How to develop a defiant faith

In this series, we’ve walked with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what is unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet recorded his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Initially, Habakkuk wanted to know why God was letting the people of Judah get away with ignoring God and mistreating each other.  But after God revealed His plan – to allow the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) to punish Judah before God destroys the Chaldeans – we got to struggle with Habakkuk as he tries to wrap his head around God’s Plan for history.  Once he understands how much higher God’s Plans are than ours, Habakkuk takes comfort in who God is, knowing that He is both good and trustworthy.  God would still rescue His people, even if the correction they receive comes at the hands of a people group they view as more wicked than themselves.

However, the prophet’s writings ends with Habakkuk realizing what is about to happen – the Chaldeans will be coming soon:

Habakkuk 3:16
I heard, and I trembled within;
my lips quivered at the sound.
Rottenness entered my bones;
I trembled where I stood.

Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress
to come against the people invading us.

Although Habakkuk knew relief would eventually come for his people, he also knew that relief would come later…in the meantime, his country must endure the punishment of the Chaldeans first.

He knew how ruthless the Chaldeans would be.  Habakkuk had rightfully described them as treacherous, wicked, and without mercy.  He trembled at what he knew they were about to endure.

But Habakkuk also knew he wasn’t entirely helpless.  Despite his world completely falling apart around him, he still could choose his outlook and attitude:

Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls,
yet I will celebrate in the Lord;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

The Lord my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

Do you hear the defiance in his voice?  His faith in God is defying the brokenness and depressing circumstances that are in front of him.  His hope is set on something bigger than what appears around him.

When absolutely nothing is going right, Habakkuk says yet I will celebrate in the Lord and the Lord is my strength.

To help us understand Habakkuk’s choice of defiant faith, let’s take his farming-gone-wrong examples and put them into our modern context:

·       When I’ve been let go from my job and there are no prospects in my field while my bank account is draining, yet I will celebrate in the Lord.
·       When the doctors say my spouse is out of treatment options, yet the Lord is my strength.
·       When the people I counted on for support have betrayed me, yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
·       When my child abandons everything I tried to teach them, and they choose a destructive path, yet the Lord is my strength.

Despite any and all circumstances…yet I will trust in God.

Habakkuk chose to be defiantly faithful in the face of awful circumstances.  When we do the same, we will see God in a new way…while learning to trust Him and His Plan.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

That wasn't the answer he expected

In this series, we’re walking with a prophet that is little-known to most of us modern-day Christians.  Habakkuk lived in the last days of the southern kingdom of Judah, just before the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem.  However, where the writings of most other Old Testament prophets were about God’s message to the people, what we find unique about the book of Habakkuk is that the prophet records his conversation with God on behalf of the people.

Last time, we heard Habakkuk confront God about the selfish, even down-right evil, actions his fellow countrymen were committing.  He was struggling to understand why God hadn’t stepped in to address the troubles in Judah.

God did reply – but His response certainly wasn’t the solution Habakkuk was looking for:

Habakkuk 1:6-11
Look!  I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter impetuous nation that marches across the earth’s open spaces to seize territories not its own. 
They are fierce and terrifying; their views of justice and sovereignty stem from themselves. 
Their horses are swifter than leopards and more fierce than wolves of the night. 
Their horsemen charge ahead; their horsemen come from distant lands. 
They fly like eagles, swooping to devour.

All of them come to do violence; their faces are set in determination.
They gather prisoners like sand.
They mock kings, and rulers are a joke to them.
They laugh at every fortress and build siege ramps to capture it.
Then they sweep by like the wind and pass through.
They are wind; their strength is their god.

The Chaldeans are not who Habakkuk was expecting when he petitioned God for a “rescuer” for his people.  In fact, these pagan foreigners are the complete opposite of who Habakkuk expected.

In Habakkuk’s situation, he asked for help…but God told him it’s going to get worse before it gets better.  This was necessary, even though it would be painful.

When looking back in our own lives, we often thank God for “unanswered prayers”, when we asked for blessings that we ultimately did not receive.  We thought the best thing for us would be to get “that job” we had applied for, or we wanted a romantic relationship with a specific person, or even safety when traveling.  Because if God had fulfilled our request and we had received what we wanted in the moment…life would have been so different that the relationships and blessings we have now would not have been experienced.

But sometimes, God’s answer to our requests is more than just a “No”.  Other times, He does allow the car accident, the cancer diagnosis, or other difficult situations to occur.  But if we’re honest, the motivation behind many our prayer requests has more to do with our immediate comfort than with our connectedness with God.

And that’s the bigger picture – both for us and for Habakkuk – going through hard times has the ability to strip away our selfishness and self-centeredness that keeps us from being who God made us to be.

If you’ve learned how to look into your past and thank God for what didn’t happen, the next step in maturity is to be able to thank God in the moment He denies our prayer request.

Keep Pressing,
Ken