When It Looks Like It's Getting Worse

Today's Reading: Habakkuk 1:9-11

Habakkuk 1:11 (ESV) "Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!"

It was one of those days where everything that could possibly go wrong went wrong. My car needed an expensive fix, and work was overwhelming and stressful. I had a hard conversation with a friend that did not go well, and when things felt like they couldn't get much worse, I dropped my phone and shattered the screen. While I tried not to burst into tears, a close friend sympathetically looked at me and said, "Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better." It was not comforting.

When he prayed to God, Habakkuk was having one of those days. As a prophet to Israel, all he saw was injustice, corrupt leadership and violence, and God did not seem to be doing anything about it from his perspective.

In today's reading, God's answer seemed to be the opposite of what Habakkuk asked. God basically told him, "It's going to get worse before it gets better."

The Chaldeans were coming to take over Judah, and the darkness already present in Israel was nothing compared to what was coming. They didn't know what was going on behind the scenes. While the Chaldeans scoffed at authority and God, they did not know they were being used by Him. They put all their trust in their own might and strength, which would eventually lead to their destruction. God was using them to redeem His people. His justice would deal with not only the sins of Israel but the sins of Babylon, too.

Jesus gave His disciples a similar vision: "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:6-7).

When Habakkuk cried out to God because of the corruption in Judah, God had a plan to deal with the injustice in His people. When the Chaldeans came and caused more suffering for Judah, God had a plan to deal with the injustice toward His people.

It looked like Habakkuk's situation was getting worse, but the best was yet to come.

Friend, we know how the rest of this story ends. It ends with Jesus. God saved His people by sending His Son, who will come again to right all wrongs and to be the true and better King. Jesus was the One to save Israel. He was the "something better" God was doing that Habakkuk could not see.

The same hope is ours, too. No matter what circumstances we face today - no matter what the world looks like around us - Jesus came. He died and rose again to defeat the evil in this world. And one day soon, He will return to make all things new, and this time for good. (Revelation 21:4-5)

Prayer: God, thank You for always working behind the scenes. Even when it looks like things in my life are getting worse before they get better, help me put my trust in You. You have already written a good ending to this story - Jesus. I put my hope in You, Jesus, no matter what my circumstances look like. In Jesus' name, amen.

More Moments About Habakkuk 1:9-11

The Chaldeans, also called Babylonians, were known for their violence, which is exactly what Habakkuk asked God to put an end to in Habakkuk 1:3. When the opposite of what Habakkuk prayed for was set to happen, it would have been easy for him to question if God was really just. But God planned to deal with the wicked Chaldeans, too.

What Habakkuk would learn is to live by faith. God is just, even when our circumstances say otherwise. Habakkuk ends with a song of praise because of his faith in who God is and what He will eventually do to save Israel. Israel, too, would learn that the righteous live by faith. (Galatians 3:11)

Evil does not have the final say in this story. God's justice demands payment for sin and evil, and Jesus, who was fully righteous and just, paid it for us. We can trust God is just because He sent Jesus. (Romans 5:12-21)

Major Moment: The Babylonians would conquer Judah and take captives into exile.

This was originally published in the First 5 app as part of the Habbakuk study, Not According to Plan: How We Can Trust God When He Seems Unfair and Silent.