The book of Habakkuk is believed to have been written for Judah around the year 606 BC, since Nineveh no longer exists, so it must have been written some time after Nahum. Nothing is known about this prophet outside of this book, and Habakkuk is believed to have written the book himself, but this is not certain. Its name means "embraced" or it could also be the name of an Assyrian flower. Also known as the Watchtower Prophet, he was one of the last prophets to write before the Babylonian captivity. Habakkuk was not written to prophesy to Judah or Israel about their destruction, but was written as if addressed to God, with Habakkuk asking him questions. Among the complaints and questions that Habakkuk addresses to God, the most widespread is this: how can God allow evil? triumph over good? How can God use an evil nation to punish a good nation? Habakkuk feels as if God cannot or will not listen to his pleas and cries. Habakkuk sees conflict in the world around him and it bothers him, because he doesn't understand why God would allow these things to happen to His own people. He wondered if God would ever allow justice to rule the world and, if so, when that would happen. This book is unlike any other minor prophetic book, for it is not God addressing His people through a prophet, but rather the prophet represents the people and addresses (even challenges) God. The people of Israel had been wicked and God he was once again punishing them for their heresies. These people seemed to fall away, fall into persecution, and repent in a constant cycle. In this case, God used the Chaldeans, a truly wicked nation, to punish the Israelites. Habakkuk's first question to God is to ask himself why he sees God's people... in the middle of the paper... idolatry. God has answered all of Habakkuk's questions and now he sees that God's actions are completely justified, yet he is terrified of God's power, asks for mercy and hopes for compassion during the time of judgment to come. Habakkuk hopes in God, trusts in Him, and knows that whatever God does will be justified and right. Habakkuk's faith that the tribulations to come are necessary and the way he accepts them (even though he himself will likely suffer from these things) is remarkable and admirable. Difficult moments come in all our lives, we cannot control them. What we can control, however, is how we react and the attitude we have during those darkest moments. Will we accept them as we will Habakkuk, or will we let the hardest times make us hard ourselves? “The same sun that melts butter also hardens clay.” -Billy Graham.