Hope In The Dark預覽

Faith Tested

I am one of those who would rather sink with faith than swim without it.

—Stanley Baldwin, British Prime Minister, 1923–1937 

What if you’re living by faith and yet you don’t see God’s promise to you fulfilled in your lifetime? Can you dare to believe he will still keep his promise, even if you don’t get to see it during your time on earth? Is it possible that you might grow so intimate with God that you’re able to keep loving and serving him despite your disappointment? 

Habakkuk is a good teacher for us on this lesson, because it was not until the next generation that God kept his promise and punished the Babylonians. 

That’s a long time to wait.

But the Lord was still faithful.


Habakkuk gives us three little words that we can cling to when it appears that God has not delivered on what he promised. No matter what you might be going through, never let go of these words. 

If you want to be able to grow closer to God—no matter what—then these are the three words you need to remember on your journey toward intimacy and ultimate trust and faith in him: 

“But the Lord . . .” 

You’ll find these words in Habakkuk 2:20, where the prophet, after acknowledging that he still doesn’t like what’s going on, says, “But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him” (NLT, emphasis mine). 

The world may seem upside down, but the Lord is still there.


When you have nowhere else to turn, when your own ideas and resources have evaporated, when your control over a situation is in shambles, God is still there. When your knees ache from kneeling in prayer but you can’t tell if he’s even listening, God is still there. 

No matter what happens in your life, the Lord is in his holy temple. 

Pray: God, will you allow me to experience your presence in new ways? Will you show me how close you are?