“When You Can't Track Him, or Trace Him, Just TRUST Him!”
This review is brought
to you by the Kentucky
First Jurisdiction Church of God in Christ Sunday School Department.
LESSON AIM: By the end of the lesson, we will: hear God’s message of
patience for the people and assurance that God will act with justice;
experience the feeling of joy when we patiently awaited God’s promises; and
practice responding to difficulty by trusting in God’s presence and by praising
God for strength to endure.
BIBLE TRUTH: Job, the psalmist, and Habakkuk all affirm that – no matter what
calamities might come their way – they will trust God, rejoice in God’s
presence in their lives, and praise God for strength to carry on.
Habakkuk 2:1-5 | King James Version (KJV)
1 I will stand upon my
watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto
me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.
2 And the Lord
answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he
may run that readeth it.
3 For the vision is
yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though
it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4 Behold, his soul
which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
5 Yea also, because he
transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who
enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but
gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people
Habakkuk 3:17-19 | King James Version (KJV)
17 Although the fig
tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the
olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice
in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my
strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to
walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
Ever had to wait for
something? I mean…really WAIT!? Welcome to Habakkuk’s world! This week, we’re
studying about a prophet who was concerned about God’s sovereignty and sense of
justice. We’ll see that he asks, and God answers!
Habakkuk cried out
over and over to God, wondering how long he would have to wait to hear
something back from the Lord. Of course, we know God, who is omniscient, hears
sees and knows all. He just hadn’t replied to Habakkuk’s satisfaction..yet…until
now. Habakkuk took time to remind God of the condition of Judah. There was
violence and rage throughout the Lord. How could god just sit back and watch
this terribleness unfold from day to day? What’s more, how could God allow for
the Chaldeans, who were heathens, to be the judge of His chosen people?
The Lord spoke to
Habakkuk to take what He said, make it super simple and easy to read and write
it on a tablet made of clay or metal. When anyone saw it, they would
immediately understand the meaning and be filled with motivation to run and
spread the word to others.
The whole point is,
this prophesy was not promised within any foreseeable timeframe, it was for the
future. God let Habakkuk know that it would unfold IN TIME, and he had to wait
on it. God’s timing is not our timing, by any stretch. The most important
objective, is to inscribe the vision on the hearts of the people, so that when
these events finally did come to pass, it would cause a trust in God, understanding
that He is in control, and an ultimate commitment to God.
As the lesson
fast-forwards to Verse 3:17, we see a shift in Habakkuk’s outlook and attitude.
Now, he resolves to rejoice! So, he went from questioning God to understanding
that he may as well praise the Lord anyhow. He had to wait for the ball to
drop, according to the Lord who said that the Babylonians would get wickeder
and stronger towards the Judeans. It was horrible to know that these horrific
things would be happening to his nation and his people, and there was nothing
that could stop God’s judgment. Habakkuk praised the Lord who could save him!
This is evidence that Habakkuk had PURE FAITH!
In our world today,
many of us go through struggles and pain. We see our situations unfolding and
see the inevitable coming, and there is absolutely NOTHING we can do to change
things. Some people lose their minds, result to their own tactics which lead to
even more trouble, and grow bitter throughout the experience. But, there are
some who develop a “no matter what” praise for God. No matter what, I’ll trust
God. No matter what, I’ll praise Him. No matter what, I’ll run even closer into
His arms. The “no matter what” brings about a reassuring and matures a person
in their walk with God. Faith grows in these times. Which person will you be in
your next trial or test?
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