When Brandon Heath sings of days getting dark and life getting hard in his song “See Me Through It,” I immediately thought of Habakkuk and the national crisis during his time. The darkness and injustice of his time can be seen in our own, and just like Habakkuk, we can trust that God will see us through it.
I have a plan to help you interact with the text of this minor prophet all week. You don’t want to miss it.
In this week’s episode, I discuss:
- Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week’s Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
- Remembering the people reflected in the Bible were real
- Listen to an audio version of the text
- Reading in context
- Repetition
- Study in various translations
- Make a list
- Write down observations
- Ask questions
- Write out a prayer inspired by Scripture
- Using this week’s song as Habakkuk’s theme song
- Thoughts about prophets I learned from reading in Abraham Joshua Heschel’s book “The Prophets” – Amazon Paid Link
- “The prophet is a person, not a microphone.”
- “The prophet’s task is to convey a divine view, yet as a person, he is a point of view. He speaks from the perspective of God as perceived from the perspective of his own situation.”
- “To us, injustice is injurious to the welfare of the people; to the prophets, it is a deathblow to existence; to us, an episode, to them a catastrophe, a threat to the world.”
- Habakkuk’s “how long” and “why” questions we may be asking as well – Habakkuk 1:2-4
- Learning to be more sensitive to the things God is sensitive about
- A plan to utilize small chunks of time during the week to make a significant impact (as inspired by James Clear’s “Atomic Habits” – Amazon Paid Link)
- Day one: Listen to an audio version of Habakkuk 1-3 (it will take less than 10 minutes) – I use the YouVersion Bible App
- Day two: Repeat day one
- Day three: Listen to an audio version of Habakkuk in a different translations
- Day four: Watch the Bible Project’s Habakkuk Overview Video – BibleProject.com
- Day five: Take 10 minutes to write down questions, prayers, lists, or general observations from the text (at this point, you’ve invested almost an hour, just split over several days)
- Day six: Schedule extra time to follow some cross-references and see how Habakkuk connects to the rest of the Bible and Christ
- Romans 1:7
- Galatians 3:11
- Hebrews 10:37
- Revelation 19:11-21
- Philippians 4:10-13
We are a people called to live by faith and God is a God who will see us through it until His appointed time.
Enjoy the official lyric video of this song below.
More Than a Song Playlist
Additional Resources
- Lyrics – NewReleaseToday.com
- “The Prophets” by Abraham Joshua Heschel – Amazon Paid Link
- “Atomic Habits” by James Clear – Amazon Paid Link
- ESV Expository Commentary: Daniel–Malachi – Amazon Paid Link
Weekly Challenge
Follow the plan laid out in this episode to interact with the book of Habakkuk this week. You will be amazed at how small chunks of time invested in interacting with Scripture will add up — not only in an accumulation of time but in familiarity with the Scripture itself. As you read (or listen to) the interaction between Habakkuk and God, remember that Habakkuk was a real person, not a microphone.
