Welcome to episode 213 of Grasp the Bible. In this episode, we kick off our Fall series. Today, we talk about those times when God does not make sense.
Key takeaways:
- The covenant God seems to be breaking covenant obligations.
- Habakkuk continuously cries, but God continuously doesn't respond. The prophet feels trapped in a cycle of unanswered prayer.
- If God sees everything and has power to stop evil, why does He merely observe without acting?
- God doesn't just rescue Habakkuk from low places; He elevates him to positions of spiritual authority and perspective that belong to Him.
- Habakkuk chooses joy before he sees any change in circumstances.
- Job 13:15 captures the tension between sovereign suffering and persistent faith. Job's statement isn't passive resignation—it's active, defiant trust. He's saying his relationship with God transcends even life and death. Whether God preserves or destroys him, God remains his God.
- Job understood something profound: his relationship with God wasn't based on what God did for him, but on who God is. This moves beyond transactional faith (serve God to get blessings) to transformational faith (serve God because He's worthy).
- Faith isn't blind optimism—it's confident trust based on God's proven character.
- ·Choosing trust over understanding doesn't mean pretending everything is fine when it's not. Trusting God means bringing your real emotions to Him, not hiding them from Him.
Quotable:
- God has already proven His love at a cross, and that love doesn't change based on your circumstances.
Application:
- Habakkuk shows us that faithful people can question God's methods while remaining committed to God's character.
- We don't live based on what we can see right now, but on what we know to be true about God's character and promises.
- How to pray when confused: Follow biblical models:
- Use the Psalms as prayer templates (especially Psalms of lament like 13, 22, 88)
- Be honest about your feelings while affirming God's character
- Ask for wisdom (James 1:5) rather than demanding explanations
- Pray with others who can help bear your burden
- I want to give you three specific steps to choose trust over understanding this week:
- First, write it down. Write down one specific situation where you're demanding answers from God instead of trusting His character. Maybe it's a relationship, a health issue, a financial pressure, or a prodigal child. Please write it down.
- Second, declare it out loud. This week, I challenge you to speak Habakkuk's words over your situation. Stand in your kitchen, sit in your car, wherever you are, and say: 'Though _____ may not happen the way I want, though _____ may not change, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.' Fill in those blanks with your specific situation.
- Third, share it with someone. Don't carry this burden alone. Before Sunday comes again, I want you to text, call, or meet with one person and say, 'I'm struggling to trust God with _____. Will you pray with me?'
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