trust in God. His journey highlights how authentic faith requires choosing vulnerability and intimacy with God above pat answers. As Habakkuk discovered, confident trust develops over time as we focus on God’s character, tune our hearts to His voice and embrace dependence on Him alone. Though often painful, the process of wrestling through doubts to renewed trust equips us to thrive in every circumstance.