I remember a conversation I had with an older student when I was at Moody Bible Institute many years ago. He said, “Never preach to others what you have not first preached to yourself.” This is precisely what Habakkuk did. He wanted to be used by God to bring his people back into right relationship with God.
As he wrestled with the issues before God he began to realize there was a need in his own heart to see things from God’s perspective. It was a tough learning curve. He had to sharpen his theological understanding to grasp what God was in the process of doing.
As God prepared to deal with Judah He at the same time also was dealing with Babylon and the nations they were decimating while on their way to Jerusalem. And while He was dealing with the nations He also was working in the lives of individuals among those nations.
Habakkuk had to learn the bottom line in all of this: “the righteous will live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). If you don’t trust God when things around you are confusing, pressure packed, and frustrating, you will become impatient with God and find it hard to represent Him and His purposes accurately.
Even more difficult, it will be virtually impossible to demonstrate through your life what you would like to see happen in the lives of those you are seeking to help. In other words, your up-tightness will be so obvious it will distract from and distort your message.
When God was done preparing Habakkuk for his mission, his life experience authenticated his verbal message.
