Habakkuk 3

I know I've tweeted (twice) about Habakkuk 3 but I'm going to blog about it too. I'm a little obsessed with Habakkuk's prayer. It's beautiful. And I think it's a good reminder of honesty with God about life.

It starts with praise to God.

"LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden."

At this point Habakkuk lays out the formula for Christian metal. You think I'm joking? You know why yo don't believe me? Because you don't like Christian hardcore and metal. Well I do. I live, eat, and breathe the stuff.

I saw Over the Rhine in concert at a festival and inbetween songs Karin Bergquist said she loved Christian metal and then sang Death, death, death, Jesus, deah. It was funny. Not completely true but still funny.

So after some worship, comes death and desctruction.

"Were you angry with the rivers, LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 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."

That's pretty metal. A lot of death and killing. It's great word play. I want to record this passage as a spoken word poem. It would be amazing.

But the best part is when you come to the end of the Chapter.

"yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Boom!

Through all the pain, and wrath, and destruction that's happening there is still joy to be found in God.

No matter what's happening in your life God is still awesome and there is always joy to be had in God. He loves you!