Two Complaints And One Praise

We want everything done as quickly as possible!!!

We do not want it TODAY we want it YESTERDAY!

This is true in the PHYSICAL WORLD and in the SPIRITUAL WORLD!

Illus: In this fast paced society we can get our oil changed in 15 minutes.

• Remember the old cook stoves when we had to put the

(1)Wood in the stove,

(2)Light a fire and

(3)Wait for the stove to get hot enough to cook on?

Now in a matter of seconds we can turn a knob

And have all the heat we need to cook with.

• We used to raise our own food in the garden and can it for the winter. Now we can open a can of food and have it on the table in minutes.

• We used to perk our coffee, but now we have heaters to heat our water and when we put the instant coffee in the cup, we immediately have a warm cup of coffee.

• We used to grow our potatoes, and then we had to pick the potatoes, wash them, and peel them. Now we can open a carton of instant potatoes and have them in a matter of minutes.

• Remember the wringer washers? We now have washing machines that automatically rinse the clothes and spin the water out of them.

• Ladies no longer have to hang their clothes on a clothesline. We have dryers that dry them in minutes.

All these things are good. But this society has created a people that want everything immediately.

Illus: In the past, when a young couple got married, they understood it would take a lifetime to acquire the material things their parents had. Now, they are not willing to wait; they want everything right away!

Illus: Someone said, “The only people I know that have a lot of patients are doctors.”

In this fast paced society we live in, we still have some things that require that we WAIT!

• We find ourselves having to wait in the long lines at Walmart.

• We find ourselves at red lights that seem to take forever to change.

• We find ourselves at train crossings that require we sit there with nothing to do but look at the train as it passes before us.

Illus: Some people in the liberal churches DEMAND A SERMONETTE FROM A PREACHERETTE, SO THEY CAN GO INTO THE KITCHENETTE TO SMOKE A CIGARETTE!

HOWEVER, in this fast paced society, we Christians need to understand that we can not rush God! But that does not keep people from trying!

But God is not going to allow us to rush Him just because we are in a hurry!

Illus: God answers every prayer: GOD ANSWERS EVERY PRAYER one of three ways:

• Yes

• No

• WAIT

The Christian life requires a lot of patience. If we are going to live it the way God intends for us to live it, we need to learn to relax and WAIT UPON THE LORD.

In Isa. 40:31, we read, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Let’s look at the Book of Habakkuk so we can learn some things about God in the book of Habakkuk:

• It is the 35th book of the Old Testament.

• It contains 3 chapters

• It contains 56 verses

• It contains 1,476 words

• It contains 12 questions

• It contains 1 command

• It contains no promises

But to learn more things about the book of Habakkuk we need to consider-

I. THE MAN

What do we know about the prophet Habakkuk?

We know that Habakkuk was different from other prophets.

HOW IS HE DIFFERENT?

• The other prophets carried a message from God.

• Habakkuk carries a message to God.

In the first two chapters of Habakkuk he registers two complaints.

(1) HE COMPLAINS ABOUT THE EVIL THAT IS TAKING PLACE IN HIS SOCIET

Look at Hab. 1:1-4, we read, “The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.”

The prophet Habakkuk saw injustice, violence and evil, and he could not understand how God was allowing this to take place.

• HE SAID HOW LONG BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING?

• In this way of thinking he was saying, there is nothing that God cannot do, so WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING?