Hope When Uncertainty Rises
Habakkuk
Introduction
If you’ve ever let the wicked, hurtful, unspeakable things you witness in this world whittle away at your faith, you’re not alone. And Habakkuk is your book. Habakkuk deals with some of the most basic elements of the struggle of faith. Don’t look for easy answers, they aren’t there. Instead, look for hope in the dark … when uncertainty rises. G. P. Holt's Harding University Lecture was titled “Accelerating When You Cannot See”. Great way to see Habakkuk's message.
Little is known about the prophet Habakkuk. His name means “ardent embrace”. He was likely a contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah, and just a little later than Nahum. He has been called the “prophet of providence”. His ancient message resonates with modern people of faith. Habakkuk begins his prophecy with the most profound
question we can ask.
1. WHY?
Habakkuk 1:2-4
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 paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.
The profound question that come to every person who faces troubles. Why does a righteous person suffer? Libraries could be filled with the books that seek to address the problem of the justice of God. The greatest minds have wrestled with questions of ‘Why?’ We probably won’t solve the dilemma in a few minutes. But is there any hope when all seems dark? For those who are in pain due to abuse, addiction, adultery or abandonment - is there any relief? We are surrounded by the homeless, the helpless, the hurting and hungry. Every person in this room could share from the experiences with darkness in their own lives. There is literally no end to the reasons to ask WHY?
God does not reject Habakkuk for asking WHY. Other Bible characters have also asked ‘why’. Even Jesus on the cross quoted Psalm 22:1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Habakkuk does something that we all have to do when facing difficult times.
2. WAIT
Habakkuk 2:1-4
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 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.
Habakkuk stations himself on a tower to watch and wait for an answer from the Lord. God wants him to write down what he sees. Write it plainly; send it for all to read. What is the message? The ungodly enemy who appears to be having a winning season is full of pride and his defeat is certain to come. Live by faith… trust God. "But the righteous one will live by his faith" (2:4b, CSB).
What does it mean to live by faith in God? We Believe…
-God is in control, beyond our needs and desires.
-God is trustworthy, in spite of our struggles.
-God is loving and strong, lean on Him.
-God’s wisdom is dependable, learn His ways.
-God is eternal, stay loyal to Him always.
-Habakkuk 2:4b is Probably the most famous statement in Habakkuk. It is repeated three times in the NT.
(Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:37,38).
If we are waiting for an answer that will solve all the dilemmas in our mind in regard to evil, justice, and God, we
probably won’t ever get there. “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing the monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” – C.S. Lewis
The call is to trust God … to be faithful. We ask Why? We Wait for His answer. We hear Habakkuk: 2:20 “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”
3. I WILL
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
As Habakkuk ends, he calls us to submit through faith.
Verse 17 begins with a crucial word: though. Habakkuk isn’t saying that all is resolved.2. He is saying that the righteous live by faith even though. Habakkuk doesn’t back away from the losses. The loss of food, means of support, lack of ability to commerce.
“Violence against unborn babies; violence against women and children; violence by the strong against the weak, by the many against the few, by those in authority against those unable to resist or get redress; violence which goes unchecked and unpunished. We, like Habakkuk, live in a violent world… Like Habakkuk, we need to reach the
place where we can quietly say, “though…yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” (Prior)
We will because of the Strength of the Lord.
3:19 NET The Sovereign Lord is my source of strength. He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.
Conclusion
“Why does God allow the devastating ruin to go unchecked? Why does a whole world have to continue to suffer while ungodly criminals plunge us deeper into the abyss? When will God lift His hand to change the tide and cause justice to reign on the earth?” (Yates)
At the end of our questions, we must decide Whom we will trust. Ourselves? Our enemies? Or the God who strengthens us and gives us steady ‘feet’ in the rockiest of times.
At some point, we realize we do not wait on a God who will remove all struggle and difficulty … but One who will walk with us through the darkest valleys and keep us steady as we go. God gives us hope in when uncertainty rises. What other source of hope have we found?
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Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
1. What does Habakkuk teach us about bringing our questions to God?
2. God was about to loose the Babylonians on Judah with full awareness of their proud and violent reputation. How could God judge one sinful and unrepentant nation by sending another one that was even worse? (Abide)
3. Jack Lewis asks: Are we to believe that God today punishes nations with other nations? Is it possible to predict God’s alignment in present conflicts?
4. Habakkuk 2:4b is quoted three times in the New Testament. What is Scripture saying to you in each of those passages?
-Romans 1:16-17
-Galatians 3:8-12
-Hebrews 10:35-39
5. David Prior, in his commentary, notes the violence of our times, “We, like Habakkuk, live in a violent world… Like
place where we can quietly say, ‘though…yet I will rejoice in the Lord.’” How would you advise someone to be able to react to the struggles of the world with Habakkuk’s resolution?
6. Why Habakkuk does say that God makes my feet like that of a deer? Why does this generate strength in hard times?
7. Was there anything you wanted to ask about? Is there anything we need to be in prayer about?
