Habbakuk tells us how to deal with evil times and maintain joy when everything is going wrong. There are three principles to giving: give sacrificially, joyfully, and graciously. We must recognize that everything is a gift from God, so we're giving back from his gifts. Habbakuk points to Jesus as the true source of our strength.

The subplot of Jonah's story is his relationship with the sailors on the ship to Tarshish. The sailors rebuke Jonah for not using his faith for the common good. When his behavior alters, it creates a change in them. Too often the church is like Jonah: asleep to the people standing right in front of them.