◄ A Hiding of His Power ►

His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light; He had horns coming out of His hand: and there was the hiding of His power.
Habakkuk = Embracer of burdens
Habakkuk.3:4-5

Testing of Faith

Now is a time of faith’s testing for the saints of God. Now is an hour of unprecedented, satanic fierceness. Now is the point that God’s kingdom and His Christ’s are being challenged. Christ’s authority is being challenged with increasing intensity. Either the Lord is preparing something new, or He is bringing all to consummation. Such times demand outstanding strength and endurance for victory to be assured. Such time challenge us to endure: Be thou enduringly faithful to the very point of death.

Prayer Warrior

Habakkuk’s writings demonstrate him to be a deeply burdened man. Habakkuk also demonstrated himself to be a great prayer warrior. For three chapters, his colloquy displays mutual and intimate intercourse with God. Habakkuk and God carried on a reciprocal Spirit to spirit, Soul to soul communion. Together they had deep communion.. Depth to depth fellowship. Yet throughout, there was, “a hiding of God’s power”. Hab.3:4.  Habakkuk was deeply discouraged.

Life of Faith

 The wicked ruled and seemingly escaped all the judgment they assuredly deserved.. yet the righteous suffered greatly and the intensity of their grief only multiplied. Habakkuk was deeply dismayed and profoundly discouraged. Habakkuk could not see God working out His plans in the temporal realm. He continually saw oppression and injustice piling over the heads of the righteous: O God, how long shall I cry, how long wilt Thou not hear! I even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Hab.1:2. But the Lord informed him far worse was to come and there was only one way to live: Faith – Faith – FAITH was the only answer he was given: but the just shall live by his faith. Hab.2:4

Living By Faith

Habakkuk was to live by faith, in contradistinction to all that he saw in his surroundings. He was to live diametrically opposite to all satan instigated in the world against him. And throughout it all, there was a hiding of God’s presence and power. How similar to the wicked workings of today’s satanically driven world, yet the accumulating wickedness of our sin-sick world, greatly exceeds Habakkuk’s day. Does it seem to you that within your distress that there is a hiding – a hiding of God’s power and presence?

God’s Timing

Little gems of encouragement pepper the dialogue between Habakkuk and the Lord: for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end, it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Hab.2:3. While others may bewail that: the Lord delays His coming, remember the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him: He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. He will not delay! Heb.2:3

Faith in God

Right in the midst of all the harsh and bitter judgment the Lord speaks. Right in the midst of all the harsh and bitter judgment He gloriously declares: that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Hab.2:14. It took time and much heartache for Habakkuk to learn the vital lesson from God.. that though things looked hopeless, the very opposite was really true. Though he saw no evidence of hope, he must watch and wait for God, for though it appeared to the contrary, God was in control – that all was being worked out according to God’s preordained and perfect plan.

Lessons Learned

It took time and much heartache for Habakkuk to learn these things. It takes time and much heartache for us to learn these things too, but it is God’s desire that we learn the same lesson too. Today, as in the time of Habakkuk, God truly does seem to be hiding. Today more than ever before there seems to be a “hiding of His power”.

Embracer of Burdens

In the unseen realm, the enemy knows time is short and he’s multiplying mayhem, but in the spiritual realm the enemy is being defeated.. the saints are being freed – freed unto the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Let us not fall to the enemy’s deceptive ploy of deep discouragement, but let us like Habakkuk become true prayer warriors – joining our intercessions with the prayers of the just of all the ages – who in the midst of great difficulties and mountainous trials, lived by faith in the Son of God. Let us embrace in the Spirit, the burden of the Lord for His despairing people.

Prayer of Habakkuk

Let us become like Habakkuk, an “Embracer of Burdens” – for right in the very middle of the most testing time when it seemed totally lost – in faith, Habakkuk sang his amazing sacrifice of praise: "although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls... " Hab.3:17-19

Prayer of Believers

Although all around me is crumbling and dying, and though the economy crashes.. though my home is flattened, equipment breaks and there’s no food in the fridge. Though there’s anarchy in the streets, and the love of many grows cold and the bread-baskets of the world utterly fail. Though everything I valued and all that I held dear is disintegrating and decaying.. though my relationships are falling apart and friends and family are hostile toward me. Though pestilence, storms volcanoes and earthquakes ravage the earth.. and apostasy and criticism is rife in Christendom – though all needs and necessities of life are being snatched from under our feet…. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. Yet I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength. He will make my feet like hinds’ feet. He will make me to walk upon mine high places.