Habakkuk Ch1v1-Ch2v5 - Faith Amidst Fear And Destruction

Habakkuk, Habakkuk, whatever way you say it. I think they say Habakkuk in America. I think

we say Habakkuk in Ireland, but I won't get into an argument with anyone over it. Habakkuk,

Habakkuk 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1. That's on page 940, and you're going to need a page number this morning for

that, 940. It's a small book, just three chapters, and we're going to take the next three weeks

together to study what God has to say to us through it.

So we're going to read from chapter 1, verse 1, up until chapter 2, and verse 4 today.

Before we start, let's pray. Let's commit this time to the Lord.

Lord, what we're about to read isn't all easy. We need your help.

Or we find it hard to understand your ways and to trust you. God, give us grace now to hear

what your word has to say to us. In Jesus' name, amen.

Do you ever get overwhelmed by the injustice and suffering in the world around you?

Do you ever pray about it and wonder why God continues to allow it to happen?

A few months ago, you would have heard in the news that an army officer walked free from a

Limerick courtroom after knocking a woman unconscious on the streets of Limerick and bragging about

it to his friends.

Elsewhere on our city streets, drug dealers exploit vulnerable young people to sell drugs while they

themselves get off scot-free, living lives of luxury.

Further afield, in Ukraine, you may have heard this in the news,

tens of thousands of children have been forcibly deported to Russia with no promise of ever being returned.

In the Israel-Hamas war, approximately 30,000 civilians have been killed.

And over a hundred hostages remain in captivity.

All of this and more.

It makes us cry out with Habakkuk.

In verse 2, read with me.

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.

Therefore, the law is paralyzed and justice never prevails.

The wicked hem in the righteous so that justice is perverted.

Habakkuk has the honesty to say out loud what we're all thinking.

When we see justice being perverted time and time again.

And what follows is this gripping dialogue between this weary, doubting man and his God,

which we really need to hear today.

This text is going to show us how to talk to God about the ugly realities of injustice and suffering.

What to do when God seems deaf to our cries.

Or when his answers are too difficult to accept.

And finally, we're going to learn how God calls us to live by faith as we struggle with all of these things.

And we're going to walk through this text in the structure that it gives us.

Habakkuk speaks.

God responds.

Then Habakkuk responds to God.

And God has his final word.

So let's start with Habakkuk's questions, which we just read there.

And I wonder, did those questions make you feel just a little bit uncomfortable?

I mean, is it okay to express frustration and doubt like that to God?

I mean, look at verse 2.

He asks, how long, Lord, must I call for help?

But you do not listen.

Now, Habakkuk is a prophet of God.

He knows the scriptures back to front.

He obviously knows that God listens to our cries.

But he's living in Judah at this moment in time.

And this nation is spiraling out of control and wickedness.

He is frustrated and he's wearied from the rampant injustice he sees around him.

And right now in this moment, he honestly feels like God isn't listening to his prayers.

That's real life, isn't it?

There's no glossing over the truth.

We get tired.

We get tired of praying the same prayers over and over and not seeing any change.

We say, what's the point in praying about this anymore?

Why is God just letting it happen?

And yes, deep down in our hearts, we know that God does hear every cry of ours.

We know Romans 8.28.

He works everything for good.

But some days we just don't feel it.

Is that okay?

Well, I think the first thing that we learn from Habakkuk here is that God can take our honest questions.

He can handle our doubts.

Tomorrow, I might have total faith that he's listening and he's working everything out for good.

But Habakkuk shows us that it's okay to be honest with God if we don't feel it today.

God can handle our honest questions.

He wants us to come to him with our doubts, not to pull away.

But what's also really important to note here is how Habakkuk asks his honest questions.

And it's a humble asking.

This is no arrogant, I know better than you, rant,

with one foot already out the door to leave.

No, Habakkuk isn't giving up on God here.

That's clear.

Neither is this a kind of superficial glossing over the situation or the pain he feels,

pretending it doesn't exist.

No, both those are wrong.

No, this is a humble asking.

Where Habakkuk asks his honest questions about his pain.

And even if he has to wait to get an answer, he's staying.

And we can follow Habakkuk's example here as we bring our questions to God

about the pain and injustice that we can't understand.

Even the very asking of those questions is an act of faith in and of itself.

So first, we bring our honest questions to God and we ask humbly,

waiting for his answer.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

That's all well and good, Sam.

But what about when God's answer isn't what I asked for?

What if nothing changes for months or years?

What if the pain or the injustice simply gets worse?

Well, this is actually what happened to Habakkuk.

Because after Habakkuk's honest questions, in verse 5,

come God's difficult answers.

And it's going to feel for all the world like God is failing him.

But God's difficult answers are not the end of the story.

Not for us.

Not for Habakkuk.

Let's hear God's response in verse 5.

He says,

Look at the nations and watch, and be utterly amazed.

For I am going to do something in your days that you would not even believe,

even if you were told.

And I think the first thing to note here

is that God's difficult answers are not as we expect.

God reminds Habakkuk and us that his ways are so much higher than ours.

We were hearing that already from what Connor shared from Romans this morning.

In fact, we should not expect to understand all of God's actions in our world, should we?

It shouldn't surprise us if we don't get it,

or can't see how this situation works for good,

because God is the all-knowing, perfectly just creator,

who sees everything from beginning to end.

But that's hard to trust, isn't it, in the middle of a crisis?

And I think it all boils down to this.

Are we willing to trust God

with the things that we don't expect

and the things that don't make sense?

Let's continue.

In verse 6, with God's difficult, unexpected answer.

Here it is, verse 6.

I am raising up the Babylonians,

that ruthless and impetuous people

who will 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.

Their horses are swifter than leopards,

fiercer than wolves at dusk.

Their cavalry gallops headlong.

Their horsemen come from afar.

They fly like an eagle, swooping to devour.

They all come intent on violence.

Their hordes advance like a desert wind

and gather prisoners like sand.

They mock kings and scoff at rulers.

They laugh at all fortified cities.

By building earthen ramps, they capture them.

Then they sweep past like the wind and go on.

Guilty people whose own strength is their God.

Let's be real.

This is Habakkuk's worst nightmare.

Can you imagine the horror of God telling you directly

that your country will be overrun by a ruthless army

who will destroy, kill, and take captive?

And for Habakkuk, worse still.

God is the one sending them.

God says it himself in verse 6.

He says, I am raising up the Babylonians.

This text tells us straight out

that God raises up evil nations

to do evil things

within his perfect plan

for his people and his world.

And this difficult answer plunges Habakkuk and us

into a painful struggle.

And this is a struggle that God's servants

in every age have gone through.

How can God be holy and good

and yet sovereign over evil?

But before we delve more into this,

just notice in verse 12

how Habakkuk addresses God

in the middle of this struggle.

He uses words like,

my Lord,

my God,

my Holy One,

my Rock.

That's the kind of language that says,

I'm coming to you, Lord,

because I know you're faithful.

Even if I don't understand what you're doing.

Even if I'm confused and angry.

You're still my Lord.

You're still my Rock.

On which I stand.

What a way to approach

those painful struggles in our lives.

Saying,

Lord, you are still my Rock.

Even in the middle of this.

To where else can I go?

So in that light,

let's delve into Habakkuk's struggle

to square God's goodness

with his sovereignty over evil.

Let's read together from verse 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.

Verse 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.

And we're all with Habakkuk here,

aren't we?

I mean,

he rightly points out,

God,

you're holy.

Your eyes are too pure

to look on evil.

How can you be

sovereign over evil

and still good?

Well,

as we read on in Habakkuk,

actually in chapter 2,

we'll see that

while God is 100%

sovereign over evil,

people are also

100% responsible

for the evil

that they do.

we're going to read

in chapter 2

how God pronounces judgment

on this nation

of Babylon

for their wickedness.

God speaks of them

as having total control

over their actions.

They choose

the evil

that they're going to bring

upon Israel.

And yet,

equally true

was that God

was totally sovereign

over those evil choices

to achieve his purposes

for his people.

God is 100% sovereign.

People are 100% responsible.

Both true

at the same time.

A profound mystery

that God has chosen

not to fully explain

to us.

And again,

we come back

to the same question.

Are we willing

to trust God

with the difficult answers

he gives,

the things

that we don't

yet understand?

Even when the answer

he gives

is the thing

that we fear the most

as for Habakkuk.

Will we stay around?

Or will we walk

out the door on him?

Habakkuk,

while completely devastated,

he's staying.

And in an act of faith,

he continues

to struggle

with God

in prayer.

So,

from verses 14

on to 16,

he compares Babylon

to this greedy angler,

like a fisherman,

who mercilessly

just hoards

people like fish

into his net

while living

in luxury.

Let's pick it up

in verse 17.

Is he,

Babylon,

to keep on

emptying his net,

destroying nations

without mercy?

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.

Well,

what's your painful

struggle today?

You prayed

for hope

and God gave you

something you never

expected.

maybe even

the thing

you dreaded

the most.

And like Habakkuk

in verse 17,

you honestly

ask God,

will this ever end?

How is God

good

in this situation?

We're all

in the same struggle

and it feels

like we are

standing

up there

on the city

walls

with Habakkuk.

What an epic

scene.

and we

need

answers

and we're

going to

wait for them.

We're standing

on those city

walls

as it were.

We've got

no one else

to turn to.

We're going

to God.

The scene

is set.

Everything

is out

on the table

and God

is about

to give

his response.

what will

he say?

Let's read

from verse 2.

Then the

Lord replied,

write down

the revelation

and make it

plain on

tablets so

that a

herald may

run with

it.

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.

The

revelation

is spelled

out in

the rest

of this

chapter.

And in

summary,

Babylon

will be

judged

by God.

But in

the meantime,

Habakkuk

will have

to wait.

And sometimes

that waiting

feels unbearable,

doesn't it?

But God

tells us

how it

is possible

to wait

patiently for

his justice.

And this

is the

climax

statement.

This is

what it

all comes

down to

in verse

four.

Let's

read it

together.

See,

the enemy

is puffed

up.

His

desires

are not

upright.

But the

righteous

person

will live

by his

faithfulness.

Or simply

put,

will live

by

faith.

That's

how we

can wait

patiently

in the

struggle.

God

calls us

to live

by

faith.

This is

the opposite

of the

ungodly.

Did you

notice that?

They are

puffed up.

Or they

live by

their own

strength.

They don't

need God.

And in

verse five

it says

they're never

satisfied by

all the

things they

accumulate,

but not

those who

live by

faith in

God.

Hebrews

11.1

kind of

helps us

to understand

what this

word faith

means.

It says

this,

faith is

confidence

in what

we hope

for,

and assurance

about what

we do

not see.

Everything

in the

Christian life

ultimately

boils down

to this

charge.

Live

by

faith.

And it

starts with

our salvation,

doesn't it?

How can

sinful people

be made

right with

God?

Well,

we place

our faith

in Jesus'

perfect

obedience

for us,

and death

for our

sin.

We live

by faith

in him.

What's

the key

to patient

endurance

as we

wait for

God's

justice?

Well,

we live

by faith

in God's

future

judgment.

What's

the key

to not

giving up

when we

don't

understand

what God's

doing?

Well,

we live

by faith

in God's

perfect

wisdom.

Don't

you see

how

our

whole

life

in

Christ

is

lived

by

faith

from

start

to

finish.

But as

we come

to the

end,

I want

to leave

you with

an

encouragement

to

continue

praying

in the

struggle

like

Habakkuk

did.

And it

goes back

to his

very first

question.

Do you

remember that

at the

start?

God,

are you

even

listening?

And in

Revelation 5,

John

sees right

into the

throne room

of heaven.

And this

is what

we see.

You can

read along

on the

screen.

Revelation

5,

8,

the four

creatures

and the

twenty-four

elders

fell down

before the

lamb.

Each one

had a

harp.

And they

were holding

golden

bowls

full of

incense,

which are

the prayers

of God's

people.

This is

amazing.

Your prayers

and mine,

they don't

float into

the abyss.

God is

never tuned

out.

The image

here is

of God

collecting

every one

of your

prayers in

these golden

bowls.

They are a

sweet-smelling

incense to

him.

They delight

him.

He treasures

every whisper

of yours,

every cry

of desperation,

every plea

for justice.

God stores

away every

one of your

prayers,

prayed

according

to his

will.

And why

is he

doing this?

Well,

I think it's

worth us

turning to

Revelation

together.

Revelation

Revelation 8:3

chapter 8

verse 3.

We're going

to see

these golden

bowls of

our prayers

reappear here.

This is

Revelation

Revelation 8:3

chapter 8

verse 3.

It's on

page

1,239.

Revelation

Revelation 8:3

8 verse

3.

I'm going

to read

down to

verse 5.

Another

angel who

had a

golden censer

came and

stood at

the altar.

This is in

the throne

room of

heaven.

He was

given much

incense to

offer with

the prayers

of all

God's

people on

the golden

altar in

front of

the throne.

The smoke

of the

incense together

with the

prayers of

God's people

went up

before God

from the

angel's

hand.

Then the

angel took

the censer,

filled it

with fire

from the

altar and

hurled it

on the

earth.

And there

came peals

of thunder,

rumblings,

flashes of

lightning and

an earthquake.

Now there's

a lot of

vivid imagery

for us to

take in

here, but

just notice

the prayers

of God's

people fuel

the fire

that is

hurled onto

the earth

at the

end of

time.

And that

fire, we

believe,

represents God's

coming judgment

on all

injustice

and his

renewal

of the

earth.

One writer

says it

like this,

you can

follow along

on the

screen.

The renewal

of the

world,

heaven and

earth,

restored as

one,

begins

with God

pouring out

all the

prayers of

his children

like a

purifying fire

with one

great

resounding

yes.

I find that

so encouraging.

I hope you

do too.

the loved

ones you

prayed for

who never

got better,

the pain

that you

prayed against

that never

went away,

the injustice

you prayed

for that

continued,

unchecked,

the peace

you prayed

for which

never came.

God treasures

all of those

prayers.

And on the

last day,

God will use

every one of

those prayers

to begin

his renewal

of all things.

Death will

die,

pain will end,

injustice and

war will

cease.

The answer

will be

yes,

yes and

yes.

Your prayers

are not

wasted breath.

They're not

ignored.

Both Habakkuk's

prayers and

ours matter

eternally.

And God

invites us

to pray

in faith

as we

patiently

wait for

God to

act.

so bring

to him

your honest

questions

and your

doubts.

Lay them

before him.

And when

his answers

just don't

make sense

to you,

stay in

the struggle

in prayer.

Remember

God's charge

to you

today.

Live

by faith

in the

sovereign

judge who

will right

all wrongs

and he will

make all

things new.

Live by

faith in

the only

savior

Jesus

whose

unjust

death

bought

your

forgiveness.

Live by

faith

in the

wise

loving

shepherd

who leads

you

through the

valley of

pain.

Let's

pray to

him now.

Lord, we

so desperately

need your

help with

this

because we

feel the

sting of

injustice and

pain and we

doubt your

goodness.

Give us

faith

to trust

you when

we can't

see you

moving.

oh Lord,

thank you

that you

treasure

every

prayer of

ours.

Give us

the grace

to persevere

in prayer

and to

live by

faith

in your

promise

just like

Habakkuk

did.

we pray

all of

these

things

for

your

glory

and for

our

good.

Amen.

Amen.

We're going

to sing a

song now.