There is so much injustice in the world. Why does God not intervene? (Habakkuk, chapters 1–3)

The prophet Habakkuk gives voice to what many people think—including many who sing and pray the Psalms. The wicked and the violent seem to prosper; they pay no heed to God’s commandments. It appears that might makes right. The powerful amass wealth and possessions, even taking what little the destitute have. This pattern plays out within families, communities, and nations alike. It extends even to the point where seemingly more powerful nations oppress smaller ones, driving populations to flee. Those who remain are stripped of their rights and lose everything—even their lives. The powerful seize the land’s wealth and plunder the weak. Yet, even in our Western civilization, the rich and powerful enslave the poor; women and children are turned into sex slaves—exploited and discarded when they are no longer of use.

The prophet Habakkuk sees all of this. Such things existed in his time, too, and at their core, human beings have not changed—let alone improved. Yet this does not drive him away from God; instead, it draws him closer. It drives him to prayer, where he cries out and pleads with God: "Why? Why do You seem indifferent to the exploited? Why do You allow evil to run its course?"

And God answers him. God grants the prophet a glimpse into the future and instructs him to write everything down—describing it so vividly and clearly that many people will hear and understand God’s answer. God has already decreed an end to evil. Though ordinary people cannot yet see it, it will certainly come to pass—as surely as God lives! God will execute judgment and bring about true justice. Those who faithfully trust in God and hold fast to Him shall live.

The time leading up to the day of judgment is a period of grace. Hence the "woe"—a warning to return to God.

May God have mercy on us!