Habakkuk 2:1-4 “How Do I Live By Faith?”
I have some friends who are doing what is known as "living by faith."
To them, and to many who use that phrase, it means that they are trusting totally on God to supply their financial needs.
As a matter of fact, most people who use the term "living by faith" use it in a sense that refers to God’s provision.
They have no doubt that God will meet their needs.
It is easy to say we are "living by faith" when things are going well, when there are no personal crises to deal with, no tragedies in life, no heartache.
But what about when "the going gets tough" - when the last of the savings account is gone and there is still no job in sight, when someone we love is taken from us abruptly, when we seem to be thrown into the middle of persecution or injustice for no apparent reason?
These are the times that test our faith.
These are times that cause us to question God.
These are times that can lead us to doubt the very existence of God if we aren’t careful, especially if God is slow to answer.
Does asking God questions mean we don’t have faith?
No, Habakkuk asked God questions.
He was troubled by the wickedness he saw in his society and he brought some serious questions before God.
In this conversation between Habakkuk and God, we are left with the distinct impression that he was a man who truly learned to live by faith.
He trusted God to provide answers to his questions, but more than that, he trusted that God is in control and that he can be completely trusted to vindicate those who are faithful to him.
In Verses 1-4 of Chapter 2 we catch a glimpse of what it really means to "live by faith."
Habakkuk gives us four principles - four biblical truths - that will strengthen our faith if we are willing to learn and apply them.
First,
I. Living By Faith Means Waiting For God To Answer (v 1)
In Chapter 1, Habakkuk asked God two questions: The first is found in Chapter 1:1-4, "Why do the wicked go unpunished?"
Habakkuk appeals to the Lord, wondering how long he must cry out and how long he must look at all the wickedness before God does something.
We would have said it this way, "Hey, God, when are you going to punish all these evil people and vindicate me?"
God answers the first question by telling Habakkuk that he will use the most wicked of all nations, the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to punish not only Israel, but all of the wicked nations on earth. (1:5-11)
God’s answer seems to trouble him a little bit because Habakkuk understands something of the character of God.
Look what he says, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong." (1:13)
So, he asks the second question, "Why are you going to use the wicked to punish the righteous?" (1:12 - 2:1)
Habakkuk can’t seem to understand how God can sit idly by and watch all the wickedness that is so obvious without lifting a finger to punish it.
Then, when God tells him that he will use the most wicked nation on the face of the earth to judge the wickedness of the nations, he’s really confused and disturbed.
He just can’t come to grips with the fact that God would use a wicked nation like Babylon to execute judgment.
But instead of trying to second guess God, instead of getting angry with God because it wasn’t an answer he really wanted to hear, he decides it would be better if he just waited for God to answer his second question.
Look what he says, verse 1:
"I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint." (2:1)
He does not doubt that God will answer.
In fact, he fully expects that God will not only answer his complaint but will also tell him how to answer others when he is challenged.
Surely others would be concerned that God is going to allow the Chaldeans to punish Israel.
Habakkuk prepared himself for God’s answer and waited patiently to receive it.
He "waited and watched" for a word from God.
How many times have you gone to God with a question, or with a petition, or even a complaint, but not waited for Him to answer?
God reveals his answers through prayer, through Scripture, through circumstances, through other people.
He can even use unsaved people to give us the answers to our questions.
Watch for those clear signs God gives us that reveal his answers.
Get into the best position possible to receive a word from God.
What’s the best position to be in to receive a word from God?
When you are enjoying a close, personal relationship firmly grounded in faith in Jesus Christ.
Living by faith means that we will wait for God to answer.
II. Living By Faith Means Obeying God (v 2)
When the Lord finally answered Habakkuk, he gave him something to do.
You need to understand that Habakkuk waited until the Lord answered before he acted.
We don’t know how long he waited, but when he got the answer, he was prepared to do the will of God.
God told him to "write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that whoever reads it may run with it."
God was telling him to "go public with the proclamation."
God didn’t just tell Habakkuk to write the vision, but to write the vision with large, clear letters and to display this message in the public places where even those who ran by could see at a glance the message God had given.
Habakkuk did what God said.
Have you ever gone to God with a petition or a complaint or asked God to do something, then refused to do what God wanted you to do?
Has God ever spoken to you and told you to take a stand against some injustice, or to voice opposition to an issue, and you just sat around, wondering if God really spoke to you?
When God answers our prayers and petitions, he often requires that we become intimately involved in the answer.
For instance, when you pray for lost people, are you obedient when God asks you to be the one to share the plan of salvation?
Or when God burdens you about some moral issue, like abortion or homosexuality or pornography, and plainly tells you to voice your opposition to government officials, do you make your proclamation to those officials, or do you pray that God will take the burden away?
Or, even worse, do you rationalize the situation away by convincing yourself that, "I’m only one person. I can’t do much" or "They have big organizations that do those things. I’ll just send a donation and let them take care of it."
When you see wickedness and corruption all around you, are you troubled enough to ask for God’s intervention?
If God asked you to "go public with his proclamation", would you, even if it meant you might lose your job, or go to jail, or be persecuted in some other way?
I dare say that many of us wouldn’t.
Living by faith means being obedient, regardless of the situation, regardless of the consequences.
Living by faith means waiting on God to answer, and
III. Living By Faith Means Waiting For God To Act (v 3)
If you read the remainder of Chapter 2, you see that God answered Habakkuk by telling him that he was quite aware of the wickedness of Babylon and that he would punish it in due time.
The vision was for a later date.
God tells Habakkuk to wait, but to believe that the day would come when God would judge the sins of Babylon.
God would keep his promise.
The time of this judgment was already appointed.
In essence, God says to Habakkuk, "Be patient, I will work out my plans according to my time line, not yours."
God’s timing is perfect.
He knows what he is going to do, when he is going to do it, who he is going to do it to, why he is going to do it, and how he is going to do it.
He doesn’t need our help, though he often requires our participation.
Living by faith means waiting for God to act.
The command in Verse 3 is followed by a promise, "wait for it, it will surely come."
Living by faith means waiting for God to act on his promises according to his timetable.
We tend to get impatient with God.
We want him to act now, when we want him to act.
Instead of standing firm in our faith and waiting expectantly for God to act, we go to him complaining, "Haven’t you heard me? You’ve got to do something. This is serious; can’t you see the urgency of the situation? Aren’t you listening?"
Instead of waiting for God to act, we challenge him, even threaten him, and set off to do it ourselves.
Inevitably, we fail because God’s hand wasn’t in it.
God often brings us to those "eleventh hour" situations to build our faith, so that we can "live by faith."
A friend of mine said long ago, "God may not answer when you want him to, but he always answers on time."
Living by faith means waiting for God to act.
Living by faith means waiting on God to answer.
Living by faith means being obedient, and finally,
IV. Living By Faith Means Trusting God (v 4)
The Babylonians trusted in themselves for their own security.
They were proud and arrogant, ignoring Habakkuk’s prophetic vision.
They trusted in their own military might and lived to satisfy their own lusts at the expense of the captives.
The Babylonian Empire fell in 539 B.C., about 70 years after this prophesy.
They were destroyed, just as God promised, because they chose to trust in themselves rather than in God.
In this verse we have a fundamental principle of the gospel, "the just (or righteous) shall live by faith."
To rid ourselves of the desire to be secure in our own efforts, to believe God’s message, and to trust him alone for our salvation means life and happiness.
Pride trusts only itself and leads to death.
Faith is what the Christian stands on when he has to live through difficult times without being able to see the outcome.
We trust that God is directing all things according to his purpose, then we wait for him to reveal his plan to us.
Martin Luther said this about the character of faith:
"Faith is a living, well-founded confidence in the grace of God, so perfectly certain that it would die a thousand times rather than surrender its conviction. Such confidence and personal knowledge of divine grace makes its possessor joyful, bold, and full of warm affection toward God and all created things - all of which the Holy Spirit works in faith. Hence, such a man becomes, without constraint, willing and eager to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer all manner of ills, in order to please and glorify God, who has shown toward him such grace."
Living by faith means trusting God.
CONCLUSION:
Living by faith means waiting for God to answer, it means obeying God, it means waiting for God to act, and it means trusting God.
Can you truthfully say this morning that you are living by faith?
Do you wait for God to answer your questions, or do you have your own answers and just want God to agree with you?
Do you obey God when he asks you to do something, or do you ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit?
Do you wait for God to act, or do you find that you question whether or not God has even heard you?
Do you trust God with your very life?
Are you living by faith?
