A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard your speech and was afraid; O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; He had rays flashing from His hand, And there His power was hidden. (Hab 3:1-4 NKJ)

Habakkuk speaks of God appearing out of the East like the Sun; God is shining over Judah, breaking the darkness and signaling a new day. The “splendor” referred to in verse 3 is from the Hebrew word hod, associated with kingly authority reigning over all creation.  God’s power is seen by the horns coming from his hands. The scope of God’s reign is over everything for all time.

“Now, this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said: “The LORD came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them. (Deu 33:1-2 NKJ) This blessing of Moses must have been in the mind of Habakkuk as he sees the second exodus of God’s people coming out of Babylon and brings them back to their homeland once again. After the darkness of captivity, God would be the sunrise of freedom and hope.

No matter how dark the situation might seem, when God shows up, it’s always a new day because the light has come.