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

A Hall of Famer’s biggest regret

I’ve loved watching NFL football and the Kansas City Chiefs since I was a kid in the early 90s.  One of the Chiefs’ biggest rivals has always been the Denver Broncos.  There have been epic, back-and-forth matchups between the two teams over the years, with superstars and Hall of Fame-level players on both sides.  While I may not care much for Broncos players when they’re playing, I’ve always maintained a level of grudging respect for their good players.

However, one player always bugged me.  I never liked his attitude, his mouth, or the fact that he was so stinkin’ good – his name was Shannon Sharpe, and he played the Tight End position.  He’d talk trash, back it up, and then talk some more.  He never stopped talking, and his persona was always larger-than-life.  On the field, he was close to unstoppable.  He was the first TE to reach over 10,000 receiving yards, and he won 3 Superbowl Championships in his career.  Life was much easier for my Chiefs once he retired in 2003, after playing for 14 seasons.  He was elected to the ProFootball Hall of Fame in 2011.

During an interview in the spring of 2023, Shannon Sharpe was asked an interesting question, and his answer was much more transparent than I expected.  He was asked “What advice would you go back and give yourself as a rookie?”

Here is his reply:

What would I tell myself?

I don't know. Honestly guys, from the time that I made it [to the NFL], everything was about football. I ate, I slept, I breathed, I talked football.  And I think…I was terrible at a lot of things, except football. I was terrible at being a brother, terrible at being a son. I was terrible at being a father. I was terrible at being a boyfriend.

I was terrible at all of those, but I was a damn good football player.

Probably…I wish I could, look, I would go back, if I could tell my rookie self…I would say, “the way you judge success” because everything that I look at now is judged by success.

And that's the only thing. And so even my relationships now, here I am about to be double nickel [55] in about four months, is still judged by success. And so I would say, “Shannon, everything that you've accomplished doesn't mean anything, because you don't have anybody to share it with.”

That's what I would tell myself. I would do it…if I would do it over again. I would find that one person [to share life with]…and that's what I would do.

Of all the things he could have told himself as a rookie – the most important message he wanted to send back is that our relationships are the top, lasting priority.  You can hear his regret as he spoke about all the relationships he was “terrible” at.  Despite all the fame, money, and football glory he enjoyed…the missing link, as he sees it now, was a wife to share it with.

His comments bring to mind a few Scriptures:

Genesis 2:18, 24
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.  I will make a helper corresponding to him.”…This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Proverbs 31:10
Who can find a wife of noble character?
She is far more precious than jewels.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.  For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.  Also if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?

God made us to be relational beings – we really do need each other.  We were created to have a spouse, and there is a strong desire in us to find that special, unique connection between a man and a woman.  Unfortunately, we’re often bad a recognizing how much of a priority this connection needs to be.  We let many things get in the way, but the value of having “someone to share life with” surpasses all other achievements, awards, or personal experiences. 

I encourage you to ask yourself the following hard questions:

What priority-level do relationships have in my life?
If they should be a higher priority, what immediate steps will I take to fix that?
If I believe they are prioritized correctly, what am I actively doing to keep them there?

Don’t get to the point where you look back on your life and realize that all your “success” wasn’t very successful because you failed to prioritize your relationships along the way.

Keep Pressing,
Ken