Family Worship April 25, 2010
Bel Aire Baptist Church
Series: Conversations With God [#2]
GOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Habakkuk 1:5-2:4
Introduction:
Have you ever heard the statement, “Be careful what you ask God for, because you my get it”? Last week we talked about what to do when God seems to not be listening, looking, or working. This morning we are going to see that God does answer our prayers, but sometimes the answer may not be what we were hoping for.
Habakkuk 1:5-11 (MSG)
"Look around at the godless nations. Look long and hard. Brace yourself for a shock. Something's about to take place and you're going to find it hard to believe. I'm about to raise up Babylonians to punish you, Babylonians, fierce and ferocious-- World-conquering Babylon, grabbing up nations right and left, A dreadful and terrible people, making up its own rules as it goes. Their horses run like the wind, attack like bloodthirsty wolves. A stampede of galloping horses thunders out of nowhere. They descend like vultures circling in on carrion. They're out to kill. Death is on their minds. They collect victims like squirrels gathering nuts. They mock kings, poke fun at generals, Spit on forts, and leave them in the dust. They'll all be blown away by the wind. Brazen in sin, they call strength their god."
What? Habakkuk was asking God for justice, but not this way. He didn’t mean for God to answer his prayer by destroying the Nation. Isn’t interesting in how God does things so opposite than how we would do it? In fact, God tells Habakkuk, ”Brace yourself… Something’s about to take place and you’re going to find it hard to believe.”
God tells him that He is going to use the Babylonians to serve justice against His people. You must understand this morning that the Babylonians were some of the most brutal people to ever live on this earth. They would do things like have contest to see who could skin the captured enemies alive the fastest. They would cut the heads off of kings and rulers of the cities they conquered and put them on poles alongside of the roads entering into the cities.
Let’s just be honest, sometimes we disagree with how God does things.
When you disagree with the way God answers your prayers, then you should consider…
1. Who God is.
Habakkuk 1:12 (NIV)
“O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.”
God is…
> Eternal. God has always been around. He knows what happened in the past, He knows what’s happening now, and He knows what will happen in the future. He can see the big picture that we can’t.
God is…
> Personal. Notice that he says, “My God”. There is the key- Is God your God? Just knowing that He is the only true God isn’t enough. He wants to be your God. He is personal- Not just some God that got things going and went on vacation. He cares.
God is…
> Holy. That means “to be set apart”. He is different. He isn’t like everyone else. He is perfect. He is just.
God is…
> Lord. The word “Lord” means “boss”. He is in control. He knows how to do things. He will direct us in the right direction, if we will simply follow Him.
God is…
> The Rock. God is immovable. He is secure. He doesn’t change. He has a plan; and it will work.
When you disagree with the way God answers your prayers, then you should consider…
2. Who the real enemy is.
Habakkuk 1:13-17
Habakkuk declares Who God is and then he begins to play the “comparison game”. You know- That game where you compare yourself to your enemy? That game where you tell God how bad the enemy is and how good you are compared to them?
I would ask you to examine what is about the enemy that you hate so much?
Is it…
> Their rebelliousness?
> Their selfishness?
> The fact that they seem blessed?
Are you upset about what the enemy is doing or are you jealous of how it seems like their life is better than yours?
When you disagree with the way God answers your prayers, then you should consider…
3. Who you are.
Habakkuk 2:1-4 (MSG)
“What's God going to say to my questions? I'm braced for the worst. I'll climb to the lookout tower and scan the horizon. I'll wait to see what God says, how he'll answer my complaint. And then GOD answered: "Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming--it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time. "Look at that man, bloated by self-importance-- full of himself but soul-empty. But the person in right standing before God through loyal and steady believing is fully alive, really alive.”
Maybe… Just maybe, you’re the problem. Ouch! The rebelliousness and selfishness that you notice in your enemy may be the things that you are really struggling with in yourself. The reason you are upset with God is it seems like He is blessing them for the same thing that He is punishing you for.
You can’t fix other people; you can’t change other people; but you can change yourself. How do you change yourself so that when God answers your prayers, you don’t waste all of your time complaining instead of thanking Him for listening, answering, and doing?
You change by…
> Running to the tower.
The watchtower in a city was a place of protection where men could see what was going on. Habakkuk was going to a place where he could focus his attention on what the Word of God would be. He was in a quiet and safe place.
If we are going to change, then we must go to God in prayer quickly. We need to stop waiting until there are no other options. We need to go to a place where we can actually focus on God. We may need to turn off the phone, unplug the door bell, etc…
You change by…
> Waiting on God.
Once you get to your quiet place, then you need to shut up and listen. We need to learn how to meditate upon the Word of God. We need to stop trying to fit God into our schedule and allow our schedule to fit into God’s plan.
You change by…
> Writing it down.
While it is important for us to write things down physically so that we can remember; I’m talking about writing them down in our minds and hearts.
When God talks to us through His Word; talks to us through the circumstances; talks to us through other people; etc… then we need to make it important enough that we remember it in our minds and hearts.
Sometimes we disagree with God’s answer because we have simply forgotten how He always takes care of us. We forget that God knows best.
Conclusion:
Habakkuk 2:4b
This morning, we must remember in faith that God knows best; that we need to stop worrying about what others are doing; and that if we want change, that it starts with us individually.
