Sing of Our Confidence: Habakkuk’s Song of Faith

By Guest Writer

Scripture Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-2, Habakkuk 1:5, Habakkuk 3:1-19, Psalm 56:10-11

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Screw your courage to the sticking place”? It’s a Shakespearean line that, while originating from a particularly devilish plot point in the play Macbeth, has come to take on nobler meaning. When you find yourself wavering, burrow into the thing that will hold you steady.

Habakkuk had more than one reason to have wavering confidence in the Lord (see the list he so helpfully provided in Habakkuk 3:17). Babylon was pressuring Judah on all sides, and then famine plagued a people already at their wits’ end. Habbakuk was very honest with God about these struggles, calling out the fact that God might not even be listening to the cries of suffering rising in Judah—instead choosing to expose Habbakuk to the pain of watching the violent prevail (Habakkuk 1:2–3). After an encounter with God, Habakkuk saw things for how they truly are: There is a God who not only cares deeply about the suffering of His people but acts in His timing for His glory and out of love for His people.

Habbakkuk’s song upends why I think I should place my confidence in the Lord. If I’m honest, so much of my faith is spent white-knuckling this hope that God has promised an end to suffering and all that grieves me in this life (Revelation 21:4). When in distress, my thoughts consistently sound like some variation of, “If I can just hold on a little longer, maybe it’ll all turn out all right in the end.” When I say it out loud, I realize that the sticking place of my courage is in what God will give, not who He is.

I think Habbakuk is cracking open where we’re called to place our confidence as believers. Based on his song, our confidence is in God’s overwhelming power, authority, and holiness over creation. It is in the sheer force of who God is. Rather than gripping outcomes, even the very good ones God Himself has promised, I instead rest fully in the fact that my God is powerful. He is loving, merciful, and righteous. He is the kind of God who wields His power to restore order and justice.

I don’t think it’s wrong to desire that the things God has promised will come to pass for those who trust in Him. He gives us these promises for a reason, and they are meant for our joy and comfort. But I do wonder if this song can help us dig deeper into what’s anchoring our faith. I don’t want my faith to be limited to promises; I want my faith fully rooted in the very presence of God. Soli Deo Gloria—to God alone be glory—for He is enough for me with or without fruit on the vines.

Written by Kayla De La Torre