You're Kidding, Right?

You’re Kidding, Right?

Habakkuk 1:12-2:1 NIV84 

1. WHEN IN TROUBLE, .

Hab 1:12-13a O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. 

God is eternally self-existent, perfectly holy, absolutely sovereign, and unwaveringly righteous!

Romans 8:31b If God is for us, who can be against us? 

2. WHEN IN DOUBT, .

Hab 1:13b-17 Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore, he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food. Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? 

3. AFTER YOU’VE PRAYED, .

Hab 2:1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. 

Ask the Holy Spirit speak to you as you read your Bible.

Psalm 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 

Wait for the Lord’s comfort and reply; block out envy and comparison and revenge.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 

            The Lord will surely strengthen you and give you joy again.

Psalm 40:1–3a I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. 

4. IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, .

Hebrews 12:1–3 NLT Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. 

Don’t lose heart! In Christ, we have a great hope and future.

2 Cor. 4:16–18 We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.