109. Prayer Of Habakkuk Upon Shigionoth, (Or Musical Instrument.)

Prayer Of Habakkuk Upon Shigionoth,(Or Musical Instrument.) The Prayer as recorded.—Habakkuk 3:2-19. This prayerful hymn of the prophet is full of fervor and deep piety, and is of peculiar interest to all, especially to those who have been tried in the furnace of affliction, and over whose path many clouds have rested. “Remember thou art a heritor of evil, with a right to nothing good.” Wait, child of hope, and yours may be the faith of Habakkuk, and with him, in the midst of trial, you “may joy in the God of salvation.” Thy sorrows may humble thee, and the furnace of affliction refine thy soul, and with the prophet you too may know “’Tis sweet to feel that he who tries The silver, takes his seat Beside the fire that purifies, Lest too intense a heat, Raised to consume the base alloy, The precious metal too destroy. But ah! how much of earthly mould Dark relics of the mine, Lost from the ore must he behold, Ere in the silver he can trace The first faint semblance to his face.” In this prayer the prophet speaks of God as coming from Teman—Mount Seir—and Paran, to meet them on Mount Sinai, that- hallowed place. The “brightness” alluded to was an emblem of God’s glory, the “coals” of the Shekinah; the “tents of Cushan” were the dwelling-places of several tribes —the Midianites, Moabites, Ammonites, and Arabians; the “curtains” were the hangings of these tents; the “bow” often represented all the weapons of war, and its being made naked signified it was ever ready. The Red Sea and the smitten rock are alluded to, and God is represented as marching through the land of Canaan in great wrath, “wounding the neck,” or cutting off the chief person in the families of the enemies of Israel. This prayer will not only attract the Christian, but him who is only a lover of poetry, and while we know God looks at the heart, and men are not heard for their much speaking, we must admire the chosen language, and the words of the inspired man as he addresses the Most High God.