Where are you God?

He wasn't a major prophet. He was always in the minor leagues. He never got to play major league ball. #dadjoke, Dad joke. Work with me, it doesn't get better. I promise you. You're stuck with me, all right?

Does anyone know the difference between the major and minor prophets? It does not mean that some of the prophets are more important than others. It has nothing to do with the importance of their message. The difference between the major and minor prophets is strictly dealing with the length of the book. For example, Isaiah is a major prophet and his book contains 66 chapters. Habakkuk only has three chapters which makes him a minor prophet.

Habakkuk lived and wrote about 600 years before the birth of Christ. He was a very different prophet. What do prophets do? Prophets speak to people on behalf of God. Habakkuk was not an ordinary prophet. He didn't speak to people on behalf of God but Habakkuk spoke to God on behalf of the people because he didn't like what God was doing.

Judah had been blessed. Now there was corruption and there was deception and instead of prospering, they were hurting and they were in poverty. And he just unleashes on God, and 2,600 years ago, Habakkuk is asking the very same question that so many people are asking today

And he wanted to know, “Why doesn't God seem fair? I know You could do something about this, God, but You're not, and I don't understand.”

Habakkuk chapter 1, three chapters in the book of Habakkuk. Today we're in chapter 1. Verse 1, I'm not going to read to you but essentially it says he received a prophecy.

The Hebrew word is mas-saw. It means an utterance. It means a doom. It means a burden. It's not just a prophecy. It's a dooming prophetic word. It's a burden. It's an utterance. It's a weight. He receives this and he goes to God on behalf of the people and he asked a question in verse 2.

Habakkuk 1:2–3 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1:2–3 NIV

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? 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.

2 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? …

You know what I'm saying? Why don't You fix that thing that’s wrong in my life?

What I love about Habakkuk is he's just raw. He's real. And his name tells the story. His name tells my story. The name Habakkuk means to embrace and to wrestle.

Habakkuk: to “embrace” or to “wrestle.”

Habakkuk is doing everything he can to embrace who he knows God is but because what he sees doesn't line up with what he believes. He's wrestling with God. Embrace and wrestle.

Let me state a warning. Everybody say, “Uh oh.”

Lean over your neighbor and say, “Uh oh.”

Lean over your second favorite neighbor and say, “I'm sorry you're my second favorite but uh oh to you too.”

As if this wasn't heavy enough already. Uh oh. This is not a sitcom sermon. How many of you grew up watching sitcoms? If you're around my age, what was it? Brady Bunch, Happy Days. Maybe your era is Friends or The Office, whatever.

What is a sitcom sermon? Most sermons are sitcom sermons. Most of my sermons are sitcom sermons. Sitcom sermons are not bad theology. It's actually a very effective means of communication.

What happens in a sitcom? At the beginning of the sitcom, everybody's happy. Then there's tension, there's drama, there's a problem, there's a challenge and by the end of a 30-minute sitcom including commercial breaks, every problem is resolved and the show's over.

Most of my messages are sitcom sermons. There's us, there's a tension, there's God's Word, there's a solution. You can now go and have a great meal. We just had church. Sitcom sermon.

This is not a sitcom sermon.

In a sitcom sermon, what tends to happen is something like this. Let's say, you like your job. You lose your job. You're devastated. You pray. God gives you a better job and it's one with benefits and you sit by a really cute single guy and you're a single girl and the guy is the son of the owner of the business and you get married and then the father gives the business to the son and the son sells the business and you get married to that guy and you sell the business and you retire at the age of 33 and everything's amazing.

That's a sitcom sermon. God gives you a blessing. This is not a sitcom sermon.

Real life is not a sitcom. In life, everything is not resolved in 30 minutes or less, including commercial breaks. In life, sometimes things aren't resolved in 30 days or 30 years.

In life, sometimes you lose your job and you don't get a better job but you don't get a job for a long time and you're highly educated and you get a job way below your education and you feel like a really big failure.

Sometimes in life, you think you have a good marriage. You really love your spouse and your spouse betrays you and your spouse doesn't own what your spouse did but instead blames you for what you didn't do and leaves you and then you're all alone.

Sometimes in real life, you love your life and then you get sick and the doctor says you have cancer. And you go to war against cancer and you pray and you have faith and fight it with chemo and you beat cancer. And you thank God. And then several years later, the cancer comes back and you don't understand.

Sometimes in life, you're wrestling and you're trying to embrace. And then, some well-meaning Christian comes to the middle of your trial and says, “Brother, Sister, trust the Lord! God is in control! All you need to do is let go and let God!”

And while their theology may not be bad and while their heart is good, the more they tell you to let go and let God, the more you want to do what the Bible says and that is to lay hands on them. In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Because though the theology may be good, at this moment, your faith feels wrecked and you feel raw.

God doesn't feel like He’s good in the moment because you know He could do something and He doesn't. You don't understand why.

Habakkuk feels like this. He asks a question in verse 3.

Habakkuk 1:3–4 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1:3–4 NIV

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. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

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…

Why do You make me look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me.

There's strife and there's conflict, it abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails.

In other words, “God, I don't really think You're doing what is right.”

What are his problems with God? He's not speaking to the people on behalf of God. He's going to God on behalf of the people. He's got the very same problems with God that some of you have. What are his problems?

Habakkuk’s problems with God

You don’t seem to really care.

You aren’t doing much when you could.

What you are doing, doesn’t seem fair.

Number one, “You don't seem to really care, God. You allow all this suffering, all these things.”

He says to God, “You aren't doing much when You could. You have the power and You're not. I don't understand.”

He does say to God, “What You are doing, doesn't seem fair.”

How many of you will be honest with me? Have you ever felt like, if you were God, you would do things differently? Raise your hands up, raise your hands up. Some of you are like, “I'm not raising my hand up at church.” Like duh, “God will strike me down.” No, no, no, come on. If you're that holy, polish your little halo and you just go be that.

I'm going to deal with the real people today. Where sometimes you just want to know, “God, are You still even paying attention? Do You even care?”

Here's a question. Is it okay to ever question God? Is it okay to push back on God? Is that wrong, is that unholy, is that unfair?

About a third of the psalms are cries to God about pain. Or songs in the middle of trials that people don't understand. Several books of the Bible, entire books of the Bible, Lamentations and Ecclesiastes and Jeremiah and Job express confusion of what appears to be unjust suffering for the righteous.

Even Jesus, even Jesus, on the cross, when He was perfect in every way and He becomes sin for us. He never sinned. He becomes sin. And whatever God does, God looks away, God pulls back and Jesus cries out, “Why? Why? I'm Your Son. I did everything right. Why would You pull away from Me?”

Let me explain it to you like this. If you're a follower of Christ, at some point, you had some version of this story. You are hurting or life is good or whatever, but you recognize there must be more to life and maybe you go to church and the Spirit of God touches you.

It's in a song, someone prays for you, someone witnesses to you at your business. You see something, you have a trial, a tragedy. You recognize you're doing life without God, whatever it is, and you call on Jesus and you experience His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy and boom, wow! Life is amazing!

You're on the mountaintop and you go to church and every sermon is like it's just for you and like just God speaking to you and you're going to your car and the song on the radio is your favorite one. And you go to the grocery store and you get the perfect parking spot and you pray a prayer and God does it immediately and He gives you more and life is incredible. God is so good. Thank You, God.

Life starts happening and some things go on that aren't so good. You go to church and the sermon was, “meh.” It wasn't bad but, probably for somebody else. Get in the car, don't like the song. Go to the store, you can't park anywhere. Pray a prayer. Not only does it not happen but the opposite happens.

Then something bad happens. Your kid gets sick and they don’t get better. You pray for Grandma and she dies. Your boyfriend, the Christian, cheats on you. The person you looked up to and admired does something wrong. The doctor gives you news that you never wanted to hear. Whatever it is. Happens to all of us and life does this.

And at some point, many of us have what Henry Blackaby in Experiencing God called A Crisis of Belief. God, if You're so good, why am I not here? Why am I right here? I don't know if You're involved. Do You even care?

And about this point, most people think we've got one of two options.

One is, unfortunately, what a lot of people do with good intentions, they just deny the bad. Okay, this isn't happening. This isn't happening. God is still good. This isn't happening. I'm just going to kind of pretend like we're up here and I'm going to deny, I'm going to deny.

The other people say, well you know what, if I'm here and I'm not here and God's not doing any good then God must not be real. Just forget it. I tried church, I tried God, tried the Bible, forget it. And they're out.

They think there's two options. There's not two options. There's a third option.

And that third option, in the middle of the pain is to wrestle. I don't get it. I'm confused. And as best you can to continue to embrace.

And when you do this, does life get better? Oftentimes no, it doesn't. Sometime it continues to get worse and when it gets worse, you often do what James said in the first chapter of his book where he said:

James 1:2–4 (NIV)

James 1:2–4 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

You consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.

And perseverance must finish its work so that you can be mature and complete, not lacking in anything.

The way to true intimacy with God is not to live on the mountaintop. But it's to get to know His faithfulness in the valley.

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

Psalm 23:4 ESV

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

This is my story. This is your story.

You know, I didn’t grow up in church. It wasn’t part of who I was. As a teenager my big dream was to be a rock star. Maybe I could’ve been, You never know, do you? But I met Angie and that’s when the drugs started. She drug me to church. I told you it didn’t get any better.

And I didn’t want to go but at some point, something inside of me just clicked and I went forward during an invitation. I wish I could say that my life change instantly in that moment but it didn’t. I had a lot of growing to do. Honestly, I still do.

But there have been some times in my life since then where I just didn’t know what to do. There were things that were outside of my control, some of them were just breaking my heart because I was so afraid of what could happen and what I could lose.

To tell you that I was scared goes beyond my ability to describe. I didn’t know where God was. I started questioning. “Is this all just made up? Is God’s Word not true?” Should I just say, “Forget it, I was wrong.”

Or should I wrestle with something I'd never encountered before and try to embrace? I wrestled. I embraced.

Today, if my faith in God is here it's not because I stayed here. It's because I continued to wrestle and embrace through the valley to have it be stronger with God. If I'm in a crisis of belief right now, and I’m finding a new level of intimacy with God. It's not because we deny it, it's not because we walk away, it's because we continue to embrace.

There's somebody here, this is what you need to do. You're in a crisis of belief. We all get there at some point. This is Habakkuk, “God, this doesn't seem fair. I don't understand.” Guess what God does? God responds to him and this is where it gets so exciting. Are you ready for God's response?

If you're ready, say, “I'm ready.”

Are you ready? Are you really ready?

This is going to blow you away. This is what God says. Here's God's response. “God, I don't understand, You don't seem fair.” This is what God says.

Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1:5 NIV

“Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

5 “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

“Look at the nations and watch.” Here's what God says. “And be utterly amazed. For I'm going to do something in your days that you will not believe, even if you were told.”

Finally. God, You're going to do what's right. God, You're going to relieve the pain. God, we're going to be prosperous. God, we're going to be blessed. We're going to be utterly amazed, God. You're going to do something that we wouldn't believe, even if we were told.

In a sitcom sermon, now's the time that I would tell a story like this.

When we fly, we fly in economy. We fly in the back of the plane with all the other regular people who can’t afford to use their downpayment on a house to fly up front in the fancy seats.

But one time we were flying back home and we had a layover in Atlanta. Obviously, it was Delta because everything seems to go through Atlanta with them. And somehow, someway, we wound up in business class.

If you've never been in business class, let me tell you what. It is the closest thing to heaven on this side of heaven. You don't sit in little bitty chairs squeezed up against some stranger danger who is going to fall asleep on your shoulder and drool all over your shirt.

In business class, while everyone else is packed in like cattle, you go and you sit in this spacious seat and you have leg room and arm room and room to spare. It's a world of flying pleasure. It’s incredible. Angie was like, “I could really get used to this.” It's incredible.

And then, if this was a sitcom sermon, I’d say something to the single girls because there's so many single girls that are dating stupid guys. Don't date stupid guys. Do not sell yourself out for a stupid guy. Don't settle for anything less. He’s not good and if he hurts you and he breaks up with you, do not worry because you are dating an economy class guy but God has an upgrade for you, sister. God has a business class boyfriend.

But this is not a sitcom sermon.

God says, you ready for this? “I'm about to intervene and you're going to be amazed. It's going to be unlike anything you've ever seen before. You wouldn't believe it if I told you.” Then God tells him He's going to use the Babylonians. And if you don't know who the Babylonians are, they're the bad guys. They're the enemies. And God says this. God says, you ready, you're not going to believe this.

Habakkuk 1:6–7 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1:6–7 NIV

I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and promote their own honor.

6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.

7 They are a feared and dreaded people…

Habakkuk 1:9 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1:9 NIV

they all come intent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand.

9 they all come intent on violence…

I'm raising up your enemies. I'm raising up the Babylonians, the ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people. They all come intent on violence.

God says, “You think it's bad now. It's about to get worse and I'm going to use your enemies to bring justice because of your sin.”

And this makes absolutely no sense to Habakkuk. What do you do when you find yourself there?

What does a committed believer do? A committed believer can both wrestle with honest questions and embrace a genuine faith in God.

A committed believer can both wrestle with honest questions and embrace a genuine faith in God.

You could do it at the same time. I want you to watch as Habakkuk does this. He tries to embrace and yet he doesn't understand and he's wrestling. Watch it, see it, feel it. He embraces, he says in verse 12:

Habakkuk 1:12–13 (NIV)

Habakkuk 1:12–13 NIV

Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

12 Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, you will never die. You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment; you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

Lord, are You not from everlasting? I'm embracing You, God. My God, my Holy One, You'll never die. I'm embracing You. But God, You've appointed our enemies to execute judgment on us. I'm wrestling. My Rock, I'm embracing, but You've ordained them to punish. I'm wrestling.

God, Your eyes are too pure to look on evil. I love You. I'm embracing. You cannot tolerate wrongdoing, I'm embracing. But why do You tolerate the treacherous, I'm wrestling. Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? I'm trying to embrace, I'm trying to wrestle.

Listen to me, if you are there right now, what I want you to know is that God understands your pain. He welcomes your questions and I am convinced that God would rather have you yell at Him than walk away from Him. When you hit the wall, when you hit the crisis of belief, don't deny your doubts. Don't run from God. Let your doubts drive you to continue to embrace even when you wrestle with God.

One pastor put it this way.

What if honestly acknowledging your doubts is the first step toward building a deeper faith?

What if embracing your secret questions opens the door for a maturing knowledge of God’s character?

What if becoming closer to God, developing genuine intimacy with him, requires you to bear that which feels unbearable?

To hear him through an ominous utterance, to trust him in the moment of doom, to embrace his strength when you’re weak with a burden?

What if it takes real pain to experience deep and abiding hope?”

If this were a sitcom, you would get that final scene, the tag. You had the last commercial break but it comes back on for a minute or so to kind of bring everything full circle. You know what I’m talking about don’t you?

It’s the happily ever after resolution to the conflict in the episode. The restoration of a relationship, finding something that was lost, forgiving some kind of wrong (real or imagined), or the miracle that happened.

There is no tag. There is no resolution to the conflict.

We're still in chapter one. There's three chapters. Let me warn you, chapter two's not much better. Don't walk away from God in chapter one. You ready for the good ending of the sermon? There's not one. Sermon's over. It's not a sitcom sermon. Chapter one.

So, for those today who find themselves in chapter one. I pray you would have the courage and feel the permission to wrestle while you try to embrace.

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