#2 - Suffering - Waiting

Habakkuk one, don't walk away from God, in chapter one. Chapter two, don't quit on God, in chapter two. Chapter one was all about wondering. God, I know you can, I believe you will, but you're not, and I don't understand why you're not.

Chapter two is all about waiting. Wondering is difficult. Waiting is even more difficult.

Let me give you a little back story on the book of Habakkuk.

Most prophets would do this, they would speak to the people on behalf of God. This is what God says to you, people.

Habakkuk was different. He didn't speak to the people on behalf of God, instead, he actually spoke to God on behalf of the people, and said, God, I don't understand why you're not-- I don't think this is fair.

You're supposed to be a just God, but I'm not really sure you are.

Where are you God? Why aren't you doing what I think you should do?

The people of Judah, at one time they were blessed and prosperous, but now there was tremendous corruption and they were suffering greatly. And so Habakkuk cries out.... And God says, okay, I'm gonna raise up your enemy. People who are even worse than you are, the Babylonians.

This doesn't make sense.

Chapter one, he's wondering, why don't you do what I want you to do.

Chapter two, he's waiting.

Today what I wanna do is get into chapter two.

I wanna look at three different things that God's word tells us to do, very specifically, three things Habakkuk does, when you're hurting, when you're wondering, when you don't know what to do.

The first thing we see is Habakkuk is going to listen to God.

Listen

Habakkuk 2:1 NIV

1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

What I like about this is that when God's not doing what you wanna do, some people walk away. Some people doubt God. Some people quit on God.

But Habakkuk doesn't do any of those things. Instead, what he does is he positions himself in the most strategic place to see the hand of God and to hear the voice of God. LOOK at the verse

This isn't easy to do when you're hurting, because when you're hurting, what you wanna do is you wanna tell God to do, what you want him to do, and know he should do.

If you do, we'll bring you glory and we'll brag on you. And God, if you don't, I don't know how I can defend you, God.

It's really difficult to talk about your goodness when you don't do what I know you could do.

You want to tell God what to do instead of listening

Instead of telling him what to do at those times, it's important to listen to him.

Our God is a God who speaks.

God can speak through his word. If you're a follower of Christ, I would beg you to be in his word every single day, to feed on his word.

He can speak through people. He can speak through circumstances. He can speak through a message. He can speak through a song.

He will speak to you. If he doesn't, don't panic.

Just because he's silent does not mean he is absent.

He is always there. He's always with you. Listen for the voice of God.

Sometimes when you hear from him, he's gonna tell you something that you don't wanna hear.

God, I asked you to do this, and you're doing the opposite. That's not what I wanted to hear. Sometimes God will speak to you and he will say something you don't want to hear.

The apostle, Paul, in the New Testament. There's probably no better example of a guy who deserved for God to do what he asked him to do. He had something called a thorn in his side.

We don't know what it was. But he begged, pleaded with God three times. Seasons of pleading, take it away, God. I'll do anything, God, have mercy on me. Take it away, take it away, take it away.

And God spoke to him and God did not say yes, but God said, no. You asked, but my answer is no. And then God said, my grace is enough for you.

Do you remember what I did for you? Ever feel like that? God, you remember what my family's doing for you? Won't you get on with it, do something for us?

If I'm Paul, I'm like, okay, I was beaten for you, so many times I was left for dead, whipped across my back, shipwrecked, snake bitten.

After all I've been through for you, give me your power. NO. I'm gonna give you my grace. What you want is not what I'm gonna give you. But what I'm gonna give you is so much better. Listen.

Number two, we write. We write it down. We document it. We record what God says to us. And this is the very thing that God says to Habakkuk.

Write

Habakkuk 2:2 NIV

2 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

Why do we do this? Because we have a spiritual enemy whose mission is to steal, to kill, and to destroy.

Our spiritual enemy wants to take from you what God gives to you.

God will give you a word. God will give you faith. God will give you a moment of peace. And our enemy wants to take away from you the very word that God gives to you.

You got distracted. Satan wants to take from you what God gives to you. Write it down, document it, put it on paper. Go back to it, hang onto it, believe it, claim it, embrace it, live in it.

Don't let your enemy take it from you.

Listen to what God will say to you. Write it down. And then the third thing is difficult. It is no fun. It's where some of you are living right now.

You listen, you write, and then God's gonna say, you wait.

Wondering is no fun. Waiting is much worse. You wait and you wait and you wait on the faithfulness of God. Some of you right now, you're waiting.

Wait

Habakkuk 2:3 NIV

3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

Wondering is no fun. Waiting is much worse.

You wait and you wait and you wait on the faithfulness of God.

Some of you right now, you're waiting.

Is God ever gonna….

the word in the Hebrew that's translated as appointed time, it's the word mo-aid, and it literally means perfect, unstoppable timing of God.

Always remember, if it's not God's time, you can't force it. When it is God's time, you can't stop it.

Though it linger, wait for it. His timing is perfect. You may say, it takes forever. I continue to wait. I'm not seeing it.

when you're trying to hang on to your faith and you're not seeing anything, and you're getting impatient, and you're starting to wonder, and you're wondering and then you're waiting, and you're wrestling,

where is God?

Remember, God's delays are not God's denials. Just because you haven't seen it, does not mean God is not going to do it.

Though it linger, wait for it. At God's appointed time it will come to pass.

Habakkuk is waiting. God when are you gonna bring justice on us? When are you gonna bring justice on them? I don't understand. He's confused. And this is what God says. God acknowledges the Babylonians are evil. See, the enemy, Babylon, is puffed up. His desires are not upright. But God's not talking to them, He's talking to Habakkuk. And he says, but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness, will live by God's faithfulness.

In the New Testament, scripture says, the righteous will live by faith.

We don't walk by sight, we walk by faith. Our faith is not based on what we see, or what we want, or getting our desired outcome. Our faith is based on the character and the goodness and the nature of God. We live by faith.

The righteous will live by faith.

Even though I don't see with my eyes, I fight to trust you, God, with my heart.

Even though everything I want you to do, you're not doing, I wait for it.

I wait for your goodness. I wait for your glory to be revealed. Though I linger, wait for it.

Though it's still not coming, wait for it.

Habakkuk is disturbed, confused, upset, angry, feels betrayed, questioning, doubting, trying to hang on.

Habakkuk 2:20 NIV

20 The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

But God is in his holy temple.

Even though I don't get it. Even though things aren't going the way I think they should. I remind myself, but God is still in his holy temple.

No matter what I see, I choose faith. No matter what I feel, I choose faith.

Even in my doubts, I will lift my hands.

I don't see a way, but with God, there's always a way.

I am aching, but in my heart I choose to trust God.

I don't see what I wanna see, but because of the faithfulness of God, I will choose to walk by faith.

I don't understand this, but I believe with everything in me, my God is still good.

But God is still on the throne, and in control.

Because he is still there, I can worship him before I see him move.

I can praise him before I see him.

Even in the waiting, I believe that he is good.

Habakkuk does not mean wrestling and enduring, but the very name Habakkuk it means to wrestle and to embrace.

To wrestle, I don't like this. I would give anything if it would be different. But to hang on, God I don't understand, but I'm not letting go.

Chapter one in the wondering, don't walk away from God in chapter one.

Chapter two in the waiting, don't quit on God in the waiting.

Though it linger, wait for it. If it's not God's time, you can't force it. When it is God's time, you can't stop it. He is still good in the waiting.

I will not let go. I will embrace even in the doubts, even in the pain, even when I don't understand.

Next week is chapter three. What happens in chapter three? Oh, you have to be here next week to find out what happens in chapter three. Remember, you cannot have chapter three without chapter one and without chapter two.

Conclusion

Those of you who might be waiting right now, could be for something in your own life, a prayer request, a need, a burden.

It could be for somebody that you love, one of your children, for a relationship, for someone in your life group, for someone you work with, for a buddy at school, for someone else's relative, for someone in your office. You're waiting, you're praying, you're believing, and you're still not seeing. You may want God's power, but he may give you grace.

If you're waiting, trying to trust, trying to hang on, would you lift up your hands right now, i want to pray for you!

Let’s pray!