“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save…Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” Habakkuk 1:2 & 5 (ESV)
Do you ever call out to God in distress over the circumstances surrounding you? Does it seem that no matter how much or how long you pray nothing happens?
Habakkuk faced the same issue. He wondered why God didn’t answer his pleas for help concerning the wickedness he saw surrounding him. And as he questioned God, God answered back to him by reassuring Habakkuk that He was at work. In the very moment Habakkuk had questioned God, He was working and had been working. Habakkuk just couldn’t recognize it. Not until God explained that He was creating a great nation to rise up and punish those around Habakkuk for their wickedness did Habakkuk realize God had answered his prayer long ago and would fulfill the outcome to his prayer in due time.
Perhaps you’ve been praying for a relative or a friend to come to know the Lord for a very long time or maybe you’ve been praying for hard circumstances in your life to change. Whatever your seeming “unanswered” prayers may be, always remember that what God did with Habakkuk, God is doing in your midst too; you just can’t see it yet. Certain answers to prayer require lots of “behind the scenes work” first and cannot be answered instantaneously, rather progressively, over a span of time.
Don’t be discouraged by the seeming futility of your constant prayers. Take hope in God’s response to Habakkuk. Remember that what God did for Habakkuk, He can do for you.
Jesus, please help me to understand that no matter what I see or feel, You are working. Help me to remain in your abiding love.
Take Action:
Read chapters 1-3 of Habakkuk and be encouraged by his situation. Pray for God to open your eyes to see the current “behind the scenes” works that God’s doing in your situation.
For more encouragement on God working behind the scenes, read Laura’s story.