Jul. 06, 2022

“GOD’S DEALING WITH MAN”

“HABAKKUK WORSHIPPING”

HABAKKUK 3:1-19

Habakkuk 3:16 “When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself…”

What took Habakkuk from the valley to the summit?

1.   Prayer: Pray For The Work Of God

This chapter is a “prayer psalm” that may have been used in the temple worship sin Jerusalem.

Habakkuk 3:1-2 “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.2O Lord, I have heard Your speech and was afraid;
O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years! In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.”

*He prayed because he heard God speak.

James 4:2 “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.”

Hearing God’s Word generates faith in the heart of the child of God:

Romans 10:17

Mark 11:22-24

The Word of God and prayer must always go together lest our praying becomes zeal without knowledge:

Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

*Habakkuk prayed because he was overwhelmed by God’s splendor, “I have heard Your speech and was afraid..”

Moses trembled at Mt. Sinai when God gave the Law (Hebrews 12:18-21).

Joshua fell on his face before the Lord- Joshua 5:13-15

David fell on his face before the Lord- 1 Chronicles 21:6

Daniel became exhausted and ill after seeing the visions God gave him- Daniel 8:27, 10:11

Peter, James and John-were facedown on the ground and filled with terror at the vision of Christ’s glory on the Mount of Transfiguration- Matthew 17:6

John when he saw the glorified Christ feel at His feet as dead- Revelation 1:17

James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Isaiah 66:2 “For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.”

Psalm 119:120 “My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments.”

Habakkuk prayed because he wanted God’s work to succeed.

Finally, Habakkuk prayed because he wanted God to show mercy. 

Perhaps Habakkuk had the promise of Isaiah in mind:

Isaiah 54:7-8 “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you. 8With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the Lord, your Redeemer.”

Isaiah 59:16 “He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.”

2.   Vision: Ponder The Greatness of God

*God Came In Splendor

Habakkuk 3:3-5

Exodus 12:12 “For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.”

Psalm 78:50 “He made a path for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But gave their life over to the plague.”

*The Lord Stood in His Power

Habakkuk 3:6-7

*God Marched in Victory

Habakkuk 3:8-15

In this hymn, Habakkuk describes his God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The thing that lifted Habakkuk to the mountaintop was his understanding of the greatness of God.

3.   Faith: Affirm The Will Of God

This is one of the greatest confessions of faith found anywhere in Scripture.

Habakkuk 3:16 “When I heard, my body trembled; My lips quivered at the voice; Rottenness entered my bones; And I trembled in myself, That I might rest in the day of trouble. When he comes up to the people, He will invade them with his troops.”

To walk by faith means to focus on the greatness and glory of God.

One of the marks of faith is a willingness to wait patiently for the Lord to work.

Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”

Psalm 37:7 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him…”

Exodus 14:13 “…“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord…”

Ruth 3:18 “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out..”

Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God…”

When we find ourselves overwhelmed, we need to stop, pray, and wait on the Lord.

*I Will Rejoice in the Lord

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Habakkuk couldn’t rejoice in his circumstances, but he could rejoice in his God.

The prophets testimony here reminds us of Paul’s admonition to Christians today:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Mark 14:26 “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

Acts 16:25 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

God can give a song in the night if we will trust in His greatness:

Psalm 42:8 “The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me A prayer to the God of my life.”

*I Will Rely On The Lord

Habakkuk 3:19 “The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.”

God made us for the heights. He allows us to go into the valley, it’s so we might wait on Him:

Isaiah 40:30-31 “Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

Deuteronomy 32:13 “He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock.”

God doesn’t always change the circumstances, but He can change us to meet the circumstances. That’s what it means to live by faith.