Mitigating Dread-1

MITIGATING DREAD—Habakkuk 3:16-19

(Alleviate/Relieve/Lessen/Diminish)

Attention:

Hurricane Dorian Devastated the Bahamas in August of 2019.

Below is an actual picture of our home TV screen showing just how Floridians were Preparing for the threat of Hurricane Dorian:

Verbal Synopsis: The Weather Channel host is speaking to their man live on location on the east coast of Florida. He is centered in the screen & standing on the beach, with a stern look in his eye. His forehead is wrinkled with concern for those living in Dorian's projected path as he verbally describes the ensuing hurricane preparations. The ticker at the bottom of the screen says in capital letters, "FLORIDIANS PREPARE FOR HURRICANE DORIAN."

However, the live feed of the beach behind the ‘live feed’ shows that the beach is actually full of beachgoers in their bathing suits, some stretched out on blankets getting tanned...Others under beach umbrellas reading books or sleeping...Kids are building sandcastles...Some are in the water swimming...Some are walking down the beach at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally to pick up a shell or two, as they lazily meander along.

!What a hilarious picture of contrasting opinions & priorities!

Dread—‘Something you fear greatly, or are apprehensive about.’

Mitigate—‘To cause to become less harsh.’

Need:

What is YOUR worst Nightmare?

What brings Dread/Pressure/Fear/Anxiety/Worry to your life?...

...NOT felt need, but REAL Dread!

The Holy Spirit thru the prophet Habakkuk, produced a heart-song that mitigated/alleviated the dread of a destined invasion.

God’s people have a heart-song available to them that mitigates the dread of destiny.

When does your heart-song mitigate a dread of destiny?

1—Dread of destiny is mitigated when your heart-song properly measures...

POSSIBILITY’s POTENTIAL(:16-17)

Explanation:(:16-17)Intensity

:16—“When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.”

“When I heard, my body trembled;”

The prophet “heard” of the devastation ‘already’ brought about by, & determined to be brought directly to him, by/thru the indirect hand of God(using Babylon as His instrument of destruction).

Upon his “hearing” of such from God, Habakkuk entirely physically “trembled” in fear & dismay.

“My lips quivered at the voice;”

Likewise, Habakkuk’s “lips quivered” upon “hearing” the sound/“voice.”

•This ‘probably’ speaks of God’s “voice” within the prophetic revelation for Habakkuk. The certainty of the imminent fulfillment of foreign occupation, by God’s determination, is what brought Habakkuk distress. His apprehension was intensified, knowing it was God’s inextinguishable/unstoppable/unchanging will for the calamities to happen/occur.

“Rottenness entered my bones;”

The news of Israel’s imminent demise is so unnerving, that it causes “rottenness” to “enter” Habakkuk’s “bones”, so that he “trembles” inwardly. He can find no good in it. This news shakes him throughout!

Heb. 12:25-29—“See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence & godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

It’s not that God’s being “a consuming fire” means that God is bad. But rather that God will see fit, to the removal of everything that dishonors Him.

“And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble.”

The utter “trembling” brought about thru the inward “rottenness”, brings Habakkuk a degree of “rest” in the midst of “the day of trouble.”

Rom. 2:4-9—“Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, & longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness & your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath & revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, & immortality; but to those who are self-seeking & do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation & wrath, tribulation & anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first & also of the Greek;”

“That I might rest in the day of trouble.”

Habakkuk’s “rest” can also be translated as ‘rest quietly.’ Habakkuk’s “rest” is not necessarily a “rest” of relief, as in a removal of stress,—but it is rather a “rest” that causes him to resign himself to the inevitability of what will happen due to the coming invasion. His “rest” is in God alone!(:18-19) The dread of destiny causes him to rely upon God.