How Long, Lord? Habakkuk's Call to Faithful Waiting

Aug 09, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Smoking Through Matthew, Converted by John

A drug lord’s worker tore pages from a Bible to roll joints, reading each before burning. When he reached John’s Gospel, the words pierced his soul. Scripture’s power lies not in how we approach it but in its ability to dismantle defenses. God’s Word needs no perfect conditions to transform hearts. Even resistance becomes a doorway for grace when truth takes root. The man who mocked became a pastor, proof that no one is beyond redemption. [33:35]

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1–5,14, NKJV)

Reflection: What defenses or distractions have you allowed to dull Scripture’s voice? How might God be using even your resistance to draw you closer?

Day 2: Holding the Umbrella Pole in Life’s Storms

A grandfather taught his grandkids that clinging to God is like gripping an umbrella’s pole during rain. Storms still rage, but shelter remains for those who stay near. Stepping outside God’s protection doesn’t mean He abandons—it means we’ve let go. The choice to return is always open. Faith isn’t immunity from pain but assurance of presence. [10:19]

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’” (Psalm 91:1–2, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you blamed God for “getting wet” instead of examining your grip on His promises?

Day 3: Serving WITH Those Who Ask “Why?”

When a grieving woman screamed, “Would God allow this?” the answer wasn’t theology but presence. The acrostic WITH—Walk, Listen, Touch, Hold—anchors ministry to hurting souls. People in crisis need companions, not explanations. Jesus modeled this, weeping with Martha before raising Lazarus. Suffering asks for hands, not speeches. [51:09]

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15, NKJV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs you to withhold answers today and simply say, “I’m here”?

Day 4: Embracing When Life Doesn’t Make Sense

Habakkuk’s name means “embrace.” A chaplain held a sobbing boy at a crash site, his snot staining the uniform. God doesn’t demand tidy faith but invites raw trust. Like a child clinging through tears, we’re called to grip God’s character when circumstances defy understanding. His throne remains steady amid chaos. [16:50]

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines… yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.” (Habakkuk 3:17–19, NKJV)

Reflection: What unanswered “why” do you need to surrender to God’s embrace rather than wrestle into submission?

Day 5: From Frustration to Fruitful Worship

Habakkuk’s journey moved from screaming “How long?” to declaring “I will rejoice.” A firefighter’s daughter, devastated by her father’s death, found hope in four words: “God is on the throne.” Worship isn’t denial of pain but defiance of despair. Every “yet” in Scripture marks a turn from complaint to conquest. [24:34]

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?… Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life… shall be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:31,37–39, NKJV)

Reflection: What “yet” will you declare over your current struggle to shift from frustration to fruitful worship?

Sermon Summary

Habakkuk opens with a burden, not a light thought. The prophet stands after a real revival under Josiah, after the book of the law had been found, after the temple had been repaired, and after the nation had tasted blessing. Then the drift comes fast. Violence, strife, injustice, and perverse judgment fill the land, and Habakkuk screams to God, “How long?” The word for violence even lands with that sharp Hebrew word, Hamas, and the prophet is not calmly reflecting. Habakkuk is crying out from the ache of a world gone sideways.

God answers, but not in the way Habakkuk expects. God says He is doing a work that would not be believed if it were told, and that work is the raising up of Babylon. Habakkuk’s second “why” gets even deeper, because God’s answer seems harder than the problem. The holy God is going to use a more wicked nation to judge Judah. The mystery is not tidy. The answer is not a quick refrigerator-magnet verse for someone standing in ashes.

The bigger story shows that God was doing more than Habakkuk could see. Babylon would carry Daniel away, Daniel would influence Nebuchadnezzar, and the prophecies carried into that region would echo for generations until the magi came from the east to announce that Messiah had been born. God’s “work” looked impossible in the moment, but it was moving history toward Christ.

The heart of the text lands in the line, “The just shall live by his faith.” That truth later becomes the backbone of Paul’s explanation of the gospel in Romans and Galatians, and it keeps calling God’s people to trust when control is gone. Faith is not pretending the storm is not real. Faith is grabbing the pole under the umbrella and staying close to God when the rain still blows sideways.

Habakkuk’s name means to cling or embrace, and that picture becomes the way through suffering. When life makes no sense, the soul holds on to God, because “the Lord is in his holy temple” and God is still on the throne. Habakkuk ends not with full explanations, but with worship. Though the fig tree does not blossom and the stalls are empty, Habakkuk says, “I will rejoice in the Lord.” God’s love in Christ, proved at the cross, becomes the final anchor, because nothing can separate His people from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. God is now here Crisis often forces the same letters into two very different confessions: “God is nowhere” or “God is now here.” The difference is not usually solved by a quick answer, but by presence, love, patience, and faithful service. God’s nearness often becomes visible through someone who shows up and stays when everything has fallen apart. [52:10]
2. People need people with them Suffering does not first need a speech. Suffering needs someone who can stand close without trying to fix what cannot be fixed in that moment. The incarnation itself says that God’s answer to human pain is not distance, but Emmanuel, God with us. [51:09]
3. The just live by faith Habakkuk receives a line that reaches all the way into Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. Faith is not control dressed up in religious language, and faith is not the absence of questions. Faith is the soul choosing to trust God’s character when God’s plan feels impossible to explain. [64:03]
4. Cling when life makes no sense Habakkuk’s name carries the picture of an embrace, like a frightened child being held until the sobbing quiets down. The life of faith does not always get to interpret the moment correctly, but it can hold fast to the One who is on the throne. Clinging is not weakness. It is worship under pressure. [77:15]
5. Worship before answers arrive Habakkuk ends with empty fields, barren vines, missing flocks, and a heart that still says, “I will rejoice in the Lord.” Worship does not deny loss, and it does not rush grief. Worship says that God is still good even when the visible evidence has not caught up yet.

## [83:01]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[29:58] - Opening Humor and Chaplain Background
[31:28] - Trauma, Loss, and Coming to Faith
[33:03] - The Power of Scripture to Convert
[37:46] - Turning to Habakkuk
[44:53] - Revival, Decline, and Judah’s Crisis
[46:23] - Habakkuk Cries, “How Long?”
[49:21] - Serving Families in Unspeakable Loss
[52:10] - God Is Now Here or Nowhere
[54:47] - God Raises Up Babylon
[56:31] - Daniel, Babylon, and the Magi
[62:48] - Write the Vision Plainly
[64:03] - The Just Shall Live by Faith
[69:27] - The Umbrella and Staying Close to God
[77:15] - Habakkuk Means Cling
[80:41] - Though the Fig Tree Fails
[83:01] - Rejoicing Without Easy Answers
[83:46] - Nothing Can Separate God’s Love

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold, as for the impudent one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.” [01:04:03]

Habakkuk 3:17-18
“Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” [01:23:01]

Habakkuk 1:2-3
“How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.” [46:23]

Romans 8:38-39
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [01:24:28]

Observation questions

In Habakkuk 1:2-3, what specific things does Habakkuk say he sees in Judah, and what words show how intense his cry to God really is? [46:23]
When God answers Habakkuk, what surprising nation does He say He is raising up, and why does that answer make Habakkuk’s struggle even harder? [54:47]
In Habakkuk 2:4, what contrast appears between the proud person and the righteous person? [01:04:03]
In Habakkuk 3:17-18, what kinds of losses does Habakkuk list before he says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD”? [01:23:01]

Interpretation questions

Habakkuk cries, “How long?” because violence and injustice seem to go unchecked. What does that reveal about the kind of honesty God welcomes from His people in prayer? [46:23]
God’s answer includes raising up Babylon, a nation even more wicked than Judah. How does that deepen the struggle of trusting God when His ways do not make immediate sense? [55:31]
“The righteous will live by his faith” is given in the middle of confusion, not after everything has been explained. What does that suggest faith is meant to look like in seasons when answers are incomplete? [01:09:27]
Habakkuk ends in worship before the fields recover and before the losses are reversed. What does that show about the difference between biblical rejoicing and simple optimism? [01:23:19]

Application questions

When life has felt unfair or confusing, has the heart tended to say “God is nowhere” or “God is now here”? What usually pushes the heart in one direction or the other? [52:10]
People in pain often need presence before they need explanations. Who in life right now may simply need someone to show up, stay close, and serve them without trying to fix everything? [51:09]
Faith is not pretending the storm is small; faith is staying close to God in the middle of it. What has helped most in staying under that “umbrella” instead of drifting away when pressure rises? [01:09:27]
Habakkuk’s name carries the idea of clinging. In this season, what does clinging to God actually look like in daily life—prayer, Scripture, worship, asking for help, slowing down, something else? [01:17:15]
God’s people are called to be present in human suffering. What kind of pain or brokenness especially breaks the heart right now, and how might God be inviting some faithful response there? [01:17:53]
Habakkuk says, “Though the fig tree should not blossom… yet I will rejoice in the LORD.” What would rejoicing in God look like if the outward situation did not change soon? [01:23:01]
Nothing can separate God’s people from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Which fears or losses most need to be brought under that promise right now? [01:24:28]

Sermon Clips

61s

#TrustGodsWays

“``And then one of my times through the Bible, I was reading that scripture. I'd never noticed the context before. God's ways are above our ways. I to me, it was explaining the mysteries of human suffering. But if you read the context, god's ways are beyond our ways. His thoughts are beyond our thoughts. As heavens are higher than the earth are his ways, his thoughts beyond us. The context is god's mercy towards sinners. It's his grace for humanity that his thoughts go way beyond how merciful, how good god is. And Habakkuk, at the end of all these questions, why? How long? And god reveals the challenge of faith. Trust me. Trust me. If you knew what I'm doing, it's gonna change the world.”

87s

#ComfortInChaos

“There were two buses city buses that collided, a lot of injuries, mass casualty, and so I I go to the scene. And when you come into a scene with a lot of trauma, you do for one that you wish you could do for all. And so I just there's a mom on a backboard, three year old, didn't speak English. I just get down, and her three year old is just wailing. And I have my fire jacket on. I kneel down. He embraces just wailing. For his mom, she's, She's holding her arm out to her son. Of course, he he just wipes his snotty nose all over me. And I'm just holding him. Just holding him, and his his whaling just eventually went, And he just needed somebody to just hold him in this moment. And if she's transported, the police take him over. That's what Habakkuk's name means. When life doesn't make sense, we just, in all the anguish, just hold to God, cling to God, and know God is on the throne even when it doesn't make sense, even when it doesn't look like that.”

78s

#ShareGodsLove

“I see my daughter holding her daughter. And I said to her, I said, you know, I could never explain to you how much I loved you until today. We both it's those estrogen blockers. I know. We're both crying together, and I said that little girl's gonna give you the greatest joy, but she could also cause great pain as well. The mysteries of life. Drink this in. And then we talked about how God so loved us. only begotten son, he gave for you. He gave for me. Not because we're so good and got it all together while we were yet sinner. Christ died for us. Please, please, God's love out to the world, to your family, to your friends. Make a difference. The world desperately needs you, what you have in Jesus Christ.”

51s

#UnexpectedJudgment

“Here's what he says. Habakkuk's saying, Lord, there's so much violence. There's so much evil. How long? Why are you not bringing justice? And god says, hey, my friend. I'm gonna do something. If I told you, you wouldn't believe it. I'm gonna bring the Babylon, the Chaldeans, Babylon Babylonians to bring judgment on Judah. Well, here's his response. He's like, what? Why would you do that? You're pure. You're holy. God, you're righteous. Why would you use a a nation more ungodly than our people to judge us?”

45s

#LiveByFaith

“That truth catapulted throughout history to impact Paul the apostle who in the book of Romans, it was his thesis of chapter one verse 17. His thesis statement for the whole book of Romans that's explaining the gospel of god, justification by faith. And that's his verse that he builds his whole theology on. And then in Galatians to the Galatians, he uses it again in the author of Hebrews. In chapter 10, the just shall live by faith.”

78s

#GodOnTheThrone

“And it's like the oxygen just sucked out of the house. What do you do? What do you say? I was just quietly just praying. Lord, bring comfort. Bring comfort. Dead silence. And then his wife turns to me and says, you're the chaplain. Say something. I was like, and I said, what would your daddy say to you right now? She lowered her head, said, that's not fair. She said, is on the throne. You see, Psalm 11, it says, when the foundations are being destroyed, what will the righteous do? God is in his holy temple. God is on the throne. And that father for his family, that was a foundation of their faith. No matter what your circumstances, no matter what your friends or family go through, the just will live by faith. You know Habakkuk? You know what his name means? Clean. Embrace.”

46s

#EmmanuelWithUs

“And do you have any other family members we need to get ahold of? I'm trying to engage this part of the brain, and she my son. My son. He spent the night. We need to call my son. And then I spend the rest of the morning just supporting this family through this trauma. I've learned this great acrostic. Write the acrostic or acronym WITH, w I t h. I have learned that when someone is saying, is this happening? People need people. And, ultimately, people, of course, need Jesus. Emmanuel, with us.”

54s

#UnderGodsUmbrella

“I said, you know, life's kinda weird at times. But look at this. You're when you're under the umbrella, let's just say staying close to god, you grab the pole, and that keeps you close to god. He protects us. Yeah. Wind's blowing. Yeah. We still get impacted by the weather and the rain. It's uncomfortable. And then I did this. I said, but some people, when storms of life come, they let go of the pool. And I walked out from under the umbrella, and now the rain's coming down on me, and they leave the protection of god, and then they're like this. God, why would you allow this to happen to me? And I go, what do I need to do? And they go, papa, come back under the umbrella.”

58s

#WhatBreaksYourHeart

“You know, we go through life and we get updated, and it's just like so much atrocities, so much violence, so much horror in the world we live in. Now in those days, it was just their immediate community. It was their small area that they had exposure. We have exposure to global on a constant feed, global atrocities. And I don't know about you, but my prayers, Lord, how long? How long till you bring a great revival that you would bring justice in the world, the perversity that has drifted so far of where we were, not not just a generation of go where we were churches were were filled.”

76s

#ChaplainInTheFire

“Now maybe your life is pretty chill. You're doing well. Not a lot of hardship. Right? And you've been through stuff, and now things are good. Let me encourage you. Be a vessel to your friends, family, neighborhood. Get involved to the care of human suffering. Let me ask you this. What breaks your heart? What breaks your heart? Is it addicts? Is it alcoholism? Is it homelessness? Is it broken marriage? Is it troubled teens? All of us, God has put in our heart in fact, delight in the Lord, God will give you the desires of your heart. I believe that saying in in Psalm 37 that God puts desires in our heart. They're God given desires. Now we'd ask you, what breaks your heart? What breaks your heart to the population, the people that are going through hardship that God wants to bring his gay grace that they would know he's on the throne?”

50s

#WhyDoPeopleSuffer

“And you know what? You can all do that. You can print a business card saying chaplain. Do you know what a chaplain is? It's a person who loves people on purpose when they're going through a difficult time. And I I let them know, call me if you ever have a need, if there's anything I can help with, to be a servant to your community, your neighbors right next door. Be friendly. Be loving. And here's the deal. When someone goes through a crisis, be the first person with someone you work with, someone you know. Be the first person to reach out. Hey. I'm I'm praying for you. Can I help with meals? Can I do something to help your family?”

50s

#RevivalAndDecline

“But I I'm with a lot of people that are asking that question. God is now here. Here's the question I'm trying to help people. It's from a Christian perspective, it's okay. If god is all loving, god is all powerful, god is all knowing, do people suffer? That's one of the ultimate why questions that nonbelievers will have. And and so it's that journey with people saying, Why would this happen? Well, god answers his why. How long? How long, god? This has been a tough season. How long? Where are you in this season? Well, he answers this in verse five.”

77s

#BibleChangedMyLife

“This was following a great revival in a previous generation. Josiah was king of Judah. Josiah, they found the book of the law, and it led to a great returning to the word of god, a great revival in the land. They repaired the temple and all these things, and prosperity started to come. And and Josiah, as a young king, he got a little puffed up, and Egypt was attacking Syria. And he and the scripture says he meddled. He got involved in a war that he wasn't supposed to be part of. No contemporary context here. Got involved in a war there, and, he lost his life. And the revival slowly dwindled. And we go Egypt sets up a king named Jehoiakim. And to be the king and moral decline, they drift from the law very quickly. And now Habakkuk is now given his heart to God, crying out for his his nation, for the world.”

66s

#FindingGodInCrisis

“And I I didn't come to faith until I was in college, and it wasn't because of, big work or someone witnessing to me or anything. I was curious. I was like, what's life about? it was during the Jesus movement, people talking about Jesus, and I I thought, I need to know. And so I picked up a bible. I purchased a bible and started reading in the gospel of Matthew. I knew nothing about the bible. Didn't know the old I didn't understand why there was an old testament. Why did they need a new one? What was wrong with the old? You know? And I'm reading and learning about Jesus, and the faith I had to start that journey led me to faith in Jesus before I finished the book of Matthew. I love the word of God. It converted my soul.”

34s

#WaitingOnGod

“You know what I've learned is people during a time of great crisis, they sometimes experience God's with me through this, and they experience God's presence. They are comforted by him because they turn to him. But I've also been around people when hits the fan that they they're where is god in this? God is nowhere.”

73s

#TraumaShapesBehavior

“You know, in my years of going through scripture, you know, there's times I'm like, this doesn't make sense. In fact, my third book, it's more of a booklet. You know, fifty one years of church ministry, I've seen a lot of pain. And one of the ones that just breaks my heart is when people are hurt by people in the church, the pharisees, the injustice, favoritism, or just misunderstanding. And so I I wrote a book. In fact, there's post traumatic stress disorder. There's also what's called post traumatic embittlement disorder when people get embittered. So I wrote a book, post traumatic church disorder. You can put the cover up there. It's more of a booklet, post traumatic church disorder, because I've realized sometimes that sacred place of family church, we get wounded there. And what do we do with that? How do we forgive and to walk through that that journey?”

38s

#BurdensOfFirstResponders

“It's a small booklet. My wife started writing it initially. Get out of control. When people are traumatized as children or go their parents divorce or there's conflict in the home, people tend to self self protect. And one of the correlations with people with childhood trauma, they become very controlling because they have to feel safe. And I'm not must be in control to feel safe. Now some people are opposite. Chaos is all about them because nothing I do is gonna make a difference.”

68s

#HelpingThoseWhoHelp

“You see, a first responder will see more trauma often just in one shift than the average citizen will see in an entire lifetime. And what do you do with all that experience and all that exposure early on in in my ministry with the fire department? And I work with police hospitals now and military. But I was, like, riding along, and the chief calls me, hey. We got a firefighter. He's got a drinking problem. Can you help him? And then I had a captain say, hey. We got one of our crew. He calls me, Can you ride along with us? He's suicidal. And, you know, like, having firefighters open up about their marriage and the divorce, and then they're on their third, fourth marriage. And I'm like, who are these people? What is going on? And then as I started experiencing what they experienced, I I'm like, oh my gosh. The the burdens that they bear.”

67s

#CryForJustice

“The the the words cry out, literally in the Hebrew, is scream. How long shall I scream of the violence? In Hebrew, the word violence is the word Hamas. That's the understanding of the Hebrew. Hamas is the violence. He repeats it twice. Why do you show me iniquity and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me. There is strife and contention arises. Therefore, the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous. Therefore, perverse judgment proceeds. Here's the prophet looking at his culture, the immorality, the the violence that was everywhere, the drifting from the foundations of what God had done, and he's literally screaming to God. How long?”

74s

#HealFromChurchWounds

“you're not sure the full motive here, but he responds to god's revelation about Babylon coming down to judge Judah, and he says, I'm gonna stand my watch to see what he's gonna do. Could be a stand of faith. It could be he's gonna acknowledge God, surrender to God's plan, but there's this next point kinda gives you the insight that possibly he's defying God. Because here's what he says. He says, I'll stand my watch and watch to see what he will say to me and what I will answer when I'm corrected. It's like he's like this. Okay, god. I'm gonna stand my watch. You said I I wouldn't believe what what you're gonna do, so I'm standing my watch until you correct me here, till you prove me wrong. Well, then god answers him in that position either of faith or kind of frustration.”

Ask a question about this sermon

Calvary Chapel East Anaheim This sermon · AI assistant

How should Christians respond to unexplained suffering?

Why would God use wicked nations for judgment?

What does it mean to cling to God?