Have you ever walked through a time in your life where you just didn’t understand what God was doing? You wanted to understand, but your thoughts led you to wondering where He was. Did God even care? He was being quiet at a time when you needed to hear His voice and sense His overwhelming love and presence in your life.

Many heroes of our faith experienced crisis moments like this. Abraham was called upon God to sacrifice his only son, the promised son from whom God said He would bring a great nation. Job, a righteous man, lost everything, though he had not done anything. David, chosen by God, ran for his life hiding in caves utterly in despair and alone. Looking into the life of Habakkuk, you will find he experienced these feelings, too.

The book of Habakkuk takes us to a time in Israel where God did not seem present. Through the history of God’s people, some kings led the nation in following God, while others led them to idolatry.

Though he took the throne at the age of eight, King Josiah tore down idols, leading the people in repentance to God and to a place of revival.  Three world powers – Babylon, Samaria, and Egypt waited in the wings vying for supremacy. As the three powers went to war, Judah was drawn into the conflict and King Josiah was killed in battle. Isreal was left in a state of turmoil, because of his tragic death, leading them into a rapid spiritual decline. Turning away from God, the worship of false gods was on the rise. Evil was abundant within them and around them.

This is the world in which Habakkuk lived. He knew revival needed to take place in the nation, and he earnestly prayed for God to bring about this revival. However, God was silent. Habakkuk cried out to the Lord, and then his cries turned to shouting out for God to intervene. His people needed to turn back to Him, and Habakkuk wanted revival.

After a time of quietness, God responded to Habakkuk’s cries.

“The Lord replied, ‘Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people.’” (Habakkuk 1:5-6 NLT)

God’s answer surprised Habakkuk. Continuing through Habakkuk 1, God’s answer gave him a revelation – not an explanation. He graciously revealed Himself and His work to Habakkuk. God would bring judgment on Judah through the Babylonians, known for their evil and cruel reputation! Completely baffled by God’s revelation, Habakkuk fought to understand. How could a holy God inflict such evil on His chosen people? He struggled to know how to trust in what God was doing, when it was so far different from how he thought God would work.

So, how did Habakkuk work to bring his thoughts into alignment with what he knew about God? He withdrew to his sacred place.

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:1 NLT)

The watchpost was an observation tower where a guard would stand, watching and waiting with anticipation of what was to come. In the midst of tough moral questions, Habakkuk retreated to his watchtower to wrestle with the deep questions of life, waiting for God to accomplish His work within him and in the situation.

As he expectantly waited for God to address him, Habakkuk reminded himself of what he knew about God – His holiness, His sovereignty, His control. God would use Babylon to bring judgment on Judah, and though it seemed against His character, it was for a purpose. Rethinking his circumstances, Habakkuk remembered God sees what he could not see. He did not understand God’s plan, but Habakkuk recommitted to his continuing trust in God, even though he still did not know the outcome for the nation of Judah.

You encounter situations in your own life and in the world around you where what is taking place seems so against what you know about God. Maybe you may feel God has abandoned you. He is silent, so you allow what is going on in your life to define who God is.  Where does your heart go when life makes no sense at all?

Climb up to your watchtower. Find your sacred place to meet with God and wrestle with the deep questions in your life. God does not owe you any explanations, but He will carefully and consistently reveal Himself to you. You will see God as He is, enabling you to properly interpret what is going on in your life and not the other way around. He sees what you do not see and knows what needs to take place to bring about the best purpose and plan for your life to bring Him glory.

As you find God in your sacred place, your eyes will no longer be on your circumstances but on Him. With continuing trust, you can know for certain “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)