Habakkuk 3 (NLT)
17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
Joy that sustains is based on hope in liberation.
Here are some questions for discussion:
1. Habakkuk chooses joy as a response to coming perceived devastation. What tangible practices could help us cultivate this kind of joy in our everyday lives “come what may”?
2. Would you say Habakkuk’s displayed faith is best described as preemptive courageousness or radical surrender? or something else entirely? Why?
3. Can we measure or quantify hope? How might even the slightest hope in God’s deliverance grow into greater hope over time?
If you’d like to dig a little deeper, consider the following:
1. How does this passage reshape our understanding of God as not only a provider but as also THE provision itself? How does that understanding change the lens by which we view our personal situations and the situations we encounter in the world?
2. Looking at Habakkuk’s song of praise (Habakkuk 3:17-19) and Job’s cries of lament (Job 42:1-6), what similarities are there? What contrasts do you notice? What do their differing voices of faith suggest about the variety of faithful responses available to us in times of hardship?
3. How might the creation story (in Genesis) help us find hope despite the lacking and troubles highlighted in verse 17? Can you think of a time when you knew that God was there to provide for you when there didn’t appear to be any other way?
4. The only way out of the dark is to head to the light or bring a light, otherwise we’re left to stumble around dangerously risking our own safety and all that’s around us. Think of a time when you were in such a situation. how did the light of our Lord bring you out safely?
5. What does hope look like in your life today? Is it different from yesterday?
6. To one degree or another we have all experienced some fear of the dark in our lives. For most of us, this fear is not about what IS in the dark but rather what MIGHT be in the dark. It’s a fear of the unknown. How does the hope provided by a loving God overcome the fear of the dark?
For further contemplation, consider this prompt:
Rewrite verses 17-19 in terms of your own “fig trees and flocks.” How does naming your own modern equivalents (e.g. job losses, fractured relationships, empty accounts) impact how this passage reads?