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Wondering and Wrestling

The Minor Prophets: The God of Our Salvation

Pastor Jim Thomas

Habakkuk 1

• Habakkuk 1: Wondering and Wrestling
• Habakkuk 2: Watching and Waiting
• Habakkuk 3: Worshiping and Witnessing

1. Habakkuk had real questions about the LORD.

“In my distress I called upon the LORD, 
And cried to my God for help; 
He heard my voice out of His temple, 
And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.”
Psalm 18:6

“My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? 
Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.
O my God, I cry by day, but Thou dost not answer; 
And by night, but I have no rest.”
Psalm 22:1-2

“A mind not agitated by good questions cannot possibly appreciate the significance of even the best answers. It is easy enough to teach the  answers parrotwise. But to develop actively  inquisitive minds alive with real questions, profound questions—that is another story.” 
Mortimer J. Adler, Jr.

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity. Don’t stop to marvel.”
Albert Einstein, Old Man’s Advice to Youth: Never Lose a Holy Curiosity

2. Habakkuk brought his questions directly to the LORD.

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. He is neither ignorant, so that we need to instruct him, nor hesitant, so that we need to persuade him. He is our father—a father who loves his children and knows all about their needs.”
John Stott

3. Habakkuk watched, waited and trusted the LORD.

Just because we can’t figure out what God is up to, what God’s plans and purposes might be at any given moment, does not mean God is inactive, incapable, or indifferent.  While we wait upon the LORD, the Holy Spirit offers strength for the weak, rest for the weary, comfort for the brokenhearted, and hope to those crushed in spirit.

“The call to wait on God is an invitation to trust and hope. It entails believing that one day—even if today is not that day—he will make all things right. In times of waiting, as we seek God in prayer, we must learn to listen to him as well as talk to him—to shut out the clatter and quietly wait as he unfolds to us his person, purposes, promises, and plan.”
Randy Alcorn