Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Christopher Booker was a renowned British journalist and author best known for his work in literary theory and cultural criticism. Booker developed an early interest in storytelling and narrative structures. 

His work we remember best, though, might be that he articulated a group of seven basic plot lines that he believed all stories ultimately fit within. That is, one of those 7 will describe pretty much anything fictional that you are reading. Classic good vs. evil is a popular example of one.

I still remember the initial, although thankfully short-lived, reaction when the incredible Harry Potter series of books came out. Libraries everywhere were having to evaluate whether the disproportionate verbal backlash by a smallish group of fear-mongers was worth putting the books on the shelves. 

Instead, these children’s stories that grew up right in front of us created a veritable industry off of the Good vs. Evil storyline. Largely because volume after volume, it became so therapeutic watching time after time as good did in fact triumph over evil. 

In fact, I can watch those particular films and argue that they portray a not-too-subtle Messianic undertone. 

Habakkuk sure did want goodness to win. He was ready for good to hurry up and arrive. Like, any minute now. You can hear his weariness from the get-go. 

The prophet asked God right off the bat, “How long?” as in, How much longer will we have to live in this oppression?” Most prophets lead with some introduction, perhaps a testimony of their own calling. Then, they labor under the prophetic formula to identify what they will be saying as “The Word of the Lord.” 

Not Habakkuk. “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 

Now, that’s jumping right into the deep end! That’s the voice of one who is tired. He’s tired of being tired and discouraged by having been discouraged for so long already. Have you been there before? I suspect most of us have. 

Habakkuk may be best known as this one who questions God’s timing and God’s forthcoming justice that feels like it is taking far too long. One who was willing to cry out to God asking for relief. 

For any of us who need to take that part of Habakkuk’s story in, I hope we will. I hope we will be encouraged by this one who was sent to deliver prophetic words on God’s behalf and instead stopped first to ask his own questions. 

In our pain and suffering, it’s understandable when you or I start out like Habakkuk: how long, O Lord? As the second chapter opens, sure enough God is reassuring Habakkuk that indeed God will see to it that the righteous live by faith and that the evil are judged. 

But Habakkuk moves on to do something else that we ought to take note of for our own faith. This is remarkable, I think, and we do well to catch this. 

Habakkuk doesn’t just complain. He pledges to expect God to do something to relieve the fear, the pain and the anxiety. Now he will wait with a confident faith. 

He pledges like a watchman up on the rampart to stand vigil. Habakkuk will be an eye and an hear, waiting upon God’s help. He is ready to continue his calling as a sounding piece for God. A sentinel at the watch who will tell all who will listen what God is saying once God begins to do a new thing. 

Except what Habakkuk pledges to tell about is what GOD is doing. He will sound an alarm at the first sight of God’s action kicking into gear. 

He will bring tidings of good news. Will goodness win?! God pledges that over time, yes… goodness will win. Now, what do you and I do? 

Any of us can be perpetually pessimistic. That’s not hard. Any of us can pop off and make everyone around them miserable. A child can do that. In our hardship, any of us can complain about everything. That doesn’t take much discipline or maturity to do. Life is hard for all of us at some points.

Habakkuk started off in a bad place. But in the end, this faithful prophet is a sentinel. A watchman, ready to proclaim God’s goodness and help.

DR. CHARLES QUALLS is senior pastor at Franklin Baptist Church. Contact him at 757-562-5135.