I want you to notice that Habakkuk 1:2–4 constitute prayer. You might say, Well, that does not take a lot of intelligence to figure out. That is surely the case. But I want you to notice where...Habakkuk raises this problem. He is not sitting in a university library somewhere, wondering about the so-called problem of evil and suffering, wishing that he could put together all the pieces. He has taken the position of an intercessor, one who prays for others, argues their case, and brings their needs before God. He is praying for them in an intercessory prayer. This is what the problem is that has become acute. Perhaps it would be stretching it too much to say that for Habakkuk his problem really arose, or at least was intensified, in prayer? Usually that is not the way we are used to look at prayer. Prayer today is often seen to be a form of therapy. It is therapeutic. It is the way to get yourself into peace of mind, calm yourself down.

But it did not calm Habakkuk down. When you take the position of being an intercessor—praying for others’ needs and so on—it may disturb you more than reassure you. I think we need to see that. If you are Christian, you realize that prayer is not always a place of quiet rest. It is a place and time of wrestling with God and pressing these questions upon him at his feet, especially [when you are praying] for others, so that you may find that when you exercise yourself in prayer, it does not bring peace to your soul. Believers who pray will find that they are more and more disturbed and have more dilemmas than those who do not. You may find that you are not reassured, but that you are more disturbed.¹

Ralph Davis