Trust the Lord No Matter What

In one paragraph

This message was Pastor Florian's study in the book of Habakkuk, part of an ongoing series through the minor prophets. Where most of the other prophets delivered God's word to Israel or the surrounding nations, Habakkuk records something different: a prophet wrestling honestly with God about violence, injustice, and whether God's plan is really the best one. The sermon traced that wrestling from...

Read together

1. Habakkuk 1:1-4 Habakkuk's first complaint to God about violence and injustice
2. Habakkuk 1:5-11 God's first answer, announcing he is raising up the Chaldeans
3. Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 Habakkuk's second complaint, questioning why God allows the wicked Babylonians to swallow those more righteous
4. Habakkuk 2:2-3 God tells Habakkuk to write the vision down plainly and wait for its appointed time
5. Habakkuk 2:4 the righteous shall live by his faith, cited as a key memory verse
6. Habakkuk 2:5-20 God's five woes against the proud, the greedy, violent builders, those who make neighbors drink, and idolaters
7. Habakkuk 3:1-19 Habakkuk's closing prayer, expressing trust in God no matter what the circumstances

Talk about it

1. Habakkuk was completely honest with God about what he saw around him, including violence and injustice that seemed to go unanswered. How easy or hard is it for you to be that honest with God in prayer, and what holds you back?
2. God told Habakkuk he was raising up the Babylonians, a nation more wicked than Judah, as the instrument of judgment. Have you ever received an answer from God that was harder to accept than no answer at all? What did you do with it?
3. The sermon pointed to Habakkuk 2:4, that the righteous shall live by his faith, as the hinge of the whole book. What does living by faith actually look like in a situation you are personally wrestling with right now?
4. The five woes God speaks cover things like building wealth on credit, gaining at the expense of others, and idolatry, and the sermon suggested these patterns repeat in every era. Where do you see those same patterns showing up today, including in your own life?
5. Habakkuk ends by saying he will rejoice in God even if the fig tree does not blossom, the fields yield no food, and the flocks are gone. What would your own version of that list look like, and can you honestly say the same thing he said?