#3 Suffering - faith
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1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth.
4 His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.
5 Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps.
6 He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.
8 Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory?
9 You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers;
10 the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high.
11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.
12 In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations.
13 You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot.
14 With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.
16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
When habakkuk started his book, he was down in the valley, wrestling with the will of God.
Then he climbed higher and stood on the Watchtower, in chapter 2, Waiting for God to reply.
After hearing God's word and seeing God's glory, he became like a deer bounding confidently on the mountain's Heights.
his circumstances hadn't changed, but he had changed, and now he was walking by faith instead of sight.
he was living by promises not explanations
It isn't easy to climb high In the life of faith, but who wants to live in the valley? Like habakkuk, we most honestly talk to God about our difficulties, we must pray, we must meditate on God's word, and we must be willing to experience fear and trembling as the Lord reveals himself to us v16. but it will be worth it as we reach new Summits of faith and discover new opportunities for growth and service.
What took habakkuk from the valley to The Summit? The same spiritual discipline that can take us there: prayer, vision, and faith.
Habakkuk interceded for God's work, pondered God's ways, and affirmed God's will.
Interceded for God's work
Interceded for God's work
The prophet was now praying to the Lord and not arguing with the Lord, and his prayer soon became praise and worship.
he prayed because he heard God Speak
Also hearing God's word generates faith in the heart of the child of God and without faith, we can't pray effectively, the word of God and prayer must always go together.
Habakkuk prayed because he was overwhelmed by God's splendor v 2 - I stand In Awe of your deeds
2 Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
He had seen a vision of the greatness of God recorded for us in versus 3 to 15, and this Vision left him weak and helpless V16. and all he could do was cry out to God.
16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
Many people have the idea that it's always an enjoyable experience getting to know God in a deep wave, but that's not what the saints of God in the Bible would say.
Moses trembled at Mount Sinai when God gave him the law.
Joshua fell on his face before the Lord as did David. Daniel came exhausted and Ill after seeing the Visions God gave him
The vision of Christ's glory on the Mount of Transfiguration left Peter James and John face down on the ground and filled with Terror
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
when John saw the glorified Christ, he fell at his feet as though dead
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
A.W. Tozer : to know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world.
God certainly has the ability to reveal himself to us, for he can do anything; but it's a problem for God to find someone who is ready to meet him.
God doesn't reveal himself to superficial Saints who are only looking for ` a new experience` they can brag about , or two curious Christians who went to sample deeper fellowship with God but not at too great a price.
we are the ones who make it difficult to get to know God better. draw near to God and He will draw near to you James 4:8
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
but on this one will I look says the Lord on him who is poor end of a country to Spirit and who trembles at my word Isaiah 66:2
2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.
My Flesh trembles in fear of you wrote the psalmist I stand in awe for your loss Psalms 119: 120
120 My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.
If like habakkuk, you ever become discouraged about the condition of the church, the state of the world, or your own spiritual life, take time to pray and seek God's mercy.
Vision - Pondered God's ways
Vision - Pondered God's ways
from versus 3 to 15 He is going to contemplate, examine the greatness of God
He's going to bring to memory places where the glory of God was revealed.
V 6 and 7 the Lord Stood in power
6 He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever.
7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.
Habakkuk describes his God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob end the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God of Glory who reveals His glory in creation and in history. He is the Living God who makes the dead Idols of the Nations look ridiculous. He is the God of power who can command Land and Sea, heaven and earth, and therefore, he is the God of Victory who leads his people in Triumph.
The thing that lifted Habakkuk to the Mountaintop was his understanding of the greatness of God. We need a return to the kind of worship that focuses on the glory of God and seeks to honor him alone.
Faith - Affirmed God's will
Faith - Affirmed God's will
This is one of the greatest confessions of Faith found anywhere in the scriptures. habakkuk has faced the frightening fact that his Nation will be invaded buy a merciless enemy. The Prophet knows that many of the people will go into Exile and many will be slain. The land will be ruined, end Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed. Yet he tells God that he will trust him no matter what happens.
Listen to his confession of faith.
I will wait patiently on the Lord V16.
I will wait patiently on the Lord V16.
if Habakkuk had depended on his feelings , he would never have made this great confession of faith. If Habakkuk looked ahead, he saw a nation heading for Destruction, and that frightened him.
When he looked within, he saw himself trembling with fear, and when he looked around, he saw everything in the economy about to fall apart.
But when he looked up by faith, he saw God, and all his fears vanished.
To walk by faith means to focus on the greatness and glory of God.
One of the marks of faith is a willingness to wait patiently for the Lord to work. Isaiah 28:16
16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
When we run ahead of God, we get into trouble.
Habakkuk could we quietly because he knew that God was at work in the world and he had prayed that God's work would be kept alive and strong 3: 2. when you know that God is working in your life, you can afford to wait quietly and let him have his way.
Furthermore, God had commanded him to wait and God's Commandments are God's enablement. no matter what we see and no matter how we feel we must depend on God's promises and not allow ourselves to fall apart.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him Psalm 37:7
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
I will rejoice in the Lord V 17 : 18
I will rejoice in the Lord V 17 : 18
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
by the time Babylon was through with the land of Judah there wouldn't be much of value left. Buildings would be destroyed, Treasures would be plundered, and farms and Orchards would be devastated. the economy would fall apart and there would be little to sing about. But God would still be on his throne, working out his Divine Purpose for his people.
Habakkuk couldn't rejoice in his circumstances, but he could rejoice in his God!
the prophets testimony here reminds us of pulse admonitions to Christians today Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you 1st Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always,
17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Habakkuk discovered that God was his strength and song as well as his salvation and therefore he had nothing to fear.
it's one thing to whistle in the dark and try bolster our courage, and quite something else to sing about the Eternal God who never fails. Though his lips were trembling and his legs were shaking the prophet bursts into song and worship His God.
What an example for us to follow! it reminds us of Our Lord before he went to the cross, and Paul and Silas in the Philippian dungeon. God can give us songs in the night if you will trust him and see his greatness.
I will rely on the Lord
I will rely on the Lord
19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
If my legs were shaking in my heart pounding, I'd find a safe place to sit down and relax, but habakkuk began to bound up the mountain like a deer!
Because of his faith in the Lord, he was able to stand and be as sure-footed as a deer; he was able to run swiftly and go higher than he never gone before.
This is one reason why the Lord permits us to go through trials: they can draw Us near to Him and Lift Us above the circumstances so that we walk on the highest with him.
God made us for the Heights. if he allows us to go into the valley, it's so we might wait on him and mount up the Eagles wings Isaiah 40: 30-31
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
He made him to ride on the high places of the Earth Deuteronomy 32:13. This is what David experienced when he was being chased by his enemy and by Saul: it is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sits me on my high places Psalms 18:32-33
13 He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him with the fruit of the fields. He nourished him with honey from the rock, and with oil from the flinty crag,
32 It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.
G. Camp Bell Morgan said our joy is in proportion to our trust. Our trust is in proportion to our knowledge of God.
Habakkuk teaches us to face our doubts and questions honestly, take them humbly to the Lord, wait for his word to teach us, and then worship him no matter how we feel or what we see.
God doesn't always change the circumstances, but he can change us to meet the circumstances.
That's what it means to live by faith.