| I Will Fear No Evil |
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| Habakkuk 3:1-19 | |||
| INTRODUCTION: Jewish author Harold Kushner started questioning the reasons for suffering when his son suffered from progeria, the rapid aging of a child. Kushner’s son died in his early teens. His conclusions on the matter are found in his book, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People. In the book Kushner argues that bad things happen to us because God is not all-powerful. As much as God would like to help, he simply cannot. Therefore, we should not expect him to. I understand Kushner’s frustrations; however, based on what we see in God’s dialogue with Habakkuk, evil and suffering remain in the world not because God cannot remove them, but rather because human actions have consequences, we can grow and learn from our experiences of suffering, the evil in the world is merely temporal, and the temporary sufferings and evils of this life may fit into the larger picture of God’s plan (these were expounded upon in the previous two messages in this sermon series). As we look at the lask chapter of Habakkuk, we see that the prophet comes to this realization... I. As the debate with God comes to an end, Habakkuk offers a song of prayer and praise to God. [Habakkuk 3] - In this dialogue between Habakkuk and God, we learn that God wants us to be honest with him. We can come to him with our complaints, our fears, our concerns. He will listen. Habakkuk realizes that God is listening, and God is not idle. II. Habakkuk’s prayer is a lesson of remembrance [3:3-15] and confidence [3:16-19]. III. Lesson one: God is bigger than the storms of life [v. 3-15]. Habakkuk remembers the work of God in the history of Israel. A. Habakkuk pleads for mercy in the midst of the judgment. [v. 1-2] B. Habakkuk finds himself in awe of God’s power. [v. 3-15] IV. Lesson two: We can have confidence in the midst of the storms [v. 16-19]. The God who has been faithful to his people will not abandon us now. A. Habakkuk promises to wait on the Lord. [v. 16-19] B. Habakkuk’s name can mean either "one who embraces" or "one who wrestles." At the beginning of the book, we see Habakkuk wrestling with the problem of evil and God’s apparent inactivity. At the end of the book, we see Habakkuk embracing God, who is very much active in dealing with the evil in the land. CONCLUSION: German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, "What does not kill me makes me stronger." While Nietzsche was certainly no friend of Christianity, his words here intrigue me, and I think they have a ring of truth to them. In the midst of the storms of life, we can grow stronger from having experienced them. As Helen Keller said, "Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it." The storms of life can be overcome. In John 16:33 [NIV], Jesus says, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." That we can overcome the storms of life is not merely a possibility - it’s a promise from God... |
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