Passage
O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
Habakkuk 3:2 (KJV)
Nearby Context
Habakkuk 3:1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
Habakkuk 3:2 O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
Habakkuk 3:3 God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
Habakkuk 3:4 And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "mercy", "lord", "heard", "speech", "afraid", "revive", "midst", and "years". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mercy" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon..." into verse 3's "God came from Teman and the Holy...", so "mercy" and "lord" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mercy" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.