The prophet Habakkuk lived in the southern kingdom of Judah during the reign of wicked kings who broke their covenant with Yahweh, followed after other gods, and committed violence against their fellow citizens. Habakkuk received a prophecy—an oracle or pronouncement (literally a burden):

Habakkuk’s prophecy is his “overheard” conversation with God that records his questions and God’s answers so that God’s people could learn to trust God’s character even when God’s ways are difficult.

JoAnn Hummel

Habakkuk’s Lament—Why?

Habakkuk saw the evil and injustice around him and cried out to God in lament—a prayer of deep grief and sorrow:

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted. (Hab 1:2–4)

Even Jesus and God himself lamented over the rebellion of God’s children:

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Matt 23:37)

Say to them, "As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?" (Ez 33:11)

Lament helps us process sadness, anger, and fear. Lament gives us an action to take—put our feelings into the only hands that can do something. Lament begins with a cry, then makes a request of God to act, and ends with an expression of trust.

The waters closed over my head, and I thought I was about to perish.
I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit.
You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.”
You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” (Lam 3:54–57)

Follow the example of the prophet Habakkuk and Jeremiah and write your own lament.

God’s Answer—Babylon

When Habakkuk asked, God answered:

Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, 
who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. (1:5–6)

Habakkuk struggled with this for God’s solution sounded worse than the problem. The Babylonians were far more evil than Habakkuk’s countrymen:

They are a feared and dreaded people;
they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.
Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—
guilty people, whose own strength is their god. (1:7, 11)

Sound familiar? The writers in Scripture use “Babylon” as a descriptor of all kinds of evil. “Babylon” exists today. But while it looked like the Babylonians possessed all the power, Habakkuk knew the truth about God:

The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. (Ps 103:19)
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. (Ps 115:3) 
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. (Prov 16:33)
What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do. (Isa 46:11)
For the Lord loves justice, And does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, But the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. (Ps 37:28 NKJV)

Jean Wilund, in her Bible study on Habakkuk, reminds us:

When trouble crashes in, our ability to see (or at least trust) God’s intent enables us to rejoice and rest in God rather than panic (Romans 8:28). He’s our loving Father. God always accomplishes what He intends—and what He intends is always good and right.

Jean Wilund, pg 12

And Habakkuk knew the truth about the wicked:

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming. (Ps 37:1, 2, 13)

Like Habakkuk, we take comfort in the promise that the wicked will receive justice from the Lord. And we take refuge in him:

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.
But all sinners will be destroyed; there will be no future for the wicked.
The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (Ps 37:37–40)

How might you take refuge in your good and loving God?

God’s Character—Good and Right

Jean Wilund says:

Wrestling with God’s plans fosters humble searching. Wrestling with God’s character fosters unbelief. Ask him questions. Lots of them. But don’t wrestle with His flawless character. Instead, remind yourself of His unfailing attributes. Keep a growing list of them at your fingertip and whip them out whenever fear or sorrow threaten you.

Jean Wilund, Embracing Joy, pg 61, 63

I spent the last few years remembering God’s goodness to me when I lived overseas. As I compiled my stories into a book, I included seventy-two truths about God that I needed to remember. Here are fifteen of them:

1. God doesn’t change. (Jam 1:17)
2. God is our true helper. (Ps 70:5)
3. Our good father gives us good gifts. (Matt 7:11)
4. God sets us free from lies. (Isa 44:20)
5. God is a strong tower. (Prov 18:10)
6. God gives peace amid fear. (John 14:27)
7. God does more than we imagine. (Eph 3:20)
8. God protects us. (Matt 18:14)
9. Jesus invites us to come to him. (Matt 14:29)
10. God is with us. (Ps 42:8)
11. God saves through faith. (Eph 2:8)
12. God cares for us. (1 Pet 5:7)
13. Jesus is our light. (John 8:12)
14. God builds his kingdom. (Is 61:3)
15. God sees us and loves us. (Gen 16:13)

Why not start your own list of God’s attributes and characteristics?

PRAYER

God in heaven, I confess I don’t totally understand why you choose to use wicked people to deal with injustice. But I reaffirm that you are good, loving, and all-knowing. I believe that you love justice and you will not forsake your children. Thank you for the gift of lament and the permission to ask “why.” Please deliver the blameless and upright from oppressors and injustice. In faith, I take refuge in you.