In the book of Habakkuk the prophet shared not only the message he received from God but also how he responded to the message himself. Thus his proclamation was two-fold. It was verbal – spoken and/or written, and it was exemplified by the way in which he responded himself.
We already saw how Habakkuk prayed in chapter 3. He worshipped God in awe as he reflected on His past mighty deeds. Then he essentially requested God to renew those mighty deeds in his present situation. He wanted God to make His people aware of those mighty deeds. He acknowledged that he understood God’s wrath would be expressed in His judgment of His people, but pled for God to remember mercy.
Having prayed this pointed prayer he shared some impressions he remembered of when God acted in the past to deliver His people and save His anointed one. This no doubt had reference to protecting the ancestral line through which the promised Messiah would come. He was affirming his faith in God to continue preserving this genealogical family line until the Messiah would come.
He affirmed all of this while ringing in his ears was the impression of a thunderous sound of an approaching army. He humbly acknowledged, “my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled (as he waited) patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading (them)” (Habakkuk 3:16).
Yet, in the midst of all this he declared boldly he would live by faith in the true and living God and rejoice in Him.
