I want to begin with a statement in my sermon this morning that whatever God is doing… it makes no sense especially to the serious believers among us, to those of us who have taken the time to wrestle with our faith, have you ever noticed that there are seasons when God makes no sense?
Even though this planet earth may look marvelous from miles in space, but for those of us who live on this dusty globe, things tend to look rather grim from time to time!
Increased turmoil, rising terrorism, deepening trials, corruption, violence and wars, uncertainty, injustice, and unparalleled tensions cast dark shadows on our poor humanity…
So, is it any wonder that serious people begin to ask God questions like “why is there so much oppression?”
Why all the injustice? why do evil men prosper and the righteous suffer?
God, why don't you do something? why don't you clean up this mess? where are you when my loved ones die?
where are you when my teenager overdoses?
where are you in my misery, in my stress? Either you are all powerful but not loving…. Or you are loving but not powerful, or you are powerful and loving but you don't care!
Why? We have so many Whys, we have so many questions in our throat, and we are embarrassed to even ask them, we won’t question God because we were raised not to question God!
Don't ask God any questions, it's a sin to question God, it's blasphemous to question God, can the clay ask it’s maker? just take it like it comes, just accept it as a Christian.
They taught us that God won't put more on you than you can bear, just stand up under it … after you've done all you can just stand, don't ask God any questions!
But what kind of God would he be if he's intimidated by questions that I ask and raise?
Brothers and sisters there's no new thing under the sun, long before you and I ask God why… these questions that have clouded our mental and emotional skies for years, that get stuck in our throat, that we are afraid to ask… an ancient prophet by the name of Habakkuk looked around at the violence and the wickedness and cried out to God… why do you make me look at iniquity? And why cause me to see trouble?
why God, do you tolerate wrong?
why are you not saying or doing anything while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
Habakkuk prophesied in the 7th century BC during a time of violent, political upheaval.
He most likely lived in the final decades of the southern kingdom of Judah, his book teaches us both the faithfulness of God and what faithful living before God looks like when catastrophe strikes, and our lives are turned upside down.
A striking feature of the book of Habakkuk is the lively dialogical style of the writing of the book… both God and Habakkuk have an honest oftentimes heart-wrenching conversation about life, and all of its troubling events!
Habakkuk’s theology did not fit his experience of what God was doing, and more importantly, what God is seemingly not doing!
Because today in our theology, God gives you, or must give you everything you ask for…
In this pop gospel, in this name it and claim it counterfeit prosperity preaching, we are looking for God to answer every
prayer in the affirmative… we are waiting for God to show up in a prayer, and God is like a vending machine where you put your quick coin prayer and some instant blessing will come out like a can of coke… but brothers and sisters sometimes God says to us … you’ve got to suffer!
Because there will come a time in your life when there are some things, some fire that you just got to go through!
Sometimes you may get sick enough that God won't make you well…won’t come to heal you… you just may have to go
through it by yourself!
It may be God's will that you just got to go through storms,
it may please God that you got through struggle in that situation, because your struggle teaches you something about you and about God!
Because you never know what you can take, until you got to take it!
somebody here had been lied on,
somebody's been misunderstood,
somebody's been talked about,
somebody's been walked out on… but do you see how strong you are now? Do you see how much stronger your prayer life has gotten? because if God is going to use you… he got to prune you!
I’m kind of moving away from what I want to talk about but since the spirit led me there…. Have you ever seen a tree when it's being pruned? it's ugly, it's chopped up!
And that’s how some of you who's being pruned this morning look like…
you don't look so good, but you ought to tell your family and friends wait till God gets through….
wait until I come out of this pruning process, you think I’m acting like a fool now? wait until God opens a door for me…
you think I’m lifting my hands now? wait until God sends my breakthrough…
you think I’m praising now? God is pruning me and I’m shouting… wait till I start blossoming!
Because if you can blossom in the pruning, you sure ought to blossom when God is making it come through for you!
listen to me, hopefully our encounter with God after this lesson from Habakkuk will turn our doubts into devotion, melt our confusion into confidence, transform our worry into worship, our fear into the faith, our terror into trust, our anger into adoration because we see throughout the scripture that God seems quiet and silent but that does not mean that he's unconcerned… he's simply patient, his mercy endures forever, and he has his own timetable…
Listen brothers and sisters, get this … Mature faith humbly trust in a God that you can never fully understand!
Paul said it like this in 1 Cor 13:11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man (when I grew up in my faith, when I stopped being childish in my faith) I put away childish things.
Firstly, who are you, and who am I to question God? stay with me… and God is not offended by the question, you can question God, he invites you as a teacher to question him … but who are you and who am I to understand if he answers?
Let me explain it better…. anybody here who has ever raised children, or you have young children right now, or you have grandchildren right now … and your child 2-3-4-5 years old wants some ice cream before dinner,
and you say to him or her no… that's going to ruin your appetite… you don't need ice cream before you eat your dinner,
they will never come to you and say: you know you got a point there? I never looked at it like that, you're right, I agree with you… I’m going to sit down and eat my meal, and I’m going to behave myself, and then I’m going to wait on you if you
decide to give me some ice cream… that will never happen not even in Disney movies!
They scream their heads off, they chuck a tantrum, they fall on the floor, they fall out for dead, they might even call 000… you don't love me no more, you hate me, they get that little Spider-Man suitcase and want to move out… because you don't do what it is they want you to do!
But ONLY you know what's best for them, come on somebody help me, it doesn't matter how much you scream, and yell, and cry and fall on the floor … God is not going to get you out of it until you learn the lesson!
And the lesson God is trying to teach us is… when you can't see my hand trust my word and my heart, when you don't know what I’m up to, if I sent it… is for your good and my glory!
You remember Paul had a thorn in the flesh, he said 2 Cor 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Listen, he said Satan delivered it, but God mailed it!
That means if there are any trial that's in your life right now, you might think that it's from the devil, no…. God is maturing you!
God is trying to make you more like Jesus, and he has to do it sometimes through suffering and pain!
Faith is not receiving from God what we want, but faith is accepting what God gives no matter what he gives… because what we want is not always what he gives, but if he gives it, it's for our good and his glory…
The scripture says that Habakkuk cried to the lord, and the Hebrew word for cry in the text means to shout or to roar!
Habakkuk was upset with God; he was mad with God!
But God never told Habakkuk that he was wrong for asking questions, not one time did God tell Habakkuk who do you think you are? how dare you ask me questions?
God never scolded him, God never rebuked or criticized him
for asking questions because God is not offended by hard,
awkward, challenging questions!
There is, however, a difference between cynical questions
arising out of rebellion and honest questions arising from a soul quaking or shaking on the edge of disaster.
I’m sure some of you here have been on the edge of disaster and even though the question didn't come out, it was rumbling in your chest… why?
I go to church, I try to serve you, and my neighbors down the street don't even call your name, don’t even know you…yet they get a new car every year, and they don't seem to have any problems!
I can’t even seem to get good health, or hold a good job…why?
Their children don't go to Sunday school, their families are not tithing, and here I am giving you the best years of my life and I can't put one foot in front of the other… why?
People who don't even love you never get sick, and here I am preaching your gospel and having trouble trying to make it… where are you?
someone said you were a way maker,
my mum said you can do it for me,
my dad said if I trust you, you will never disappoint me,
Abraham said God is able….But where are you?
Brothers and sisters Habakkuk begins with the ever persistent why… and he ends with an everlasting who!
BECAUSE he knew this truth…. IF YOU KNOW WHO… YOU CAN WAIT ON THE WHY!
If you know who is keeping you, you can handle why you got so much trouble.
If you know who is bringing tomorrow, then while tomorrow comes, it doesn’t bother you.
Listen, when things are shaking we need to trust in who is unshakable…but you remember when it was four o'clock in the morning and Jesus came walking on the water and the disciples looked at him and peter said lord if that's you, bid me to come on the water also… you’ve got to zoom the camera in and look closely at that text.
Peter said lord if that's you let me come on the water also, but when you zoom the camera in… peter notices something that you got to look closely into it in order to praise him…
It's four o'clock in the morning, it's a storm, it's raining, the wind is blowing, and Jesus’ clothes aren’t even wet!
The wind is blowing and Jesus' clothes is not even flapping from side to side, so peter says it's safer on the water with Jesus than in the boat without it him!
And brothers and sisters when the storm is raging in your life you need to grab a hold to somebody who aren’t even wet, His clothes is not flapping, because he's the master even the wind… and the sea obey him!
When I’m in trouble, I don't want to be around people talking about my uncle had the same thing you’re going through, I don't want to be in the room with negative people who have one desire only and that is to bring me down,
And talking about you shouldn't have married him in the first place, that job wasn’t from God, or what are you going to do know?
No, instead… I need somebody to sit with me and tell me,
I don't understand what you're going through but I’m here for you,
I don't know what your pain is but if you need a shoulder to lean on… I’m right here, and to tell me that I know a shoulder that's stronger than mine… I need someone to help me get to Jesus not away from him!
In chapter one, Habakkuk is worrying,
in chapter two, Habakkuk is waiting,
but in chapter three, Habakkuk is worshiping…
And I can't wait to get to chapter three to worship because I’m waiting right now, and since I’m waiting right now, I’m worrying in my waiting, I need an honest Christian to help me right here…
I don't have all the answers,
I don't know how this thing is going to turn out,
I am worrying and I’m waiting, and I can't wait for chapter three because I’m in chapter one…
Habakkuk said in chapter 3:17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls— 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Because though it looks like God isn't doing anything, I’ve got some New Testament witnesses that can help me understand him better…
Those of us who are worrying and waiting, let me help you this morning to worship… He takes broken people and mends them, heals the, restores them!
1. There was a demoniac in the tombs, cutting himself with stones, screaming and yelling, and the bible said they would chain him up, he'd break the chains, come back screaming in the city…
Jesus came by and saw this broken man, couldn't even live with his family, cutting himself in the tombs, gnashing himself with stones, binding with chains and he breaks the chains because he is out of his mind, naked no clothes on, screaming running down the streets, and he meets a man named Jesus!
Jesus says what is your name? he says my name is legion for we are many… and then Jesus talks to the demons, because the demons know who he is, and he tells the demons come out of that man, and they come out of the man and get in a herd of pigs, and they go over a cliff… and the bible says when the people of that city saw that man again… he was clothed and in his right mind!
the power of God wants to put you back together again if you are broken…come to Jesus!
• He mends the fragments of broken hearts…
• He picks up the pieces of lives that have been shattered…
• And He takes confused people and gives them guidance…
2. you remember this father when Jesus was up on mount Hermon on the mount of transfiguration?
He took with him peter, James, and john, down in the valley at the at the bottom of the mountain… a man brought his boy to his disciples, and he said… he's falling in the water and he's falling in the fire, and he said these demons are possessing him
And I’m about to lose my boy, and I brought him to the disciples, and I asked them… can you do anything, can you help me restore my son? and the disciples tried to work with him, they put some oil on him but that didn't help, they brought a handkerchief that they had been carrying around, they recommended that he go to a deliverance conference,
And they tried to cast that demon out … they shouted and shouted come out….and none of that did any good!
Jesus came down from the mountain and said: oh, faithless generation, how long will I have to toil with you? and he said to the father what do you want me to do?
the father said I brought him to your disciples, and they couldn't do anything … and the father said to Jesus: if you can
do anything, will you help me boy?
Jesus looked at him skeptically and said: if I can do anything?
? you must not have been there, when I went to a wedding feast in Cana of galilee, and they ran out of wine, and I turned ordinary water into extraordinary wine!
? you must not have been there when all the shops were closed and there was nowhere to buy any bread and I took two fish and five loaves and fed five thousand men not counting the women and the children!
? you must not have been there when peter's mother-in-law was suffering from a fever, and I just put my hand on her
and she got up and went in the kitchen and cooked us a meal!
You asking me if I can do anything? the boy's father said lord I believe but I need you to help my unbelief!
Jesus takes broken people and mends them, he takes confused people and guides them, THEN he takes shamed people and honors them…
3. there was a woman at the well, she had had five husbands, and Jesus was at Jacob’s well to draw some water…
He said to her woman give me a drink of water, she said how is it that you being a Jew ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?
Jesus said if you knew who I was, you would ask me for a drink, and I would give you living water!
she said sir this well is deep and you don't have anything to draw with, Jesus said whoever comes to this well will get thirsty again… but whoever drinks the water that I will give him
will never get thirsty again…
she said sir, give me this water!
but I got one more witness…
God takes broken people, and he mends them…
God takes confused people, and he guides them…
God takes shame people, and he honors them…
but God takes sinful people, and he saves them!
you want another witness, look at me…
I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore
very deeply stained within…
I was sinking to rise no more, but the master of the sea
he heard my despairing cry, from the waters he lifted me…
now saved, saved am I!
God picked me up, turned me around, placed my feet on solid ground…
if he saved you come on be a witness
if he kept you
if he never left you
if he brought you
if he redeemed you
tell him thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!
I’m just made it up in my mind, I’ve just settled it in my mind that I don't have all the answers, as a matter of fact, there's times when I don't even understand the answers, there are some things I will never know…
so, I’ve just settled in my mind to quit asking why and just wait on who!
Because I figured, if you're going to worry, don't pray and if you're going to pray then don't worry!
I’ve just settled this in my mind that we cannot understand the ways that God will lead us to his blessed promised land, but he'll guide us with his eyes, and we'll follow till we die!
we wonder why the test when we try to do our best, but we'll understand it better soon when he takes us home!
we see through a glass dimly, but then face to face I will know even as also I am known…
The scripture says it does not appear what we shall be, but we know that when he comes we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
Eyes have not seen years have not heard nor has it even into the hearts of men the good things that God has in store for them that love!
The psalmist says no good thing will he withhold from him who walked uprightly…
Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly
nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the city of the scornful but his delight is in the law of the lord and in that law he meditates both day and night and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season…. his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth
shall prosper!
