God Is Workin’ - Habakkuk 1:1-11
Play Habakkuk video......
If God is love.... Where is the love??
Does he care??
Why isn’t he doing something???
Prayer....
Lord we look around our world and we see violence and injustice. We see suffering and evil, apathy and disillusionment.
Lord it sometimes seems that you’re absent - That you don’t care anymore. That you’ve washed your hands of humanity and left us to our own devices.
Lord it sometimes seems that our prayers fall on deaf ears or that you’ve just lost the will to intervene for us, yet again.
Lord we praise you and thank you that your word assures us that YOU ARE STILL WORKING!
Lord we praise you and thank you that, even though we can’t always see it – even though we don’t always understand things – you are still in control. You are still on the Throne!
Work in our hearts today, Lord. May we leave this place with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts, knowing that further along we’ll know all about it, and further along we’ll understand why.
May we leave this place today saying, just like Habakkuk, “I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on...” to new heights. Amen.
Intro
The Minor Prophets are a collection of short books tucked away, towards the end of the OT.
These little books are often overlooked and under preached, yet they contain very powerful messages – very relevant messages for us today & for our society.
Today I want us to take just a quick peek inside the front cover of the book of Habakkuk.
So turn with me in your Bibles to Habakkuk Ch 1:1-11. (Page 662)
This little book is really a written record of a conversation that was had between the prophet Habakkuk and God.
Habakkuk is thought to have been a Jewish priest, turned prophet, who lived in Jerusalem around 600BCE. He prophesied during the reign of the evil King Jehoiakim. He is also thought to have been a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah, who prophesied around that time.
The nation of Judah was in rapid decline. Injustice, war, murder, drunkenness, immorality and violence were just part of everyday life – and increasingly so. Picking up a newspaper then, would read pretty much the same as our newspapers today.
The name ‘Habakkuk’ means to ‘embrace’ and, I think, even just a casual read though this little book, will show you just how Habakkuk embraced God!
Despite the wickedness around him - Despite the evilness,
Despite the injustice - Despite the arrogance
Despite his own frustration - Despite his own questioning
Habakkuk had faith in God!! - Habakkuk embraced God!
Body
Right in the 1st verse we read how Habakkuk was a man with open eyes! He was observant! He looked out at his nation and saw their wickedness and sin. The king had rejected the Word of the Lord – In other words the Government had forsaken biblical principles (sound familiar, does it??) The cost of this rejection was political, economic, moral, social and spiritual decline. (Again I ask, does it sound familiar??)
Not only was there corruption and decline within the nation, but there was also a growing threat from outside the nation too. The Chaldeans, better known as the Babylonians, were on the move. These ruthless, warlike people were uncomfortably close to Judah’s boarders. What was there to stop them sweeping over the borders and taking the land?? All the Temple prophets were predicting peace and safety – but the Spirit of God was making Habakkuk uneasy!
Habakkuk was seeing all of this – he was a man with his eyes open – therefore he was a man with a burden! A troubled man!
Habakkuk was puzzled – He didn’t understand what God was doing – so he was worried!
So what did he do??? He did what most of us do when we have worries – he prayed.
Isn’t it true that when we talk to God - We sometimes question Him? We sometimes throw our hands in the air and ask, “What are you doing?” Sometimes we even look at our situation and make accusations against God!!!
This is exactly what Habakkuk did.
In our portion of scripture for today we see that Habakkuk had 2 accusations against God. Indifference & Inactivity!!
1. Indifference
V2 – “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out... but you do not save?”
Habakkuk was living in a time when everything around him seemed to be falling apart. Not only was Judah his nation, but Judah was also the Church of that day – they were the people of God.
Habakkuk was praying about the sins of the people. He was praying for justice. He was praying for good things - for the things that God is supposed to stand for -
So why was God not listening to him????
How many times have you prayed, “Lord, how long....”
Lord how long will it be before this problem will go away???
Lord, when- will –my-loved-one-learn!!
Lord, why don’t you do something?? Why don’t you heal me?? Why don’t you do something about the drug-problem in this city? Why don’t you do something about the homeless situation, WHY DON’T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT GLOBAL POVERTY, HUMAN TRAFFICKING OR THE WAR ON TERRORISM!!!
How many times have you prayed fervently for help and it just seems as though God doesn’t hear – or that God just doesn’t care??
It is sometimes easy to believe that God is indifferent to our situation.
It is easy to believe that he’s ignoring us, or that He doesn’t care about our plight.
This is exactly how Habakkuk felt! - So this was Habakkuk’s 1st accusation against God – Indifference.
2. Inactivity
In V3-4 Habakkuk asks God, “Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”
In other words.... “God, why are you inactive? Why are you not doing something about this? Why don’t you punish the sins of the people? Why are you not putting a stop to all this??”
To Habakkuk, God appeared to be doing nothing! - And, perhaps, for this period of time, we need to acknowledge that God wasn’t taking any obvious action to deal with the situation. Perhaps God was letting Judah have it their way – just for a while.
If God was letting Judah have things their own way - Is it any wonder that their society ended up the way it did?? The nation had forsaken God - so they got what they wanted - a society without God.
– God’s people forsook God and so they got what they deserved – life without God!!
Injustice, wrong, destruction, violence, strife, conflict, the intimidation of innocent people and a perverted legal system.
Does this sound like Canada today?? Does this sound like most of the Western World today?? Dare I say it.....does this sound a wee bit like the Church today too???
Perhaps we are praying, “Lord, why aren’t you doing something???” –and maybe the reality is that he’s purposely not doing anything at all just now!!! – Perhaps we’re just getting things our own way too – perhaps we’re just getting exactly what we deserve?? Perhaps we’re getting life without God, just as Judah did!!
Now - Maybe you’re sitting there thinking – That is such a sad, miserable and depressing message– How bleak is this???? Did they not teach him in Bible college about preaching Grace and Good News in the text!! - Well, I promise you the Grace is on the way!!
The good news is this:-
God is NOT blind – he sees the wickedness, sin, injustice and evil that is going on in Judea & in Canada & even in your life.
God is NOT deaf – he hears the prayers of the righteous and the cries of the oppressed.
God is NOT indifferent – he cares about the situation and
God is NOT inactive – even though Habakkuk can’t see Him taking action – GOD IS TAKING ACTION! The action is on its way!!! And the same is true for you today as well!!
In verses 5-11, we have Gods answer to Habakkuk – God tells him to “watch and be utterly amazed!”
Watch and be utterly amazed!!
V 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.”
In Habakkuk’s situation God was working – God was taking care of the issues. Yes, he may not have been doing very much at that particular moment – but something was coming down the pipeline. God was certainly and decisively going to answer Habakkuk’s prayer.
God was going to put an end to the Injustice, wrong, destruction, violence, strife, conflict and intimidation – all the things that Habakkuk was worried about – and he was going to do it in an amazing and unexpected way – and he was going to use unexpected & unlikely agents.
What has been your experience??
Have you seen God work to answer your prayers in amazing and unexpected ways.
I visited with someone this week, and I heard a very powerful testimony about how God taken care of him repeatedly through impossible situations. He shared with me how God used this church congregation to miraculously provide for him in very unexpected ways.
A new immigrant, through her tears, told me how God had used The Salvation Army Family Services Department, to provide furniture and food for her and her little family. She went on to share how God had provided care, protection and direction for them in this new and scary country.
I highlight these testimonies simply because they’re fresh in my mind – I’m sure that there are many of you here this morning with similar testimonies that could be shared.
But sadly, for many of us - in our current crisis, we forget the greatness of our God. We forget the awesome answers to prayers that we’ve experienced in the past.
God is working, and he’s working in amazing ways!
Conclusion
Today, if you have habitual sins, worries – concerns, burdens, whatever you want to call them. If you are sending up fervent prayers and you’re feeling that God is not listening or that he’s ignoring you…..
If you feel that God is inactive and he’s just not dealing with your situation – then I encourage you to take heart. Stay faithful. Live by faith!
The Scriptures say, “The just shall live by faith.” Doesn’t it?
The old chorus says……
God is still on the Throne and he will remember his own, though troubles oppress us and burdens distress us, he never will leave us alone.
God is still on the Throne and he will remember is own, his promise is true, he will not forget you – God is still on the throne.
Maybe you’re going through a situation right now and you just don’t understand it.
Maybe it just seems that evil is winning in your life!
Maybe it just seems that the Devil is attacking you left, right and centre.
Maybe it just seems that everything is going wrong for you – and yet for other people, people who don’t seem to give two hoots about God, their life seems so wonderful and rosy and easy.
As we move into a time of prayer and reflection this morning- let’s remember that God is still working and even though we sometimes don’t see it, he is still in control of our situation. – Someday - one day, we will eventually understand it.
Further along we’ll know all about it, further along we’ll understand why.
Cheer up my brother, live in the sunshine, We’ll understand it all by & by.
Let us quietly listen or sing this song – let’s use it as an opportunity to respond to God’s Spirit.
This Mercy Seat – this place of prayer is available for you to come and kneel at the Masters feet – a place for you to come and do business with God!
Another little chorus says (Song 246)
All your anxiety, all your care, bring to the Mercy Seat, leave it there.
Never a burden he cannot bear, Never a friend like Jesus!!
