Wrestling with Silence: Habakkuk's Bold Questions to Heaven

When was the last time you looked at the world around you and wondered why God seems silent? Habakkuk stood on his watchtower nearly 2,600 years ago, asking the very questions that still burn in our hearts today. "How long, O Lord? How long will I cry to you for help and you will not listen?"

This remarkable prophet doesn't offer us polished prayers or comfortable platitudes. Instead, he brings us face-to-face with the raw, honest wrestle of faith in a world where violence flourishes, justice falters, and God's response seems either absent or bewildering. Habakkuk dares to question heaven itself, challenging God about why the wicked prosper while the righteous suffer.

What makes this ancient voice so powerful is that God answers—not with a defense of divine action, but with a revelation that leaves Habakkuk even more unsettled. "Look among the nations and see. Wonder and be astounded, for I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." God announces He will use the Babylonians—a people more wicked than Judah—as instruments of judgment. This stunning declaration forces Habakkuk to grapple with a profound theological dilemma: How can a holy God use unholy means? Can divine justice work through human injustice?

Through Habakkuk's journey, we discover that faith isn't the absence of questions but the courage to bring our deepest doubts directly to God. We learn that sometimes the most faithful response to confusion isn't silent acceptance but watchful waiting: "I will take my stand at my watchpost and look out to see what he will say to me." When you find yourself questioning God's timing, methods, or apparent silence in your own life, let Habakkuk's honesty inspire your prayers and his patient watching strengthen your faith.

Subscribe now and join us as we explore scripture together, finding wisdom for today's challenges in these ancient, timeless words. Your questions matter to God—Habakkuk shows us how to ask them.

Music Credit: "Get There" by Hector Gabriel

Thank you for joining us in this episode of In the Field Audio Bible, where we explore the richness of God’s Word, one chapter at a time. We hope today’s reading brought insight, comfort, or inspiration to your journey of faith.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions! Feel free to send us a text to let us know how In the Field Audio Bible is impacting your faith journey. Until next time, may God’s Word guide and bless you.

Episode Transcript

In the Field Audio Bible (05:37):
Today, is silent, but Habakkuk does
not prophet Haba kkuk.
How long, o Lord?
He cries as violence fills theland and justice is twisted.
What follows is not comfort,but a startling revelation God
is O at work in ways that defyexpectation, using even the

(05:58):
wicked for his purposes.
Stay with me as we step intothe first chapter of Habakkuk, a
raw, honest wrestle betweenfaith and confusion, where a
prophet dares to question andGod begins to answer.
The sound of distant thunderrolls beyond the low hills, but

(06:24):
it is not rain, I fear.
The sky above Judah is heavy,not with storm but with sorrow.
The olive trees twist in thedry wind, their branches weary
with fruitless effort.
And the fields?
The fields, are tired too.

(06:46):
They have seen too much blood,too many trampling feet, too
many cries that rise into asilence so vast it feels like
the heavens have turned tobronze.
Come sit here beside me,stranger.
I am Habakkuk, a prophet, yes,but not like the others.

(07:13):
I'm not here with visions ofdistant glory or promises
wrapped in golden hope.
No, today, my bones burn withquestions I can no longer hold
in.
I am the one who stands on thewatchtower, eyes wide open,
heart split between faith andfrustration, calling out to a

(07:40):
God who seems far too quiet in aworld unraveling with violence.
How long, o Lord?
That was the cry that burstfrom my chest when the silence
grew too loud.
Not a prayer anymore, but ashout O a plea.
How long will I cry to you forhelp and you will not listen?
How long will I point to theviolence and you do not save?

(08:04):
I know A prophet is supposed tospeak for God, but what is a
prophet to do when he must speakto God first?
What is a watchman to do whenall he sees is ruin?
I walk through the streets ofJerusalem and I see it the rot

(08:27):
beneath our robes.
Justice is twisted, the law hasbecome sluggish, paralyzed.
Those who should lead us inrighteousness now turn their
heads to bribes and bargains.
The poor suffer the wicked hemin the righteousness, and what

(08:47):
is right seems upside down.
The wicked hymn in therighteousness, and what is right
seems upside down.
And still you are silent.
There is a boy in themarketplace whose father was
beaten last week.
I saw the bruises across theman's face, purple and green,

(09:07):
like smashed figs.
His only crime Speaking outagainst a local official who
seized his land under falsepretense, no one raised a hand.
The courts are clogged withcorruption.
The priests, some of them,feast on the people's offerings,
yet preach purity with cleanlips and unclean hearts.

(09:30):
And so I called out, not once,not twice, many times violence.
I said look, lord, look at theinjustice, but no answer came.
Justice, but no answer came.

(09:56):
Can you feel it, friend, thisache in the pit of my soul?
Not because I doubt his power.
No, it is because I know he canact, should act, but has not.
And then, as I stood alone onthe outskirts of the city,
overlooking the valley, a windrose.
Not of this world.

(10:16):
A voice, like thunder, wrappedin silence, spoke to me Look
among the nations and see Wonderand be astounded, for I am
doing a work in your days thatyou would not believe if told.
My heart pounded like war drums.

(10:37):
At last an answer.
But then, oh the horror of it,God said he was raising up the
Chaldeans, the Babylonians, apeople fierce and impetuous.
They sweep across the earthlike a storm, untethered,

(11:00):
seizing lands not their own.
Their horses are faster thanleopards, More fierce than
wolves at dusk.
Their warriors come from afar,relentless, with faces hard as
stone, more fierce than wolvesat dusk.
Their warriors come from afar,relentless, with faces hard as
stone.
They gather captives like sand.
They mock kings, they scoff atstrongholds.
They build siege ramps likechildren stacking stones, and

(11:23):
nations fall before them likedry grass before fire.
This is God's answer To sendthem A people more wicked than
we To judge us.
The earth felt like it tiltedbeneath me.
My knees buckled.
I wanted to shout again, but mywords came out softer this time

(11:46):
, trembling like the candleflame in the night.
Are you not from everlasting?
Oh Lord, my God, my Holy One,surely, surely, you will not let
us die.
We are yours, the people of thecovenant, the people of the

(12:11):
temple, and yet you haveordained them for judgment.
You who are too pure to look onevil, will use a nation steeped
in blood to discipline your own.
I stood at the edge of my faith,peering into a great, terrible

(12:31):
mystery.
The God I know, merciful, just,patient, was not behaving how I
expected.
The justice I cried for seemedmore violent than the injustice
I wished to end.
And yet I did not walk away.

(12:57):
I stood, I waited, I bracedmyself on the wall of my
questions and, determined tolisten, I said I will take my
stand at the watch post and lookout to see what he will say to
me and what answer I will giveconcerning my complaint.
What he will say to me and whatanswer I will give concerning
my complaint.
So here I am, a prophet, withsore knees and a burning heart.
The heavens are still vast, theanswers are still mysterious,

(13:21):
but I will wait for the Lord, Iwill watch and listen.
And you, friend, what do you seein your world?
Do the cries of the innocentstill rise like incense,
unanswered?
Do you ever look around andwonder why God delays, why

(13:42):
justice limps behind thewicked's chariot?
If so, then sit with me a whilelonger.
Let the fire of Habakkuk'slaymen warm your soul and stir
your own questions, because itis in the asking, in the honest
wrestling, that faith is refined.

(14:02):
This is the burden of Habakkuk.
This is chapter one, and it hasonly just begun.
Now let's take a moment toquiet our hearts and listen to
the word itself.
Let these words sink deep intoyour spirit, bringing comfort,

(14:25):
conviction and encouragement.
Whether you're sitting in aquiet place or out in the world,
allow scripture to meet youright where you are.
I hope you have your favoritecup of tea or coffee.
Sit back, relax and let's stepinto the sacred text of the book

(14:46):
of Habakkuk 1.
The Book of Habakkuk 1 theOracle that the Prophet Habakkuk

(15:11):
saw.
O Lord, how long shall I cryfor help and you will not listen
or cry to you?
Violence?
How long shall I cry for helpand you will not listen or cry
to you?
Violence and you will not save?
Why do you make me seewrongdoing and look at.
Trouble, destruction andviolence are before me.

(15:33):
Strife and contention arise, sothe law becomes slack and
justice never prevails.
The wicked surround therighteous.
Therefore, judgment comes forth, perverted.
Look at the nations and see.
Be astonished, be astounded,for a work is being done in your

(15:56):
days that you would not believeif you were told.
For I am arousing the Chaldeans,that fierce and impetuous
nation who march through thebreadth of the earth to seize
dwellings, not their own.
Dread and fearsome are they?
Their justice and dignityproceed from themselves.

(16:19):
Are they?
Their justice and dignityproceed from themselves.
Their horses are swifter thanleopards, more menacing than
wolves at dusk.
Their horses charge.
Their horsemen come from faraway.
They fly like an eagle, swiftto devour.

(16:43):
They all come for violence, withfaces pressing forward.
They gather captives like sand.
At kings they scoff, and ofrulers they make sport.
They laugh at every fortressand heap up earth to take it.
Then they sweep by like thewind.
They transgress and becomeguilty.
Their own might is their God.
Are you not from of old?

(17:03):
O Lord, my God, my Holy One,you shall not die, O Lord.
You have marked them forjudgment and you, O R ock, have
established them for punishment.
Your eyes are too pure tobehold evil and you cannot look
on wrongdoing.
Why do you look on thetreacherous and are silent when

(17:27):
the wicked swallow those morerighteous than they?
You have made people like thefish of the sea, like crawling
things that have no ruler.
The enemy brings all of them upwith a hook, he drags them out
with his net, he gathers them inhis sin, so he rejoices and
exalts.

(17:47):
Therefore, he sacrifices to hisnet and makes offerings to his
sin, for by them his portion islavish and his food is rich.
Is he then to keep on emptyingHis net and destroying nations
without mercy?

(18:23):
The sun sinks behind the hillsof Judah, now casting long
shadows over the valley.
The olive trees whisper in thewind, their leaves flickering
like small flames in the fadinglight.
The city behind us hums withevening sounds, footsteps on

(18:44):
stone, a mother calling herchildren in the low creek of
gates being drawn closed for thenight.
But here, here, on thisoverlook where I have brought
you, it's quiet, just us and thequestions that hang heavy in
the air.
I'm still here, still watching,still waiting.

(19:11):
You walked beside me today,heard the ache in my voice as I
cried oh Lord, how long shall Icry for help and you will not
hear?
You've seen the world throughmy eyes the corruption, the
violence, the helpless crushedbeneath the heels of the proud.

(19:31):
You've felt the same ache,haven't you?
Because this isn't just myburden, it's ours, it's yours.
Maybe you've looked aroundlately and thought why does evil
seem to win?
Why is justice so slow?
Why is God so silent when theworld is so loud with suffering?

(19:54):
I ask those same things.
I dared to take my cries to God,not with polished prayers but
with raw honesty, and heanswered, not how I expected,
not with peace or a quick fix,but with a deeper truth.
I am doing a work in your daysthat you would not believe if

(20:18):
told.
I am doing a work in your daysthat you would not believe if
told.
It shook me.
It still does.
God was moving, even in thesilence, even through a foreign
empire like Babylon Wild,ruthless and terrifying.
That was the hard part.

(20:39):
God's justice doesn't alwayslook like what we want.
His plans stretch far beyondour timelines.
His ways are higher and harder,but that doesn't mean he's
absent.
As you return to your ownvillage, your own family, your
own rhythms, take thesequestions with you.
What do I do when God doesn'tanswer the way I expect?

(21:01):
Do I trust God?
Only when the outcome fits mycomfort Can I believe that God
is working, even in the dark.
Let the burden of Habakkukbecome your invitation not to
despair but to deeper trust.
Faith doesn't mean silence inthe face of injustice.

(21:23):
Faith wrestles, faith questions.
But faith also waits, watches,hopes In your daily life, when
you see broken systems, when youwitness pain that seems
pointless.
Remember Habakkuk 1.

(21:45):
Remember that it's okay tobring God your confusion.
He welcomes it.
He's not offended by yourhonesty.
And remember too that yoursilence doesn't make you holy.
Habakkuk spoke, he wept, hestood as a voice when everyone
else had grown numb.
Let his courage inspire yours.

(22:07):
The law is paralyzed andjustice never goes forth, he
said.
That may feel true in your owncity, workplace or home, but
don't stop there.
Speak, stand, pray, wait.
God is at work, even if Hisways are wrapped in mystery.

(22:34):
So now I return to my watchtower.
The night has come, the starsbegin to blink above us and the
wind carries the scent ofdistant fires.
I don't have all the answers,but I've learned that God hears
even when he waits to speak.
And I will stay here watchinguntil he does.

(22:58):
Go now, friend, but go awake,go with eyes wide open, go with
a heart that still dares to askand still chooses to trust.
This is Chapter 1, and the storyis far from over.
Thank you for joining me todayas we journeyed through the book

(23:20):
of Habakkuk 1.
I pray that you carry thesereflections with you into your
day, into your week, and thatyou find strength in knowing God
is with you in every trial,every temptation and every step
of obedience.
If this time in God's word hasencouraged you, take a moment to

(23:42):
share it with someone who mightneed it, and be sure to join me
next time as we continuewalking through the scriptures,
learning, growing and stayingfaithful in the field of life.
Until next time, may you findpeace in the quiet, trust in
God's call, and rest in Hisunchanging love.

(24:05):
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