{"id":9342,"date":"2020-05-20T20:00:36","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T03:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/?p=9342"},"modified":"2020-05-17T18:17:54","modified_gmt":"2020-05-18T01:17:54","slug":"habakkuk3_1-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/habakkuk3_1-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Hope Even When Things Aren\u2019t Going Your Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

Habakkuk 3:1-19 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Habakkuk 2:1-20.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Habakkuk 3:1 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On\u00a0shigionoth.
\n<\/em>
\nOn verse 1:\u00a0 The book of Habakkuk reads like an ongoing dialogue between Habakkuk and the Lord.\u00a0 In chapter 1 Habakkuk complains about why there is injustice and evil in the world, and the Lord responds.\u00a0 Then Habakkuk questions how God could use the evil Babylonians as His chosen instrument.\u00a0 In chapter 2 the Lord responds by saying that He will hold the Babylonians to account for their sin as well. In chapter 3 the book of Habakkuk ends with a song of praise from Habakkuk.\u00a0 On “shigionoth” is probably a musical instruction for the musicians playing this song.<\/p>\n

Habakkuk 3:2 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O\u00a0LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 2:\u00a0 Habakkuk expresses his desire to see God do great things in his day just as he had done in generations past.\u00a0 He asks God to remember mercy in His wrath.\u00a0 What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Like Habakkuk,\u00a0may there be a longing in you to see God renew His miraculous works in your day, that you and your city would experience God move in a powerful way<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. God answered Habakkuk\u2019s prayer \u2013 \u201cin wrath remember mercy\u201d \u2013 when He sent His Son Jesus Christ to take on the punishment for our sins.<\/strong>\u00a0 God placed His wrath against sin on His own Son Jesus, so that He could show us mercy.\u00a0 As Romans 9:22-23 explains, we went from objects of God\u2019s wrath to objects of His mercy, all because of Jesus Christ.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Habakkuk 3:7-8 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
      \n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish.
      \n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Were you angry with the rivers, O\u00a0LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode with your horses and your victorious chariots?
      \n<\/em>
      \nOn verses 3-17:\u00a0 Some see verses 3 to 17 as history.\u00a0 According to this view, Habakkuk is using poetic imagery to describe how God previously led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land.\u00a0 God did so by showing His glory to Moses and the Israelites (v4), sending plagues on Egypt (v5), parting the Red Sea and causing the neighboring peoples like Midian and Cushan to tremble in fear (v6-10), causing the sun to stand still for Joshua (v11), and delivering foreign nations into the Israelites\u2019 hands (v12-15).\u00a0 Verses 13-14 also remind me of how God used His anointed one David to defeat Goliath and deliver His people.\u00a0 Indeed much of verses 3-17 recalls God’s past miracles for Israel.<\/p>\n

      Still, some see verses 3 to 17 as prophecy.\u00a0 According to this view, Habakkuk is describing what the Messiah whom the Jews had been waiting for would do in the future to rescue His people.<\/p>\n

      So which one is it?\u00a0 Is this passage history or prophecy?\u00a0 Quite possibly both.\u00a0 This passage could very well be both historical (talking about the past) and prophetic (talking about the future).<\/p>\n

      Notice how Habakkuk refers repeatedly to times when God manipulated the waters to show His power and save His people.\u00a0 In the Old Testament we see God doing this: when He changed the Nile River into blood, He parted the Red Sea, and He stopped the flow of the Jordan River so that the Israelites could cross over on dry ground (Joshua 3) toward the Promised Land.<\/p>\n

      At the same time, when we look forward to Jesus\u2019 ministry centuries later, we see Jesus showing His supremacy over water too, whether it was turning water into wine, or showing his fisherman disciple Peter how to get a miraculous catch of fish, or walking on the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n

      What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

      1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0If this passage is truly both historical and prophetic, then one lesson we can learn is that\u00a0God\u2019s ways do not change<\/strong>.\u00a0 As verse 6 says, \u201cHis ways are eternal\u201d.\u00a0 Just as God was supreme over the waters in Moses and Joshua’s time, so God remains supreme over the waters in Jesus’ time.<\/p>\n

      2.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Speaking of waters, you may feel like you\u2019re in deep waters right now, just barely treading or even drowning.\u00a0 But remember this:\u00a0\u00a0God is supreme over the deep waters of your life.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0Trust in Him to deliver you and see those waters as a stage for God to show His power and glory.<\/p>\n

      3.\u00a0 When you remember what God did yesterday as well as what He promises to do tomorrow, it gives you peace, hope and strength for today.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Habakkuk 3:16-19 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
      \n16\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
      \n17\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
      \n18\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0yet I will rejoice in the\u00a0LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.
      \n19\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Sovereign\u00a0LORD\u00a0is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.<\/em><\/p>\n

      On verses 16-19: Having seen these powerful visions in verses 3-17, Habakkuk is shaken (v16a).\u00a0 Yet somehow Habakkuk is also inspired to wait for God to move in his day (v16b).\u00a0 Though it means Habakkuk must wait for a while with no sign of things coming to pass soon (v17), Habakkuk chooses to rejoice in the Lord (v18).\u00a0 He calls the Sovereign Lord his strength.\u00a0 He even recalls a phrase made famous by King David: \u201che makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights\u201d (v19 and Psalm 18:33).<\/p>\n

      What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0When you\u2019re in a time of waiting, when things are not happening as quickly as you would like, make the choice to rejoice.\u00a0 How? By finding your joy and strength in the Lord.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Though our circumstances may not be what we want them to be, the Lord does not change.\u00a0 God\u2019s love is always worth celebrating. His presence is always worth drawing near to.\u00a0\u00a0God always makes His joy and peace available to us when we spend time in His presence.<\/strong>\u00a0 So draw near to Him and find your joy in Him.\u00a0 As Paul wrote while in prison and with no certainty about the future, \u201cRejoice in the Lord always\u201d.\u00a0 When we draw near to God, even in our seasons of waiting, we can find peace, joy and strength in Him to move forward.<\/p>\n

      Heavenly Father, thank You for being so unchanging in Your love, strength, and faithfulness.\u00a0 Thank You that You are supreme over the deep waters of my life.\u00a0 Thank You that in every season, whether seemingly fruitful or fruitless, we can always find our joy and strength in You.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

      This brings our look at the book of Habakkuk to a close.\u00a0 What were the biggest lessons you learned from this book?\u00a0 I encourage you to write them down somewhere near Habakkuk in your Bible so whenever you come across Habakkuk in the future, you\u2019ll remember what you learned and have something to share with others.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

      Today\u2019s passage is Habakkuk 2:1-20.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

      Habakkuk 3:1 (NIV)\u00a0
      \n1\u00a0\u00a0A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On\u00a0shigionoth.
      \n\u00a0
      \nOn verse 1:\u00a0 The book of Habakkuk reads like an ongoing dialogue between Habakkuk and the Lord.\u00a0 In chapter 1 Habakkuk complains about why there is injustice and evil in the world, and the Lord responds.\u00a0 Then Habakkuk questions how God could use the evil Babylonians as His chosen instrument.\u00a0 In chapter 2 the Lord responds by saying that He will hold the Babylonians to account for their sin as well. In chapter 3 the book of Habakkuk ends with a song of praise from Habakkuk.\u00a0 On “shigionoth” is probably a musical instruction for the musicians playing this song.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9343,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9342"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9345,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9342\/revisions\/9345"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}