When God Seems Unfair (Part 1)

How to have Faith when You’re Frustrated

Habakkuk 2:2-5

Scripture

Habakkuk 2: 2-5

And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;

make it plain on tablets,

so he may run who reads it.

3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time;

it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it;

it will surely come; it will not delay.

4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

but the righteous shall live by his faith.[a]

5 “Moreover, wine[b] is a traitor,

an arrogant man who is never at rest.[c]

His greed is as wide as Sheol;

like death he has never enough.

He gathers for himself all nations

and collects as his own all peoples.”

Pray

Help us to have faith

Story 1

Loved watching Frasier as a kid

Habakkuk is like a talk radio and you’re complaining, but they God on the line and He responds

Application 1

Habakkuk is so frustrated he skips his intro

He looks all around at all the evil of the world and simply asks this

How long?

And then why?

Who else has wanted to ask God this?

If you haven’t looked at the world today and asked those questions then you’re not living in reality

Faith is for when You’re Frustrated

You don’t need a lot of faith when you get married, but you do during divorce

You don’t need a lot of faith when you get a job, but you do when you lose one

Not when you’re healthy, but when you’re sick

Not when you’re rich, but poor

God can seem slow

All humanity and culture is corrupt

If there’s no conflict there’s no faith

The Vision of the Kingdom gives us hope

We are to live kingdom culture

In heaven everything is perfect and no one is frustrated, but we aren’t there yet

We are now citizens of a perfect Kingdom under a perfect King, but we are still living in this foreign country and we have work to do to serve until we go home

5 wrong reactions to corrupt culture

I’m my own king - arrogant

I’m my own saviour - never at rest

Choosing culture over kingdom

Avoiding reality - distraction, addiction

I’ll benefit myself - greed

Story 2

Wouldn’t jump off a cliff until my friend did it

Supporting Scripture

Hebrews 11:1-3

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Application 2

Faith says I’ll believe it until I see it

God knows everything you don’t

Faith isn’t a way to manipulate God to do what you want

Faith is trusting God to use circumstances to make us more like Jesus

We are often worried about the results and God is more worried about our Character

Faith doesn’t get frustrated with God - Faith brings our frustration to God

Pray

God help us trust You