Sermons

October 4, 2020

Habakkuk 

Habakkuk certainly recognizes God’s majesty, yet he feels free nevertheless to lay himself and his doubts openly before God.  He does not hold back or pretend, nor does he fill his prayers with pretty, empty words meant to charm the Lord.  God does not strike down Habakkuk for his boldness.  He also does not answer Habakkuk’s questions directly.  In fact, God asserts his mysterious sovereignty by showing the prophet even greater sufferings yet to come, followed by a later time when the day will come when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (2:14).  Habakkuk encourages us to be completely honest in our communication with God.  Honesty and wordiness are not the same thing.  Before an awesome God there is also a time for quiet:  “the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him “(2:20).  Since God is real, unlike the Babylonian idols who cannot emerge from the slumber, there is no need to wake Him up with noisy worship.  Though there is a time for loud rejoicing before God, (Ne 12:43) Habakkuk reminds us that there is also a time for worship in reverential, humbled, awestruck silence.