God Speaks
Habakkuk Complains and Prays to the LORD
Verse of the Day: LORD, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, LORD. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2 NIV 2011)
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Watch TBR Day 232
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Habakkuk 1-3:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Habakkuk 1
1. Only the LORD God can solve the problems in the world today. It seems as though He has chosen a strange way to solve them–our fiercest enemies. [Babylon=Russia, Iran, North Korea, or Communist China?]
2. In the world around us: There is so much destruction and violence. Murder and crime are rampant. Evil deeds abound. People are in misery. Everyone seems to love to argue and fight. Law enforcement bodies appear to be paralyzed. There is no justice!
Habakkuk 2
1. The awareness of God’s glory fills the earth; therefore, let all the earth keep silent before Him.
2. People who have stolen, murdered, raped, and pillaged will be paid back with the same against them.
Habakkuk 3
1. The LORD is coming to rescue His chosen people and to crush the heads of those who oppressed them.
2. When things are going horribly wrong, people can and should determine to rejoice in the LORD and find joy in the God of our salvation.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Habakkuk 1-3?
O Sovereign LORD, You truly are the only One who can solve the problems in the world today. Do it for the sake of Your own reputation. Do it even if it means that You choose a way that seems strange to us–our fiercest enemies or our deepest fears. As it stands now, in the world around us: There is so much destruction and violence. Murder and crime are rampant. Evil deeds abound. People are in misery. Everyone seems to love to argue and fight. Law enforcement bodies appear to be paralyzed. There is no justice! We so need for the awareness of God’s glory to fill the earth. All the earth must keep silent before You in awestruck wonder. When You bring Your judgment upon the wicked, people who have stolen, murdered, raped, and pillaged will be paid back with the same against them. Our only hope is to turn to You, LORD, with faith in all that Jesus accomplished through the cross and resurrection. You, Lord Jesus, are coming to rescue Your chosen people and to crush the heads of those who oppressed them. Until then, whenever things are going horribly wrong, people can and should determine to rejoice in the LORD and find joy in the God of our salvation. Then throughout eternity You will receive glory, LORD. AMEN
Action (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Habakkuk 1-3? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will learn how to empathize in the name of Christ with someone who has experienced crime, violence, or tragedy.
- I will seek to build a mentoring relationship with a young adult to point them to a better life in Jesus.
- I will join a neighborhood watch program to help fight crime going on around me.
- I will rejoice in the LORD even when everything seems to be going wrong.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.