🥋 Habakkuk: Faith Under Pressure A Jiu-Jitsu Devotional for the Mat and the Soul

There’s a moment every grappler knows.

You’re underneath.

The pressure is crushing.

Your lungs are tight.

Your options feel small.

And in your mind you’re thinking:

“How long is this going to last?”

That’s exactly where the prophet Habakkuk begins.

1. The Cry From the Bottom

Habakkuk looks at the world and sees chaos, injustice, and evil winning.

He prays:

“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and You will not hear?”

(Habakkuk 1:2)

That’s not a faithless prayer.

That’s an honest one.

In jiu-jitsu, we know what it’s like to be stuck in a bad position — not because we’re weak, but because the fight is real.

Sometimes life feels like side control.

2. God Is Working… Even When You Can’t See It

God answers Habakkuk:

“I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.”

(Habakkuk 1:5)

In other words:

“I’m not absent. I’m shaping something.”

That’s the same truth on the mats.

The hardest rounds are rarely punishment — they are preparation.

Pressure builds endurance.

Discomfort builds skill.

Trials build faith.

3. The Art of Waiting

Habakkuk chooses not to run.

He says:

“I will take my stand… and watch to see what He will say.”

(Habakkuk 2:1)

That’s jiu-jitsu wisdom.

You don’t escape mount by panicking.

You escape by breathing, framing, staying steady, trusting the process.

God tells him:

“If it seems slow, wait for it.”

(Habakkuk 2:3)

Faith is learning to wait without quitting.

4. The Core Truth: Faith Wins the Long Game

Then comes one of the most important verses in all Scripture:

“The righteous shall live by his faith.”

(Habakkuk 2:4)

Not by control.

Not by comfort.

Not by understanding everything.

By faith.

In BJJ terms:

You don’t survive because you never get put in bad spots.

You survive because you stay calm and keep trusting.

5. Worship Is the Final Victory

Habakkuk ends the book not with explanations… but with worship.

He says:

“Though the fig tree should not blossom…

yet I will rejoice in the LORD.”

(Habakkuk 3:17–18)

That’s the mindset of a true warrior of God:

Even if I lose…

Even if life hurts…

Even if nothing goes how I planned…

God is still my strength.

And Habakkuk closes with this:

“The LORD is my strength… He makes my feet like the deer.”

(Habakkuk 3:19)

God makes you steady on the mountain.

🥇 Faith Under Pressure — The Lesson for the Mat

At Pella BJJ, we train more than technique.

We train:

endurance

humility

courage

discipline

and faith that holds under pressure

Because the goal isn’t just to win rounds…

The goal is to become the kind of person who can say:

“Even here… I trust the Lord.”

Closing Prayer

Lord,

Teach us to trust You in hard rounds.

Give us calm under pressure,

faith in the waiting,

and strength that comes from You alone.

Make us warriors with humble hearts.

Amen