Habakkuk 1: 1-5: The prophecy that Habakkuk the prophet received.
Habakkuk’s complaint:
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law is paralysed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s Answer:
5 “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
Have you ever wondered why God is taking His time with you? Why does He take so long to answer?
We are going to learn something from a prophet called Habakkuk.
Now, even in his name there is a lesson. His name means “embrace” or “hug”. When you need comfort God sends a hug for us. He also reminds us to embrace what God is saying.
But not all the prophet said was soft and comforting. But Habakkuk expresses some of our own feelings too.
Now before we get there, let’s get some context.
Not a lot is known about Habakkuk. His background is not a pedigreed background.
From his historical references in his writings, we can understand that he was a contemporary of Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah. He’s ministering around the same time as some pretty heavy weight prophets.
He is one the prophets before the seventy year exile, when Israel was under the ruler-ship of the Babylonians and the Medes and Persians.
Habakkuk was a prophet who has a heavy-heart for this people during his lifetime. He was consumed with a burden for his people and for those whom he was attempting to reach.
Judah was a nation in chaos, instead of peace there was violence, people turned against each other and perversion and wickedness spread throughout Judah.
He is serving God and serving people but the people have rejected God.
Habakkuk is written like a conversation between the prophet and God. Much like our prayer lives.
Here’s some things we can learn from him in chapter one:
1. Express Yourself to God
Habakkuk says it like it is! He is frustrated. And he vents that frustration.
He is honest with himself and honest with God about how he feels!
2: How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?
Do you ever ask God questions? I do, all the time. There is nothing wrong in asking God a question.
Our questions can express the hunger in our heart. Habakkuk was hungry for the justice and the backsliding in the people of God to be dealt with.
What are you hungry for?
- When I am hungry I ask: “What’s for dinner?”
- When I am thirsty I ask: “What is there to drink?”
- When I am lost I ask: “Which way now?”
What you want, what concerns you, is what you will be asking God for.
Habakkuk is not scared to question what God is doing.
“How long?” It seems in the text that this was not the first time that he had asked but he has not received a swift answer.
“…but you do not listen? … but you do not save?”
Not every answer from God will be quick. It is in the trials of life that character is formed.
Romans 5: 3-5: Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Paul says he glories in suffering. What? How? Because of what it produces in him:
- Perseverance - the ability to carry on. So many people want an easy life, a soft life, full of comfort. Such people will not have the ability to keep going when the going gets tough.
- Character - perseverance leads to character. Character is who you are when no one is looking. It is the real you. You can have good character or bad character - it is developed during tough times but the choice will always be yours as to whether you have a good character or a corrupt character.
- Hope - if our character (who we are) is formed by Jesus then we will have hope. We know things will change, things will get better. Not because of hope in ourselves, in our ability, but hope and trust in Jesus is.
- Celebration - hope in Jesus does not disappoint us! Because we have the Holy Spirit within us.
When God is silent, what are you going to do?
Will you give up praying? Will your faithfulness stop?
I heard an old song recently and the words are beautiful. I am not going to sing it but believe someone needs to hear the words:
“When you're alone,
And your heart is torn,
He is all you need!
When you're confused,
And your soul is bruised,
He is all you need!
He's the rock of your soul,
He's the anchor that holds,
Through your desperate times.
When your way is unsure,
His love will endure,
And peace you will find!
Through all your years,
The joy, the tears,
He is all you need! (He’s All You Need, Steve Camp).
2. God Answers, But Not as We’d Always Like!
We love this verse:
5: “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”
- Look and watch:
So often we forget to watch what is happening in the world around us. We forget to see what is going on.
Spurgeon said: “When you pray hold a Bible one hand and a newspaper in the other.”
Today we would get our news through our phones of the TV. But I want you to know that unless you are watching the news through the lens of your Bible you will be fearful. You will not know how to pray and you will not know when God is moving.
Jesus said: watch and pray:
Luke 21: 6: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Cf. Matt 26:41; Mark 14:38 et al).
Paul said:
Colossians 4:2: Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
We need to be a people of watching-prayer! Just like in Habakkuk’s time God is about to do something in our nation!
Prayer is going to be an important part of what God is doing; praying for the nations, praying for the community, praying for our friends, praying for the church.
- Be Surprised:
Know this - the answer to your prayer is coming! God is not going to be silent for much longer!
But know this too: the answer will not be what you expected!
Habakkuk asked for help and God says He is going to solve the problem in Judah by sending the Babylonians!
Habakkuk does not understand God’s answer.
Maybe there have been times in your own life when you have prayed and you have found it difficult to understand God’s answer to your own prayer.
There are times when we pray, when we have an idea fixed in our mind about how God will answer our prayer.
Remember Naaman was surprised by what Elijah told him to do to receive his miracle-healing?
2 Kings 5: 11-12b: But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 …So he turned and went off in a rage.
Don’t reject the answer to prayer because it’s not what you expected. God moves in ways we do not understand:
Isaiah 55:9-10: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Unexpected answers to prayer come suddenly!
- Praying for a spouse - answered suddenly.
- Praying for healing - comes suddenly.
- Praying for work - suddenly!
But you may find the spouse you did not expect, the healing in a new way, the job you never thought would have.
Here’s a thought: you might be the answer to someone else’s prayer!
What do I mean?
- Someone might be praying for food and God lays it on your heart to give food.
- Someone might be praying for money and God tells you to give them some cash!
- Someone might be praying that their prodigal child meets a Christian and you witness to that child.
- Someone might be praying for a job and you hear of something in your workplace and recommend them!
- The Waiting is Almost Over!
God says to Habakkuk: “… For I am going to do something in your days…”
Some promises are for the future - for the next geenration (Hebrews 11:39).
But the answer to your prayer - you will see it! It will happen in your days! While you are alive. Soon!
Don’t give up the time of prayer. Be persistent - like the parable of the persistent widow who came to the judge at night (Luke 18:1-8, cf. Luke 11:5-10, persistent requests for bread, ask, seek, knock).
Keep that request before God! The answer is coming!
Wrapping This Up:
Let’s pray!
Let’s ask God to come swiftly “in our days”.
Let’s ask Him to do the unexpected.
Let’s ask Him to perform the miraculous and to give us the courage to carry on!
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