4 Reasons to Study Book of Habakkuk as a Christian Woman
When I first studied the book of Habakkuk, I had no idea just how applicable it would be for today. It was early in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Life as we knew it had changed drastically. In addition to the pandemic, we also experienced political unrest, wars, and other crises. Many of us battled personal challenges as well.
The book of Habakkuk deals with questions of God’s justice in the face of evil and helps us to see God’s faithfulness on display. Despite the sin that plagues them and the suffering they endure, God never abandons Judah. Although it is a short book in the Bible, Habakkuk is filled with many significant theological themes and ultimately points forward to day when Christ will conquer all forces of darkness harming his people once and for all.
If you are looking for a new book of the Bible to study in-depth, Habakkuk is an excellent choice. In this article, I’d love to share four reasons why you should study the book of Habakkuk as a Christian woman. After this, I’ll suggest a Bible Study resource you can use to help you walk through the book of Habakkuk.
Reasons to Study the Book of Habakkuk
Habakkuk Provides Hope for Those Wrestling with Uncertainty, Doubt, or Difficult Questions
First, the book of Habakkuk can help provide hope for those wrestling with uncertainty, doubt, or hard questions. As Christian women, we go through seasons like these at times.
Through his prayers, Habakkuk demonstrates how to wrestle with doubt as a believer. In Habakkuk 1:2-5, we see that he is not afraid to bring his genuine emotions and honest questions before God. He wants to know why God seems to be allowing Judah to continue in rampant sin and injustice. He laments that he has been crying out to God for a long time yet God has not been hearing him.
God finally responds in 1:6-11 but Habakkuk is still confused. God’s solution to Judah’s problem seems to be inconsistent with God’s character. God seems to be tolerating wrongdoing, yet Habakkuk knows God’s eyes are too pure to look on evil. He remarks that God seems to be allowing the wicked to continuously oppress others with no checks to their power. Again, he’s not afraid to express that confusion.
In Habakkuk 2:1 (CEB), Habakkuk writes:
“I will take my post; I will position myself on the fortress. I will keep watch to see what the Lord says to me and how he will respond to my complaint.”
Habakkuk 2:1 (CEB)
In other words, he plans to wait for the Lord to help him understand the things that confuse him. Since he has a personal relationship with the Lord, he turns to God with his questions instead of turning to others or himself for answers.
Habakkuk’s dialogue with God and his resolve to wait for an answer from the Lord can remind us of the value of bringing our questions and doubts to God when we don’t understand his ways.
Habakkuk Encourages us to Wait on God
Next, Habakkuk encourages us to wait on God. After learning about God’s plan for Judah and the nations, Habakkuk feels both terrified and encouraged. He feels terrified because Babylon is coming to attack his people, but he feels encouraged because, through it all, God will refine and rescue Judah.
In the last chapter of the book, Habakkuk remarks that he will “wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us (Habakkuk 3:16b).” The day of calamity for Babylon will bring salvation and hope to Judah. So, in other words, Habakkuk waits for God to fulfill his promises.
Habakkuk’s posture as he waits is one of trust and faith. He declares that even if the worst things happen to him and his people, he will rejoice in the Lord.
Sometimes, as Christian women, we wait on God but only for a short time. If God doesn’t show up according to our timing, we end up taking things into our own hands. Habakkuk’s example reminds us that we don’t have to do this: instead, we can remain faithful and trust God to do what he says he will do.
Similarly, while Habakkuk is not happy about how God will rescue Judah, he still chooses to rejoice in the Lord. It is okay if we aren’t thrilled with how God fulfills his plans but like Habakkuk, we can choose to rejoice in the Lord while we wait.
Related: What to Do When God Says No: A Lesson from Habakkuk
Habakkuk Provides a Robust Theology of Suffering
If there is anything that we all experience in this life, it is suffering. For many of us, we want to know why we, our family and loved ones, and even the world experience suffering. While Habakkuk does not resolve all of those questions, it does teach us about God’s heart for those who suffer.
Habakkuk 2:4b, one of the most often quoted verses in the book, says “but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness…”
Although there was a lot of evil in Judah during Habakkuk’s day, there were also many righteous people. As a whole, Judah would suffer for their sins — unfortunately, the righteous would be lumped in with the entire group.
Though this is the case, God did not abandon the righteous. He promised that they would live through the Babylonian invasion because of their faithfulness to the Lord. The five woes of chapter 2 tells us that the oppressor, Babylon, would not have the last word.
Judah would suffer but it would only be for a specific time. The Lord would not allow the nation of Judah to perish through their suffering. Instead, he would be with them and eventually, would rescue them from their oppressors.
Likewise, suffering does not have the last word in our lives. The Lord is with us as we experience trials and hardship. He will not allow us to remain in suffering forever. While we walk through suffering, he gives us hope and joy by strengthening us through the pain.
Related: An Open Letter to the Weary Christian Woman: Keep Holding On to Jesus
Habakkuk Strengthens our Faith as we Live in this Broken World
Lastly, Habakkuk strengthens our faith while we live in this broken world. Recently, I heard the heartbreaking news of a plane crash in South Korea that claimed 176 lives. In addition to tragedies like these, we continue to see wars and political unrest, we experience personal challenges, and we witness our friends and loved ones deal with hardship.
We need faith to walk through these things with our joy intact. Faith is not just about believing things will work out how we want them to, it’s about wholehearted trust in God despite what happens.
When we read the book of Habakkuk, we are confronted by the brokenness of this world. But, we are also given a model for how we can live through this brokenness.
Many of us hold both joy and sorrow in our hands at any given moment. Faith in the Lord helps us to see joyful occasions as blessings from the Lord and simultaneously keeps sorrow from overwhelming us.
As you read the book of Habakkuk, may the Holy Spirit guide you and allow your faith in the Lord to grow strong through the struggles and the challenges of life.
Related: How Grace Helps Us to Thrive With Thorns in Our Flesh
How to Study the Book of Habakkuk
You can study the book of Habakkuk on your own or you can use a resource to guide you. Because Habakkuk is such a timely book for our day, I wrote a 4 week guided Bible study of Habakkuk that you can use on your own or with a group.
It includes plenty of reflection and comprehension questions to help you draw out the themes and concepts in Habakkuk and apply them faithfully to your life and situation.
I took my time writing the Habakkuk Bible Study to ensure that the exegesis is careful and accurate and it helps you grow in your understanding of scripture while being accessible for Christian women in any stage of their faith journey.
If you’d like to learn more, check out the Bible study here.
