This is the first sermon in a series through Habakkuk.
Our Questions, God’s Plans > Habakkuk 1:1-2:1
1:1-4 Habakkuk cries out to the Lord: “Are you there?” “What are you doing?” “Where is Your justice?” Honest questions directed at the God that Habakkuk serves.
1:5-11 The Lord’s answer: He is at work and is raising up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to bring judgment upon the wicked.
1:12-2:1 Yet, the Lord’s response brings only more questions from Habakkuk: how can God use people as wicked as the Chaldeans to judge the people of Judah? Habakkuk wanted justice, but not this way! Yet he will continue to wait upon and trust the Lord.
Emphasis: The Lord is at work – He sees and knows far more than Habakkuk supposes – and He has a plan for justice.
Context: This short book is broken down into a dialogue where Habakkuk questions and the Lord graciously responds (chapters 1-2) and then Habakkuk offers a prayer of trust in the Lord (chapter 3).
Theme: God sovereignly uses many means to bring about His faithful and good eternal plans. Just because we don’t fully understand doesn’t mean that the Lord is not at work.
Gospel: Often, God works in ways we don’t understand. Think of Paul’s arrest in Acts, or of Christ’s own life – dying for a people who don’t deserve it. What we don’t understand ends up being what is true and good and best.
Applications: Trust in the Lord’s vision rather than your own. Cling to His goodness, even when you don’t understand. Ask hard questions, but never doubt the character of the Lord.
Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________
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