Do you ever wonder why God doesn’t just stop all of the evil in the world?  Why He allows injustice and cruelty and heartache to go on?

I find it comforting that there were people in the Bible who asked the same question.  Take Habakkuk for instance.  He lived during a time when Israel’s disobedience to God had reached a peak.  Right was wrong and wrong was right.  God’s law was ignored or purposefully disregarded.  Things were a mess!

In Habakkuk 1:2 we read, “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!”

Habakkuk wanted God to do something about the mess of his nation.

God had a plan that He told Habakkuk about, but the plan would not be executed on Habakkuk’s timetable.  God was in charge then, just as He is now. 

After revealing the judgment that was to come, God gave Habakkuk a principle that would govern his life.

Habakkuk 2:4 The just shall live by his faith.

This phrase is repeated in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38), but Habakkuk was the first to pen it.

So, what was God saying when He told Habakkuk (and me) to live by faith?

• Living by faith means that I trust God for the timetable and the outcome even when I cannot see Him working. 
• Living by faith means that I trust the character of God when the world seems awry and I don’t understand why God is not intervening as I would want Him to.
• Living by faith means that I know God is enough in the hard times and the good times of this life.
• Living by faith dictates that I follow God’s teaching even when it doesn’t make sense to the world.
• Living by faith requires that I continue doing the right thing in the face of evil, that I continue trusting God in the worst of times.

Habakkuk knew that Israel would be destroyed in the coming battles.  He, along with the rest of the nation, stood to lose every temporal thing he possessed.  Yet, God said, “live by faith”.

If we read to end of the book of Habakkuk, which is only one more chapter, we find that Habakkuk internalized God’s direction.

Habakkuk 3: ¹⁷ Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: ¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. ¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

If I attempt to put this in the vernacular of today, I might say

• Even if the crops (or markets) fail, and there is no money for bills, and everything that I own is taken away, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  He is my strength, and He will make my steps sure on His path.

In other words, no matter what, God is enough. 

Living by faith means that I remember this every day.

When all things pass away
When all is said and done
I will know that my God is still enough
Whatever may come.

He’s enough when I face my highest mountain.
He’s enough when I walk through valleys dim.
He’s enough when my heart is broken –
I can rest my life in Him.

He’s enough in my disappointments
When each day seems a prison of pain.
He’s enough when the sun grows brighter
He’s enough in the pouring rain.

All my life I have searched for purpose.
All my days have been spent in pursuit.
Now I know that the Goal is Him.
God’s enough! He’s enough! It is true!

He’s enough when my dearest friendships
Fade away like the twilight dim,
And He’s still enough when the morning light
Awakens my heart again.

He’s enough when my fiercest battle
leaves me scarred and torn.
He’s enough when the strain of this life
Leaves my poor heart worn.

I will rejoice in my all-sufficient Savior
proclaiming His mighty love.
For I know though battles roar
My God Is Enough!

He’s enough when I’m on my knees in prayer.
He’s enough when I rise to stand.
His great grace is my sword and shield;
He holds Me with His mighty hand.

When all things pass away
When all is said and done
I will know that my God is still enough
Whatever may come.