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Habakkuk: Remembering God’s Faithfulness When He Seems Silent is the latest book by Dannah Gresh. This Bible study is one of the newer ones in the line up that Moody Publishers produces for women. The format for Habakkuk is a bit different in that the work for each day is listed as a Meditation rather than an assignment. Personally, I enjoyed this format because it generally involved more reading and less writing.
One neat element of the Habakkuk study that is different from the other Moody studies for women is that it contains an accompanying podcast series for those who would like to dig a little deeper. While these resources complement each other, you don’t need one to utilize the other. It is exciting to see resources being developed to help women understand the Old Testament and God’s word in general.
It seems that many Christians are still confused about the significance of the Old Testament in relation to the New Testament and the Old Testament in general. What I appreciate about Habakkuk is that Dannah helps women understand why this book of the Bible is important. One way she does this is by simply explaining the historical context of the book of Habakkuk. On pages 31-32, Dannah instructed and explained, “Find 930 BC on the timeline and note how I’ve handwritten, ‘Israel Divides.’ This is a somewhat significant event in the history of Israel.
I found that plotting on the timeline helped me to see when Israel was one nation and when it had divided. The Northern half retained the name Israel and comprised ten tribes. The Southern half was called Judah and included the other two tribes, which retained the sacred land of Israel. Habakkuk’s prophecy concerned the nation of Judah.” I am grateful this information is included in the book because it helped me understand Habakkuk a bit better and I know it will be helpful as I read other parts of the Old Testament.
Habakkuk was written to help women understand the faithfulness of Habakkuk as he waited on God but Habakkuk isn’t the only Old Testament example of faithfulness that Dannah used. She encourages women with one of my favorite Old Testament heroes, Daniel. The words Dannah used to expound on Daniel’s faith are comforting and very applicable in this day and age.
On page 144 she said, “The faith that Daniel and our brothers and sisters in China embrace is not ultimately in God rescuing them from their ‘lion’s den,’ but through it to glorify God. Like Jesus, they did not want the suffering but willingly submitted to the will of the Heavenly Father rather than invoke their own (Luke 22:42). Their faith is wrapped in heavenly perspective, obedience, and hope. I’m working on being that kind of Christian. I want to desire and submit to His will and not my own. I long to have a faith that is truly rooted in the conviction that God’s plan- whatever it may look like- is the best path for my life.”
I really enjoyed Habakkuk and I’m thankful to see one more resource available to help women cultivate a complete understanding of God’s word.
I received Habakkuk compliments of Moody Publishers in exchange for my honest review.
