Recently I read through a tiny book of the Bible in the Old Testament and took my time with it. Habakkuk is so rarely referenced that most people don’t know how to pronounce the name. Habakkuk was a prophet writing in the time leading up to the absolute defeat of the little Kingdom of Judah by the powerful Babylonian Empire.

If you are familiar with the Prophets, you know that the normal inhibitions of questioning the motives and practices of the Almighty God are swallowed up in the pain and confusion of the moment. Habakkuk begins his book with a series of lingering complaints and questions like these:

· How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?

· Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?

· Why do you tolerate the treacherous?

· Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Some may think these kinds of questions are impertinent, displaying a lack of respect or dignity that befits the Creator of the universe and the Judge of all who live. God seems to have no problem with this line of questioning. He does not point his finger and execute Habakkuk, like a purple zapper on a mosquito. He responds by telling the prophet what is about to happen, and the truth is pretty grim in the immediate and the longer-than-wished-for future.

Often the problem is that our time horizon for an adequate resolution is different than God’s. I don’t know about you, but when I am in pain, or confusion, or someone I love is suffering from something crazy hard to deal with, I want an answer from God like yesterday. It can’t come quick enough. I like the idea of a simple universe where God takes care of his people and their concerns immediately upon their request. As I read through the Bible, it doesn’t usually work out that way.

In Habakkuk’s case, not only did God allow the cruel Babylonians to have their way militarily with Judah, but they carted the survivors off into exile to slavishly serve Babylonian interests for 70 years, long after Habakkuk was in the grave. There is a day coming of restoration in the distant future when the people are restored to Jerusalem and its environs, but Habakkuk never saw it with his own eyes.

But here is a surprising takeaway from Habakkuk, something that you just have to experience in order to believe: joy is possible in the absence of good things. Notice, I didn’t say happiness, but joy. Happiness is dependent on circumstances, so if your circumstances are a raw deal, happiness is impossible. Joy runs deeper because it is not anchored in circumstances but in a strong faith in God.

There have been many occasions in my life when I was not happy, but I was experiencing the deep-down joy of the Lord that can never be taken away. For example, as a young man in college, I watched my father battle for his life for over a year. On the morning he passed away, I held his hand and prayed for God to take him home, out of his misery and into heaven. I prayed and kept on praying, and 20 minutes later, he was gone. That was not a happy moment, but oddly, I can describe that moment as one full of joy. It came from my faith that God answered my prayer, and it came from my belief that my dad was finally in the place he always wanted to be, out of the pain and confusion of his condition here. Joy is possible even when nothing going on around you would suggest it is.

The end of the Book of Habakkuk is not what you might expect. After all, this is not a Disney movie but reality. Things do not miraculously work out for him and for the nation because of his prayers. The nation is still defeated by the enemy, and judgment and punishment come with terrifying force. Here is how Habakkuk puts it: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength…” (3:17-18)

He is staring at starvation, the ruining of his nation, but he finds a joy that doesn’t make any sense to the logical mind. The equation is this: no figs, no olives, no crops, no sheep, no cattle equal joy in the Lord. It doesn’t seem like it could be true. He finds joy in the fact that God is giving him strength in that moment and in all the moments to come. This is the difference that faith in God can make. It may not work out just the way you imagine it should, but there is joy to be had that can never be taken away nevertheless. I can’t explain it. I just know that it is true.

Derek Russell is pastor of the Hillsboro Global Methodist Church. He loves Jesus, family, dogs and football.