Habbakuk week 2

A crisis of belief

Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV)
2How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Habakkuk 1:5 (NIV)
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.

crisis

Habbakuk's complaint

Habakkuk 1:12–17 (NIV)
12LORD, 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.
13Your 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?
14You have made people like the fish in the sea, like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.
16Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.
17Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy?

listen

Take time to listen to God

Habakkuk 2:1 (NIV)
1I 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.

write

Write down what God says to you

Habakkuk 2:2 (NIV)
2Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

wait

Wait for God and His plan. We can trust God's timing. Learn in the waiting.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV)
3For 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.

Nehemiah 9:1–3 (NIV)
1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.
2Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors.
3They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.

faith

Have faith that God's plan is good. Sometimes we believe in what we see, sometimes we believe in spite of what we see.

Habakkuk 2:4 (NIV)
4“See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7For we live by faith, not by sight.

silence

God is on His throne, be silent before him and trust Him.

Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV)
20The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.

Habakkuk 2:6 (NIV)
6“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying, “ ‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must this go on?’

Habakkuk 2:9 (NIV)
9“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, setting his nest on high to escape the clutches of ruin!

Habakkuk 2:12 (NIV)
12“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by injustice!

God is fully aware of the sinful ways of the enemy, and can use it to bring the righteous back to Him. Fix our eyes on the eternal. Walk by faith and trust in Him.

Habakkuk 2:15 (NIV)
15“Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!

Habakkuk 2:19 (NIV)
19Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)
7For we live by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (NIV)
16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
18So 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.

2 Corinthians 5:6–10 (NIV)
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
7For we live by faith, not by sight.
8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.