In our current crisis here, it is impossible to foresee all of the details of what’s coming. However, three very important principles emerge out of the book of Habakkuk that are as relevant to us today as they were to Habakkuk in his day.
1. GIVE REVERENT SUBMISSION TO A SOVEREIGN GOD
“But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). No matter how bad the times may become, we must always remember that God is in control. Thus, ours is not to complain or argue with God, but reverently submit to His wise providence, regardless of what form it takes.
2. OFFER EARNEST PRAYER FOR REVIVAL IN JUDGMENT
“LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2). We may initially react to bad economic and political news with fear. But there is another option, . . . revival. Habakkuk prays that God would breathe new spiritual life into His nation “in the midst of the years”—in other words, during this undefined period of judgment that lay just ahead. There is always hope that God will awaken His sleeping people, purify them, and invest them with new spiritual power. And this should be our prayer at the present time.
3. MAINTAIN CONFIDENT JOY IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING
Habakkuk closes his prophecy by admitting that he was shaking on the inside, his lips were quivering, and he felt weak because of the coming “day of distress” at the hands of the Chaldeans (Habakkuk 3:16). But he gathers his resolve and declares that in the face of adverse economic conditions, he will rejoice in the Lord. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
So if our economy disintegrates in the coming months, we won’t need to join the chorus of desperation and despair. We must not seek our refuge in gold or foreign currency or government sponsored bailouts. Our hope is in the Lord. That’s how we will survive a collapsing economy!