As we close out our series through Habakkuk, we join with the prophet as he rests in joy and worship. Moved from complaint to trust, we will be challenged to take our fears to God, and trust in the One who is the joy of our salvation!
As we close out our series through Habakkuk, we join with the prophet as he rests in joy and worship. Moved from complaint to trust, we will be challenged to take our fears to God, and trust in the One who is the joy of our salvation!
The lack of justice, evil and agony we experience in this world is not the last word on our suffering. Habakkuk has demonstrated the value of lament for us as followers of Christ. Throughout the first two chapters we have learned that even in what seems to be a desperate situation -- God is working His plan! Now that Habakkuk has heard definitively from the Lord that suffering is inevitable, we will see the next critical step when we lament.
God’s acceptance is not God’s approval, and what God allows will be called into account. Wickedness, evil, violence, and injustice will not have the final word; the one from all eternity, the Lord in His holy temple, has both the first and the last word.
Our screens, our newspapers, our friends, family and even our own bodies scream calamity. Danger without and within has become the norm and often we lack the resources to deal with it. As Habakkuk wrestled similarly in his world, the God he questioned infused his calamity with hope. His Lord gave him the resources to stand firm in a quaking world. Let us find that same strength as we study Habakkuk 2:2-5 together.
What are we to do, as people of faith, when we face ongoing, lingering, and long-term challenges, hardship, and suffering? What are we to do when it feels like God is not providing help, deliverance, or relief? The book of Habakkuk helps us in these times by giving us guidance, understanding, and hope.
Habakkuk, the prophet, is crying out to God for help and salvation based on his situation and circumstances. We read about his lament, a prayer of complaint, in the opening four verses of Habakkuk.
This marks the beginning of our new eight-week series, "How Long, O Lord?" Join us as we journey with Habakkuk in seeking answers to our prayers of lament. Through engaging in a dialogue with God, Habakkuk discovers the power of faith in the face of waiting for God's intervention amidst prevailing wrongdoing and wickedness.
In this first message we delve into Habakkuk's initial prayer, reflecting on the challenges of waiting and confronting injustice. There is a link in the sermon notes for a special video from the Bible Project that provides valuable insights into the themes of the book of Habakkuk.