Lead Pastor (6:50)
And so Habakkuk has three chapters. It's very short, but they're very power packed chapters that teach us how to trust God even when we have very real questions. So I'll give you a little context about Habakkuk. He was a prophet in the late seventh century B.C. so seven centuries before Jesus was born. And this was a time of complete chaos. There was massive moral and political instability and corruption all over Judah. And the people were like totally, completely out rejecting Yahweh, the one true God. And do any of you think that our world is complicated now? Raise your hand if you think it's complicated now. Type in the comment section. The world is complicated now. If you think it's bad now. It was bad then too. Most of the priests and most of the prophets and the judges, they were like corrupt. They would take monetary bribes and then issue a judgment that would be against what was right and what was true. In the temples, the place where you're supposed to go and worship the temples, they had temple prostitution and it's hard to imagine what they would have orgies and they had idol worship. Instead of worshiping God, they'd worship these idols. And it's even hard to say out loud, but they would have child sacrifices and so parents would literally sacrifice children to the false God Molech, hoping that this false God would somehow give them favor. And all these people in this horrible tense time, they were terrified at a potential attack from their enemies, the Babylonians. And so here they're living in this political instability. There's corruption everywhere, they're worried about their enemies. Almost everybody is suffering. And Habakkuk the prophet says God, do you even care? That's essentially what he says. I'm chosen to be your prophet, to represent you and God. It doesn't seem like you even care. You look at him and you think, did he just, like, take it in stride and like, go, God, you Do you. No problem here. No, he didn't like it at all. And you actually see him take his hurts and his questions to God. And he complained to God and asked God, in Habakkuk 1, 2, he said this. He said, how long, Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen. God, I'm praying, I'm begging you, but it doesn't even seem like you're paying attention. He says, or, how long do I cry out to you? Violence? You know they're attacking, but you do not save. Why do you make me look at injustice, God? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Their strife and conflict abounds. He's going, God, I'm trying to trust you. But what I see, it's hard to reconcile with who I thought you were. And what I like about Habakkuk is the dude is just honest. I mean, he's not being dramatic. He's just pouring out his hurts to God. I mean, his world is falling apart. And he's saying, God, you don't seem to care. And that's not who I thought you were. And so I can't really understand it. And we can learn so much from watching this prophet interact with God and talk to God. And he essentially teaches us the principle that real faith is, isn't denying doubt. It starts with being honest about doubt. Like, real faith isn't having all the answers. It's asking the questions, but never, ever letting go of God. And it blesses me because it shows me, like, right here in God's Word, that faith and frustration can coexist at the same time. In other words, like, you can not understand God or even doubt God and still believe in God. And I know what I'm saying is gonna make some people mad, because there's some Christians that think, like, when you ask questions, that's just demonstrating a lack of faith in God. And I would suggest that in many cases, it's not a lack of faith in God, but it's a desire to understand God. It's a desire to truly have a deeper faith in God. And it's not dishonoring God. It's an unusual way of seeking and pursuing him. And so what happens to most people, maybe not you, but probably somebody you love. At some point, they're touched by the spirit of God, and their eyes are opened and their sins are forgiven and they're born anew. The old is gone, and Jesus makes them new. And maybe they get involved in church and they get baptized and they bring their friends and they join a life group and they start serving somewhere, and they're reading the Word and they lift their hands and worship. Everything's great and it's good, and the Holy Spirit's leading them to do things, and they're being prompted by the Spirit and they give someone. They're witnessing someone, and everything's going great. And then one day, something happens, something that doesn't seem right. The pastor that led you to Christ changed your life, was unfaithful to his.
