Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Today we finished our 27th book of the Bible. These minor prophets like Habakkuk are really helping

get our numbers up. Habakkuk is a prophet in the southern

kingdom of Judah prior to the Babylonian exile. He lived and prophesied around the same time as the

minor prophet Zephaniah from day 218 and the major prophet Jeremiah from lots of days. As we've

talked about before, prophets are like mediators between God and his people. We usually think of prophets as talking

to people on behalf of God, but Habakkuk works from the other end of the spectrum. He talks to God

on behalf of the people. Habakkuk is focused on justice, and he brings his complaints about

injustice to God. God is concerned about justice too, so great, they're on the same page. But just

because they care about the same thing doesn't mean they have the same ideas about how that

thing should be accomplished. Habakkuk mistakenly thinks God isn't listening to his prayer since God

isn't doing what he asks. He's like, God, are you seeing what I'm seeing? If so, why are you doing anything about it?

Habakkuk forgets that God's no is also an answer to prayer. God can hear him. God is listening.

God just denies his request. In this conversation, we encounter a verse that's often taken out of

context. Chapter 1, verse 5 says,

Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded, for I am doing a work in your days

that you would not believe if told. I've heard entire sermons and series based on this verse as

though it's painting a beautiful picture. You wouldn't believe the wonderful works God is doing.

But probably no one would preach through that lens if they read the verse in context.

What's the thing God says he's doing that they won't believe? Raising up the Babylonians to

destroy them. And God was right. They didn't believe it when he told them. Habakkuk responds to God

by saying, I get that you're sovereign

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