When God Doesn't Answer When You Want Him To
When God Doesn't: The Book of Habakkuk • Sermon • Submitted
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· 10 viewsHabakkuk pours out his heart in a complaint to God, questioning him as why he appears to be silent and uncaring toward the situation.
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Introduction
Introduction
We find within the Old Testament scriptures that there are two categories of prophets within it. There are the major prophets and there are the minor prophets. Now those two definitions do not, in any way, define how one is more important than the other - all they simply do is describe the length of them.
The longer prophets within the Old Testament are called the major prophets, the shorter prophets are described as the minor prophets. If you were to look at the front of your Bible this evening, you would see that the major prophets consist of the book of Isaiah, the book of Jeremiah, the book of Ezekiel, and the book of Daniel, and even - some say - Lamentations.
Then there are twelve little books, mainly at the end of the Old Testament, and those twelve - including Habakkuk that we're talking about today - are the minor prophets.
There are some minor prophets that are described as pre-exilic, some that are exilic, and some that are post-exilic.
The pre-exilic prophets are simply those that were given to these nations before the children of Israel were taken into captivity into the land of Babylon - before it, 'pre-'.
The exilic prophets are those that were written by the children of Israel, and to the children of Israel, in the land of Babylon during their captivity.
Then the post-exilic prophets are written after that, when the children of Israel have been delivered and have come out of their captivity in Babylon.
You see there that the book of Hosea and Amos was written to the nation of Israel.
Lamentations, Micah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk that we're written to Judah.
To Assyria there was the book of Jonah, the book of Nahum; and to Edom, Obadiah.
During the exile from Babylon, Daniel and Ezekiel.
Then post-exile, after they came out of the land of Babylon, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, to the city itself of Jerusalem.
Be Mindful that the kingdom, the one united kingdom under King David, eventually split into two, and the northern kingdom was Israel, and the southern kingdom was Judah. Habakkuk was written to the southern kingdom of Judah.
Some historical background on the book of Habakkuk:
First, we do not know much about Habakkuk; the Scriptures only record his name and describe him as a prophet ().
Next, “the prophet Habakkuk prophesied after the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. but before the surprising rise of the Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C.
This places Habakkuk in Judah around 607 B.C. during the reign of the wicked king Jehoiakim ()”
“Habakkuk wrote in a time of international crisis and national corruption. Babylonia had just emerged as a world power”
Habakkuk struggles to understand God's goodness in the midst of such evil and injustice in the world.
The book of Habakkuk is a compilation of the prophet's laments, not an accusation against Israel and its sin or a message to the people on God's behalf like some of the other prophetic books.
Instead, Habakkuk questions God's goodness because he sees so much injustice, evil and tragedy in the world. He's also concerned because God plans to send Babylon, an intensely evil nation, to judge Israel.
Habakkuk has two complaints and God has two answers.
How do we respond in seasons of silence, darkness, and disappointment?
First, we pour our heart and unedited emotions to God:
First, we pour our heart and unedited emotions to God:
In his first complaint Habakkuk cries out:
How long will I have to cry out and why want you listen?
Complaints were a type of prayer offered by God’s people back to God
; , ). In prayers of complaint or lament, the words are not necessarily a lack of faith, just a turning of our hearts to God and pouring out our soul. Confessing our negative thoughts, pain, and darker emotions is not an indication of unbelief, but an acknowledgment of our journey into a transformed faith (see David’s example in ).
2 Even to day is my complaint bitter:
My stroke is heavier than my groaning.
2 Attend unto me, and hear me:
I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;
, ). In prayers of complaint or lament, the words are not necessarily a lack of faith, just a turning of our hearts to God and pouring out our soul. Confessing our negative thoughts, pain, and darker emotions is not an indication of unbelief, but an acknowledgment of our journey into a transformed faith (see David’s example in ).
In prayers of complaint or lament, the words are not necessarily a lack of faith, just a turning of our hearts to God and pouring out our soul.
Confessing our negative thoughts, pain, and darker emotions is not an indication of unbelief, but an acknowledgment of our journey into a transformed faith (see David’s example in
1 I cried unto the Lord with my voice;
With my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.
2 I poured out my complaint before him;
I shewed before him my trouble.
Second, we continue to exercise faith and trust in God:
Second, we continue to exercise faith and trust in God:
8 Trust in him at all times; ye people,
Pour out your heart before him:
God is a refuge for us. Selah.
In verse 2, Habakkuk begins his complaint by continuing to cry out to God for help, but there has been no response from God—not a single sound. Habakkuk even accuses God of not listening to him.
In verse 2, Habakkuk begins his complaint by continuing to cry out to God for help, but there has been no response from God—not a single sound. Habakkuk even accuses God of not listening to him.
In verse 2, Habakkuk begins his complaint by continuing to cry out to God for help, but there has been no response from God—not a single sound. Habakkuk even accuses God of not listening to him.
From this passage, we first learn that we must not be afraid of praying from our real emotions in seasons of darkness.
How do we respond when God appears to be mute and not responding to our prayers?
What do we do when our most desperate and deepest prayers seem to meet the apparent silence of God?
Throughout the Scriptures, many men and women have struggled with the apparent silence of God.
Jesus, during his greatest need when his soul became overwhelmed with sorrow even to the point of death
), poured out his heart to God the Father three times, asking to be spared from his coming sufferings, if possible. As far as the Scriptures record, the Father did not respond to Jesus in Gethsemane. When it comes to the silence of God and unanswered prayers, “silence may be more than absence, silence may be presence muted”
34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
Poured out his heart to God the Father three times, asking to be spared from his coming sufferings, if possible.
The silence of God does not mean we have been forsaken by God; he is also present with us—even in the silence.
Third, we can confess our doubts, disappointments, and struggles.
Third, we can confess our doubts, disappointments, and struggles.
Just as a man did with Jesus in
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
.
In verses 3-4, Habakkuk continues his prayer by declaring to God all of the violence that he sees occurring on the earth: destruction, killings, violence, and conflict.
In verses 3-4, Habakkuk continues his prayer by declaring to God all of the violence that he sees occurring on the earth: destruction, killings, violence, and conflict.
Yet Habakkuk complains that God does nothing.
Habakkuk states that God observes it and remains idle, thus permitting wrongs to take place, evildoers to go unpunished, evil to grow, and justice to be perverted.
God does not intervene. God does not save.
When we believe that God is silent in answering our prayers, we often conclude that he does not care.
However, as we will see as we continue our series over the next several weeks, God is active and answering prayers; Habakkuk merely does not realize this at this point in the story.
How will you respond in your seasons of silence, darkness, and disappointment?
You can rest in the faithful love of our heavenly Father who cares for us.
Page Intentionally Left Blank
2 I poured out my complaint before him;
I shewed before him my trouble.
). Second, we continue to exercise faith and trust in God: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (). Third, we can confess our doubts, disappointments, and struggles as well, just as a man did with Jesus in . Fourth, we rest in the faithful love of our heavenly Father who cares for us
rest in the faithful love of our heavenly Father who cares for us
One day while printing a report for work He noticed a blank page. He initially thought that the printer was malfunctioning. He thought this until He looked near the bottom of the black page and saw this note, “Page intentionally left blank.”
). Second, we continue to exercise faith and trust in God: “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (). Third, we can confess our doubts, disappointments, and struggles as well, just as a man did with Jesus in . Fourth, we rest in the faithful love of our heavenly Father who cares for us
After a sigh of relief, a different section of the report began to spout from the printer. When that section finished another blank page followed with the same note, “Page intentionally left blank.” A few seconds later a new section began to print.
As He thought about it He realized that the blank page that came at the end of each section served two purposes.
First, it informed him that the previous section had ended.
Second, it informed him that a new section was about to begin.
Sometimes, God will seem silent.
You will wonder what’s going on, or where is God.
But it’s possible that the current page in your life may have been intentionally left blank by God to let you know that a new chapter is coming.
Is there anybody that feel like they have blank pages is there life and God Seems silent?
Where is Christ in the text?
In Habakkuk, Christ is the Foundation of our Faith
He pities every groan.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Can i ask you a question? who’s bearing your burden?
Because He is a Burden Bearer
18 And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountain, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.
What a friend we have in Jesus
All our sins and griefs to bear
And what a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer
Oh, what peace we often forfeit
Oh, what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer