Who answers the why... (7)

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord...

Today we come to the last message in this series.

We may not understand why things happen they way they do, we may never know and even understand, but we can trust that He Who answers the why can handle our questions.

Maybe when you came to faith in Christ, you were told that everything was going to get better. Life would become a breeze.

Jesus didn’t promise that everything would be easy but He did promise that He would never leave us or forsake us.

John 16:33 NIV

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

This morning, I want to reinforce, that we can have joy in troubled times.

Let’s read,

Habakkuk 3:16–19 NLT

I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us. Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)

Let’s look at

Habakkuk’s Response to an encounter with God...

Here’s how Habakkuk described his encounter with experiencing God.

Habakkuk 3:16 (NIV)

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled...

Isaiah

expected to die because he had seen the LORD.

Isaiah 6:5–8 NLT

Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.”

Moses

took off his sandals for the place that he was standing was holy ground.

How did Elijah react?

Elijah had seen God do amazing miracles through his ministry. He prayed that it wouldn’t rain and it didn’t for 3.5 years. He called for fire to come down from heaven, and it did. He also prayed that God would send rain on the land and God brought rain on a sun scorched land.

He had been faithful to God. He had seen great victories, but he had grown weary even after great victories...

So he fled when Jezebel stood up to him and he came to a cave at Mount Horeb.

Here’s his encounter...

1 Kings 19:9–13 (NIV)

...And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

What can we learn from this?

Each of these people responded differently when they experienced God, but each had an encounter.

We don’t always understand why people react to the presence of God or to the moving of the Holy Spirit and it can be very easy to judge when it doesn’t fit into our way of thinking.

I’ll be the first to admit this.

Some cry. Some tremble. Others become exuberant. Still others dance. Some fall under the power of God.

Who are we to judge when God is moving by His Spirit?

It really comes down to whether or not there is fruit. Isaiah proclaimed God’s word. Elijah spoke calling into Hazael, Elisha, and Jehu.

Moses led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. Abraham left his family and went to a land that God would show him.

But Pastor, those are heroes of the faith...

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

William J. Seymour, who was a leader at Azusa Street, was a African American. He was blind in one eye. He was the second child of emancipated slaves. (Wikipedia) Can you imagine the uphill battle that he would have faced with racism as well as disability?

Billy Graham was raised on a farm and God used him to reach many for Christ.

D.L. Moody was a shoe repairman.

John Wesley was the 15th of 19 children and his younger brother, Charles, was the 18 of 19. God used them in the Great Awakening.

Evan Roberts, who led the Welch Revival, worked in the coal mines as well as an apprentice for a blacksmith.

You may notice that none of these were Kings. Many of them didn’t come from rich families, but were ordinary people.

God wants to use people who are willing, “Here am I, send me!”

Let’s not be afraid to experience God, but when we do, it’s certain that we will know it, and we will react to encountering God.

At the ComeTogether event, Rick Curry spoke the last night, said that God had spoke to him ten years ago that there was going to be a move of God in Kentucky that would shake the nations.

He believes that in this next move of God three things will be very evident: Humility, Honor, and Holiness. He believes that Canada will play an important role in what God wants to do in the days ahead.

Let’s get back to Habakkuk.

Habakkuk 3:16 (NIV)

...Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

Habakkuk was confident that the LORD was going to come through with the answer.

God’s promises will not fail...

God was using the Babylonians to bring discipline to His children. They were more ungodly than His own children, but they wouldn’t be left unpunished.

Maybe you’ve been going through a season of trial and there just doesn’t seem to be an end, God will not let you go through more than what you can endure. This season will come to an end.

Romans 8:18 NIV

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Yesterday as I was at the ICU at RUH, it became very evident that we need to fix our eyes on that which eternal. Life is short. No guarantee.

3 weeks ago I was processing cattle and Leona was filling needles and giving me whatever I needed.

Today she is fighting for her life. The doctors can do nothing. Unless God does a miracle, she’ll meet Him shortly.

In verses 17-18, Habakkuk reinforces his faith in God.

Even though…No matter what...

Habakkuk 3:17–18 NLT

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Verse 17 reminds me of a country song, but verse 18 is transformational.

God is your provider, not your possessions. Not your job. Not your ability to produce wealth.

Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He didn’t let the flour and the oil run out on the widow from Zarephath. He provided food for the starving people in Samaria, and He will provide for you.

I’d like to share...

A little about George Mueller

"The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat," the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. "Mr. Mueller," he said, "last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in."

Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.

Who was George Mueller?

George Mueller was not always a person of such great faith and good character. As a young boy growing up in Germany in the early 1800s, he often stole money from his dad. As a teenager, he sneaked out of a hotel twice without paying for the room. One time he was caught by police and put in jail. As a Bible college student, George loved going to bars, drinking, gambling, and being the life of the party. He also loved making fun of people, especially Christians.

One day, a friend invited George to go to an off-campus Bible study. He went only because he wanted to make fun of the Christians later. But to his surprise, he liked the Bible study. For the first time, he saw people who really knew and loved God. He attended each evening. Before the end of the week, he knelt at his bed and asked God to forgive his sins.

George's friends saw a change in him immediately. He no longer went to bars or made fun of people. He spent more time reading his Bible, talking about God, and going to church. Soon he found that his friends did not want to be around him anymore.

When George told his father that he had decided to become a missionary, his father became very upset. He wanted George to have a high-paying job and not be a poor missionary. He told George he would not give him any more money for school. George knew he had to do what God was calling him to do, even if his dad didn't support him.

George Mueller Prayer

George went back to college without knowing how he was going to pay his tuition. He did something he thought was a bit silly for a grown man to do. He got on his knees and asked God to provide. To his surprise, an hour later, a professor knocked on his door. He offered George a paid tutoring job! George was amazed! This was the beginning of George Mueller's dependence on God.

After finishing college, George was ready to begin his missionary work in London, England. But there was one problem: Germany required all healthy men to serve at least a year in the army. George wanted to get to his mission as quickly as possible; however, he became very sick. His illness was so serious that he almost died. It also made him unable to serve in the army. He was now free to go to England as a missionary.

Habakkuk 3:18–19 (NIV)

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights...

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice...

Because of Who God is and what He has done, we can rejoice in our trials knowing that God is about to do something.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength...

He is in control. He who has all strength is my strength.

When I think of a deer, a gazelle, I think of agility, strength, being fleet of foot. They don’t stumble, they don’t slip, but they can tread on the heights.

Romans 8:37 NIV

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

We can be joyful in hope. Patient in affliction. Faithful in prayer because God is our strength, and He makes us like deer that can bound through any trial that comes against us.

Let’s pray!