***What was your first thought when you woke up this morning? ***
What a lovely day. Thank you Lord, for the soft gentle showers during the night.
Did you expect something amazing to happen today? Habakkuk did . . .
Habakkuk 1:5 CEV
‘Look and be amazed at what’s happening among the nations! Even if you were told,
you would never believe what’s taking place now.’
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The way God breaks the silence.
In response to Habakkuk’s questioning and confusion, God broke His silence, informing him that He was aware of Judah’s sin. Instead of bringing about a renewal in Judah He was sending the “feared and dreaded” Babylonians to exercise His judgment on His people (verse 7).
Charles Swindoll commented, ‘It reminds us that while God may seem silent and uninvolved in our world, He always has a plan to deal with evil and always works out justice . . . eventually.’ (The Bible Teaching ministry of Pastor Chuck Swindoll)
Up until this point in the prophecy Habakkuk had been complaining to God. Here we find God providing an answer to Habakkuk. God will certainly take care of this situation during Habakkuk’s lifetime. He would actually use a pagan nation to punish His people.
- How do you feel about God using non-believers to discipline His children?
- Can you think of an occasion when a non-believer responded to some ungodly word or action of yours?
- How do you respond when a non-believer comments, “I would never have expected that of a Christian.”?
Prayer is often a risky business, God sometimes tells us things that we don’t really want to hear.
'While God may seem silent and uninvolved in our world, He always has a plan.' Charles Swindoll Click To TweetGod’s way
A preacher once said, ‘He who asks God for light must not complain if the light scorches at times with its fierce and naked heat, and he who asks for guidance must not be surprised if God points him to paths he would rather not tread.’” (Quoted by Sara Maxwell in ‘God Answers’ 2nd June 2013)
God’s ways are certainly not our ways, nor His thoughts as our thoughts, but be assured His ways produce the best possible results.
- Are you ready to accept the method that God may use to answer your prayers?
God’s way ahead for the nation, for your congregation, for you and I personally, may not be our choice, may not be the easiest way, but it certainly will prove to ultimately be the best way.
- Are you really ready for God’s answer?
- What response from God do you fear the most?
- No answer?
- Wait a while?
- Be patient the answer is on the way?
- Or the guidance to do something that you are afraid of doing?
God knows the best way
Although God’s answer may not be what we had hoped for we can take comfort in the fact that God knows what is best for us and He promises to prosper us in the end.
Eugene Peterson has these words of encouragement, “It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in GOD.” (Proverbs 16:20 MSG)
Very good advice from The Message. Keep trusting even though God’s answer may be unexpected and seem strange.
Share with me how you feel about waiting for God’s answer. What would you like to say to Him, or how can I pray for you? Please leave a comment below.
If you haven’t yet read the background to the prophecy, please do. It will benefit you throughout our time together.
Waiting for God’s answer is hard. I’m learning to ask for strength, to look back at the times waiting was a blessing, which encourages me to enjoy the present.
Thanks for this Rob. As you know, I don’t wait patiently! I tend to pound the gates of Heaven. I do try . . . but sometimes it’s hard.
You know only too well that I don’t like having to wait either. If something is going to happen how about now!.
+Yes, waiting for God’s answer can seem interminable, and it may not even come in our own lifetime. But, God has His timetable. The older I get the more I can see that waiting can be a good thing, as it allows things to settle and sort of their own accord, instead of you jumping into what could have ended up a disaster, although God can redeem disaster’s too, just makes you wait even longer!!
Sometimes when we don’t receive what we anticipated, we loose sight of what we were waiting for and then one day something happens and we realise that the Lord has not forgotten and we have in fact received His answer.
Hi, pastor Rob
Thank you for this reminder. We tend to put God in a box and decide how we think He should answer our prayers.
Yes! You are so right. We forget that His ways are not our ways. Yet if we wait patiently we discover His way is far better than our way.