Faith in the Face of Doubt

Summary

Life.Church with Craig Groeschel

Episode: Faith in the Face of Doubt
Date: February 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode, led by Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and a Co-Pastor, explores the difficult but universally relevant topic of doubt in the Christian faith. Through personal stories and a deep dive into the Old Testament story of the prophet Habakkuk, the pastors provide permission and encouragement for listeners to bring their toughest questions and struggles to God, emphasizing that doubt can be a pathway to a deeper, more authentic faith.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introducing Doubt as a Universal Experience

• Personal Story of Doubt:
  • Pastor Craig recounts a memorable moment in 2017 when, despite a strong spiritual week, he was suddenly flooded by paralyzing doubt moments before preaching.
  • “Just like this paralyzing fear, like, what if all the stuff that I've built my whole life on is a lie?” (01:12)
• Normalizing Faith Questions:
  • Emphasis is placed on how faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive; periods of questioning are a natural part of the Christian journey.
  • "For most of us, it's not a matter of if we have a faith question or two, but it's more like when we do." (02:38)

2. Permission to Doubt and Honest Faith

• Encouragement to Be Real With God:
  • Listeners are given “permission to doubt,” not for doubt’s sake, but as a genuine vehicle for growth and deeper relationship with God.
  • “Doubt isn't the enemy of faith, but doubt is often a pathway to a deeper and more meaningful faith.” (05:06)
• The Benefit of Doubts:
  • The episode references Craig Groeschel’s new book, "The Benefit of Doubts," focusing on sincere, spiritual inquiry—not blind denial—as spiritually formative.

3. Lessons from Habakkuk: Wrestling and Embracing

• Habakkuk’s Relevance:
  • The story of the minor prophet Habakkuk is highlighted, focusing on his raw honesty with God during a time of chaos and suffering in ancient Judah (06:50).
  • “Real faith isn't denying doubt. It starts with being honest about doubt.” (09:46)
• The Meaning of Habakkuk’s Name:
  • “Habakkuk” means “to wrestle and to embrace”—symbolizing both questioning God and holding onto Him in faith (16:38).
  • “The name Habakkuk literally means this: it means to wrestle and to embrace. ... It's like the same motion with different emotion behind the motion.” (16:38)
• God’s Shocking Response & the Prophet’s Reaction:
  • When God responds that He’s raising up the Babylonians to judge Judah, Habakkuk wrestles, grieves, but continues to affirm God’s everlasting nature and faithfulness (18:02–19:59).
  • “Lord, are you not from everlasting?” (19:06)

4. Navigating Life’s Faith Crisis Moments

• Modern Parallels:
  • The pastors draw connections between Habakkuk’s experience and modern situations—failed prayers, betrayal by spiritual leaders, unanswered cries.
  • “What do you do with that? You believe in God, you love God, you trust God, you felt God, and then he doesn't do what you thought he should do.” (13:12)
• False Choices and the Third Way:
  • Rather than only denying either faith or doubts, Habakkuk models a “third way”: continue to seek, question, and pursue God amidst pain (15:13).
  • “...or you doubt and you keep seeking, you ask questions, and you still keep pursuing the heart and the presence of a very real and good God.” (15:13)

5. The Three Chapters of Faith (in Habakkuk)

• Chapter One: Wondering – Bringing questions and pain openly before God, even without answers or resolution (22:23).
• Chapter Two: Waiting – Enduring the tension and silence, trusting that God works even when unseen (23:29).
  • “If you're in chapter two, I want you to remember that while you're waiting, God is still working.” (23:39)
• Chapter Three: Trusting – Praising God for who He is, not just for what He does, exhibiting passionate, trusting worship called Shigenath (24:16).
  • “It's not praise for what's happening, but...this is praise for who God is.” (26:13)
  • “Though the fig tree does not bud...yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” (27:06)

6. Practicing Honest Faith Today

• Craig’s 2017 Experience Revisited:
  • Despite last-minute doubts, Pastor Craig prays honestly, steps up, and as he preaches, his doubts subside and faith returns—not as a feeling, but as conviction (29:03–29:46).
  • “With the faith I had, I preached about Jesus. And as I preached about Jesus, the doubts just faded and the faith just grew back.” (29:37)
• Faith Amid Imperfection:
  • Faith doesn’t require suppressing or denying emotions, but clinging to God in all circumstances.
  • “Sometimes real faith isn't found in having all the answers, but it's found in not letting go of God.” (32:57)

7. Jesus as the Ultimate Example: Wrestling and Embracing

• Jesus in Gethsemane:
  • Even Jesus wrestled with God’s will in the garden before the crucifixion, but ultimately trusted God’s plan (33:44).
  • “Yet nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. I don't want it, but I trust you.” (33:59)
• Invitation to Surrender:
  • Listeners are invited to bring honest hearts; those seeking faith are encouraged to surrender their lives to Jesus, acknowledging their need for Him (35:43).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Doubt isn’t the enemy of faith, but doubt is often a pathway to a deeper and more meaningful faith.” – Lead Pastor Craig Groeschel (05:06)
• “Real faith isn't having all the answers. It's asking the questions, but never, ever letting go of God.” – Lead Pastor (09:46)
• “The name Habakkuk literally means this. It means to wrestle and to embrace.” – Lead Pastor (16:38)
• “If you're in chapter two, I want you to remember that while you're waiting, God is still working.” – Lead Pastor (23:39)
• “This is a cry from the depths of my soul. This is a faith that worships even when everything feels wrong.” – Lead Pastor (27:06)
• “Sometimes real faith isn't found in having all the answers, but it's found in not letting go of God.” – Lead Pastor (32:57)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:12 – Craig’s personal experience of sudden doubt before preaching
• 05:06 – Main thesis: doubt can be a pathway to deeper faith
• 09:46 – Real faith includes honesty about doubt
• 16:38 – The meaning of Habakkuk’s name: wrestle and embrace
• 18:11 – God’s response to Habakkuk: raising up the Babylonians
• 23:39 – “While you’re waiting, God is still working.”
• 24:16 – Introduction of “Shigenath” – wild, passionate praise in uncertainty
• 27:06 – Habakkuk’s declaration of faith amid loss
• 29:03–29:46 – Craig’s experience of preaching through doubt
• 32:57 – Real faith is not letting go
• 33:44–33:59 – Jesus’ “wrestle and embrace” in Gethsemane

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Summary Flow & Tone

This episode offers empathetic, compassionate, and practical guidance for those struggling with faith and doubt. Using personal testimony, vivid biblical illustration, and relatable humor, Pastor Craig and his co-pastor affirm that questions and struggles are natural and can draw believers into a deeper relationship with God. The tone is warm, vulnerable, pastoral, and honest—never shaming doubt but always pointing towards hope and trust in God's character, even when circumstances remain difficult or confusing.

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Final Encouragement

Listeners are left encouraged that wrestling with God is not faithlessness, but can be the soil from which authentic, resilient trust grows. Real faith, they stress, is seen not in the elimination of questions but in the refusal to let go of God amidst them.

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For further information, resources, and next steps, listeners are directed to the Life.Church website and app.

Transcript

[Life Church Host]

Welcome to Life Church. We're here to help you become who God created you to be. And we'd love to hear from you. Take a quick survey at Life Church PodcastConnect to let us know how we can support you on your faith journey. And now let's go to the message.

[Lead Pastor]

So it was sometime in 2017 or so that I was in my normal.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Place, sitting by my best friend.

[Lead Pastor]

And actually, I wasn't sitting. I was standing because it was in worship and I had had a really normal week. I had been in God's word, full of faith, praying and worshiping, about to go and share God's word.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And.

[Lead Pastor]

And it was the weirdest thing.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And I promise you, it's the weirdest thing.

[Lead Pastor]

It hadn't happened before and it hadn't happened since, but when I was about to preach, I just had this random thought, like, doubts flooded my mind, and I just thought, like, what if all this stuff isn't real and crazy?

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

No reason.

[Lead Pastor]

Just like this paralyzing fear, like, what if all the stuff that I've built my whole life on is a lie? And I had.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

I don't.

[Lead Pastor]

You know, I have compassion for people with anxiety.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

I don't have anxiety.

[Lead Pastor]

I felt anxious and I just thought, I can't preach. I looked at the exit and I.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Thought, I just need to escape.

[Lead Pastor]

Out of nowhere, I was just flooded with doubts. So maybe some of you can relate. Perhaps for you it wasn't just a moment of doubt, but unfortunately for some people, it might be like a season of doubt. And for some of you, it might not have been like in a church like it was for me. But maybe you were in a hospital room and got a diagnosis that you.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Didn'T want to hear.

[Lead Pastor]

Or maybe you were at a funeral.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And you were fighting back the tears.

[Lead Pastor]

And you were wondering, God, why didn't you do what I begged you in prayer to do?

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

You're flooded with doubts.

[Lead Pastor]

Maybe it was you were alone in your bedroom at 2:00am in the morning, crying out to God, wondering if he's even there. And you ask questions like, if God is good, and I really believe he is, but if he is, why do I hurt so much? Or you wonder, if God is so powerful and loves me, why doesn't he fix what's broken in my life? And your mind races, if God can do anything, why doesn't he do what his word says he can do? Why do I feel like he's not there when I need him most? If you've never had questions like that, you might Just take a moment to praise God right where you are. Because for most of us, it's not a matter of if we have a faith question or two, but it's more like when we do. And it kind of raises the question, like, what do you do when one moment you're full of faith and then maybe something else happens and all of a sudden you have faith questions? What do you do whenever your doubts become louder than your faith? And so we're talking about a new book that we just released. It's called the Benefit of Doubts. And we're talking about how asking real questions can actually help you grow in your faith. And what I want to do is just like very sincerely and very pastorally, even though this may be something different than you've ever heard from a pastor before, is I want to give you permission to doubt, but not just to doubt for the sake of doubt, but to ask sincere spiritual questions in a way that can actually draw you closer to God. And I want to show you how to do it from God's word, how to, like, specifically wrestle with some of the real life pain issues that most of us go through without losing your faith in God. Because as we said in previous weeks, kind of a key idea behind the message of the book is that doubt isn't the enemy of faith, but doubt is often a pathway to a deeper and more meaningful faith. If you do find yourself doubting, that doesn't make you a bad Christian. It makes you a human being. And it doesn't mean that you're actually running from God. It may mean that you're really sincerely seeking God. Doubt is often a pathway to a.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Deeper and more meaningful faith.

[Lead Pastor]

So let's pray. Father, I thank you for every person.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

That you've brought to hear this message.

[Lead Pastor]

I pray God that your Holy Spirit.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Would do a work in us and.

[Lead Pastor]

God, especially for those who, who may be hurting, who may be struggling in their faith, who may not even know.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

What they believe about you. Would your Holy Spirit, God, draw us close to you and teach us to.

[Lead Pastor]

Trust you, God, even when we have.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Questions, God to trust you, especially when we have questions. Because you are always good and you are always with us.

[Lead Pastor]

Draw us close.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

We pray in the name of Jesus and all God's people said, amen.

[Lead Pastor]

Are you ready for the Word today? If you're ready, say I'm ready online. Type in the comment section. I'm ready for the Word. I'm ready for the Word. What we're gonna do today is I'm gonna show you just A ridiculously powerful example from an Old Testament prophet named Habakkuk. When you say Habakkuk, you almost have to act like you're clearing your throat.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Like Habakkuk, that's what you kind of have to do.

[Lead Pastor]

And so go ahead and try that Habakkuk. Now wipe this bit off the back of your head. You want to do it right now? Habakkuk, he is the prophet that didn't understand what was going on and still tried to trust God even though he didn't understand. And if you don't know anything about Habakkuk, he's one of the 12 minor prophets.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And if you're new to like Old.

[Lead Pastor]

Testament prophet, like minor, like was he less important? You know, was he not good enough to play in the majors? You know, actually no. Minor prophet simply means the book is.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Shorter and that's all it means.

[Lead Pastor]

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.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Wife, and you go, was any of this true?

[Lead Pastor]

Your friend that's struggling with infertility? Your life group prays for them and prays for them and prays for them and prays for them, and one day, praise God, they conceive and the baby.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Doesn'T make it, and you don't understand why.

[Lead Pastor]

Or you pleaded with God to save your marriage, restore my marriage, touch my.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Spouse, and your spouse still walked away.

[Lead Pastor]

Or you beg God to send you a spouse, and so what do you do? You serve God faithfully. You seek God with all of your heart. You live in purity.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And you're still alone.

[Lead Pastor]

You prayed and you fasted and you stood on God's word and you believed that he was gonna heal the person.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

That you love, and they died anyway.

[Lead Pastor]

And so what do you do with that? Like, you believe in God, you love God, you trust God, you felt God. You know he's there, and then he doesn't do what you thought he should do.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

You guys are really quiet.

[Lead Pastor]

Is this too real? I mean, like, are you uncomfortable? I mean, am I the only one? I mean, sometimes you just gotta just, like, talk about it, right? What do you do when you face questions that you can't answer? What happens is it feels like you only have two options. You tend to think to yourself, I can either do this or this. You think, okay, option number one is you deny your faith. Okay, God didn't do it, so God must not be real. You deny your faith. Or the second option is you think. You deny your questions, you deny your faith must not be real. Or you deny your questions, you deny your faith. Like, okay, I put my trust in God and I prayed and I went to church, and then they let me down. Or, you know, I read the Bible and God didn't do what I thought he would do. And so it must not be real. So I walk away. I'm mad at God. I'm hurt by God. I don't like the Christians that churches. You deny your faith, or it feels like your other options deny your questions, like just kind of push them down.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Just pretend like they're not really there.

[Lead Pastor]

And so you still kind of lift your hands and you still kind of good, I think. And you try your best to smile and act like everything's okay, but in the back of your mind, you're still going, I don't understand God. You do your best to keep believing.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

But the doubts are still there.

[Lead Pastor]

And both of those options, they feel. Right. I mean, like, I do this or I do that. The problem is neither one leads you to where you wanna be, and they don't lead you where God wants you to be either. And so, thankfully, when you look at Habakkuk, he actually shows us a third.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And I'll show you what it is.

[Lead Pastor]

First, you deny your faith or you deny your questions, or you doubt and you keep seeking, you ask questions, and you still keep pursuing the heart and the presence of a very real and good God. And Habakkuk actually shows us how to experience very real doubts and fears and frustration and continue to push into God and try to believe in him and to try to have faith in Him. And you can see him doing this very thing in the meaning of his name. Say it again. Habakkuk. I'm going to have you type it online, but I'm going to tell you how to spell it. Type it online. Habakkuk. H, A, B, A, K, K, U, K. Habakkuk. This name, it's interesting. I'll show it to you in the Hebrew and in cemetery.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Excuse me.

[Lead Pastor]

In seminary years ago, a little pastor joke. I took Hebrew and you have to read it backwards.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

So in English, you read this way.

[Lead Pastor]

Hebrew, you read this way. And Hebrew's so rich that a Hebrew word is sometimes more like an idea than just a word. It's almost like a. Almost like a sentence or meaning. This is probably not totally theologically accurate, but it's almost like a short story sometimes.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

It's just.

[Lead Pastor]

There's more to it. And so the name Habakkuk literally means this. It means to wrestle and to embrace. That's what the name means. It means to. Like, if I wrestle, I do this, and I embrace, I do this. It's like the same motion with different emotion behind the motion is to wrestle. And to embrace at the very same time. And what I love is, this is what Habakkuk does. He's wrestling with God, going, but you're supposed to be just. And this doesn't feel just. But I'm holding onto you, believing you're good and I don't understand. And I still try to love you, and this frustrates me. And I'm seeking you and God, why don't you, when I know you can? And I still declare that you are good. And. The Bible doesn't pull any punches. I mean, the guy, he doesn't like it, he doesn't get it, and he tells God, I don't think it's fair. So do you remember who the people were afraid of? Not the Babylonians, but the Babylonians. They're afraid of the Babylonians. And so he tells God, where are you?

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

You're not doing anything. And let me show you what God says back to him.

[Lead Pastor]

It's shocking. This is what God says back to him. God says this. I'm raising up the Babylonians.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

You know, the people you're afraid of.

[Lead Pastor]

That are really dangerous. I'm raising them up, that ruthless and impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are a feared and dreaded people. They all come intent on violence. What's God saying? Essentially, you have been so unrighteous, so sinful, so far from me that I'm raising up your enemies to come and do justice upon you because you've strayed so far from me. And Habakkuk's like, well, that's not fair. I mean, but we're supposed to be the good guys, even though we're not. And I don't like this. And his response is both personal and it's emotional, but it's from his own heart. And it's full of grief and angst and questions and faith and doubt and fear and love and trust. And he gives us permission to doubt and trust and even his name. And what he does shows us how to wrestle with God and embrace God at the same time. Watch what he does. And you see both wrestling and embracing in the very same text. He says this, Lord, are you not from everlasting God? Like, you're good, you're here before time. The Lord who was and is and is to come. Oh, my God, my holy one, you will never die. He's embracing God. You, oh Lord, have appointed the Babylonians to execute judgment. Oh, I don't like that. No, you, my rock. I love you. I Trust you, God, you're my rock. You have ordained. I have to punish. I don't like this, God, your eyes are too pure to look on evil. God, you're holy, right? You're good. God, you can't tolerate wrongdoing. God, I trust your righteousness and judgment. Why then I'm wrestling again. Why do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? You see it? I mean, it's all right there. This is real life. This is me on the front row. I trust you, and I don't feel you. I trust you. You're righteous. You're perfect. And you're confusing. This doesn't seem fair. I love you. And I don't know why you won't do something about this, God. Because I know you're powerful enough to do it. Have you ever been there?

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

I wonder if some of you might be there now. What I want you to know pastorally, I'll tell you this, pastorally, is Habakkuk shows us that you can take your hurts to God. I mean, he's big enough to handle it if you're hurting.

[Lead Pastor]

If you've got questions, if you don't.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Understand, I mean, you can just. You can just.

[Lead Pastor]

You can look at David in the Psalms. Where are you? Why are you doing this? And I am pretty convinced that God would rather have you yell at him.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Than to walk away from him.

[Lead Pastor]

Because I know Amy would rather have me yell back than to walk away. Because when I walk away, things don't go well. And if you think that she might not raise her voice, don't let that pretty face fool you. She likes to work things out.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And I like to hide. Last time we got in a fight.

[Lead Pastor]

She came crawling to me on her.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Hands and knees, and she said, get.

[Lead Pastor]

Out from under that bed, you coward, and fight like a man.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Keep going.

[Lead Pastor]

Yeah.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

[Lead Pastor]

I want to just show you a.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Big picture of what's going on in Habakkuk. Three chapters, right?

[Lead Pastor]

Chapter three, he's wondering.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

He's wondering.

[Lead Pastor]

Chapter one, he's wondering.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

There is no answer. There is no miracle. He's praying and there is no resolution. Some of you, right now, you are in chapter one. What do you do when you're in chapter one? You don't walk away from God. In chapter one, you continue to take your questions to him. In chapter one, he's wondering. In chapter two, he's waiting. And if you read the text, you're gonna see him waiting. And he's wondering is no fun. Waiting is kind of worse, right? I don't know about you, but, like, I mean, if a show buffers, I'm out, right?

[Lead Pastor]

And, you know, some of you are waiting on real things.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Like you're waiting on God to provide.

[Lead Pastor]

A job with benefits because you have.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Someone sick in your home, you know, or you're praying for God to bring a child back to faith because they've wandered away. You're waiting God to heal someone. You're praying for them. In our home, we're praying for God to heal our daughters.

[Lead Pastor]

And we know he can and he hasn't.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And we're waiting, waiting on God. If you're in chapter two, I want you to remember that while you're waiting.

[Lead Pastor]

God is still working.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Just because you don't see it doesn't mean he's not still with you.

[Lead Pastor]

So chapter one, you're wondering.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

We see Habakkuk, he's wondering.

[Lead Pastor]

Chapter two.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

He'S waiting. And chapter three, we see him trusting. Very, very powerful.

[Lead Pastor]

Chapter three, we see him trusting.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And there is a powerful shift in the tone in chapter three. And it's almost like there's like a spiritual reset. The very first verse in chapter three, this is what the text says.

[Lead Pastor]

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet on Shigenath.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

For the record, that is a good word, Shiddonath. Not a bad word. It really is. I just want you to know.

[Lead Pastor]

A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet on Shidinath.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

It says, and this turn is actually a musical term, and it describes how a song should be sung. For example, you might say, like, sing this song like a love song or.

[Lead Pastor]

Jazz this one up, you know, or.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

You know, sing it fast or sing it slow.

[Lead Pastor]

And a definition of the word chidinoff is actually this. It's a wild, passionate song with a rapid tempo, a cry of adoration, unwavering trust, and bold confidence expressed through heartfelt worship in uncertainty. It's just like rapid cry from the heart that's like, that's bold. And it's like, I'm believing and I'm believing in it, and I'm believing and I'm believing. One source calls Shijonah praise. Praise punctuated with exclamation marks. I like that it's praise punctuated with exclamation marks. And it's. I always like when someone texts Amy. She'll report to me how many exclamation marks. Like, they said this with three exclamation points. Now, for the record, she says Only one is technically correct. So I text her, usually with one, unless I'm really excited. And then I say I love you with seven. Cause seven is the number of perfection.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Just so I'll know she'll know I chose seven.

[Lead Pastor]

And so it's praise punctuated with exclamation marks. Shittenath. It's not praise for what's happening, but.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

This is praise for who God is.

[Lead Pastor]

It's trusting God even when you don't understand. And look at verse 16 of chapter 3. Habakkuk says, I heard and my heart pounded. My lips quivered at the sound. Decay crept into my bones, my legs trembled. I'm resting. I don't like this yet watch him. I'm gonna still trust you. I wait patiently even though I know the day of calamity is gonna come and the nation's invading us. He's like, I don't like this. And then watch what he says. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine. In other words there's no provision. The things that we would expect you to provide. But the olive crop fails and the field produce no fruit. Though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls. Though everything that I wanted and I hope for is not there. He says yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God, my Savior. This is Shigenoth. This is not a half hearted song to God. This is a cry from the depths of my soul. This is a faith that worships even when everything feels wrong. This is a faith that believes even when the eyes don't see. This is chapter three, Shigenath. It's praise with exclamation marks. And just to be really, really clear so you understand, this isn't making the best of a bad situation. Well, nothing going, but at least we have at least. No, no, no. This is wrestling and embracing. This is acknowledging like this is not good. I don't like it. There are no grapes on the vine. There are no sheep in the pen. And I declare the Lord is still on the throne. This is praise not for what you.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

See, but this is just trust in who God says he is.

[Lead Pastor]

So on that day, 2017, it hadn't.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Happened before, and thank God it hasn't happened since.

[Lead Pastor]

But on that day I was about.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

To preach, I'm holding God's word and all of a sudden I just like, oh, what if it's not real? What if it's not real? And I've got two, three minutes before standing up in front of the church that I love, in front of people that have real faith.

[Lead Pastor]

And I'm supposed to be the guy bringing the word.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And I have doubts. So I put my head down and I went to God and said, God, help God, I know you're there. I'm pretty sure you're there. I knew you were there.

[Lead Pastor]

I still think you are there, but.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

I'm not sure if you're there.

[Lead Pastor]

God, I know you saved me.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

I know Jesus changed me, but I don't feel you and I'm afraid. And I just. I mean, I just told him everything. Like, I can't do this. I need you. I don't know if you're gonna come through. I need you. I need you.

[Lead Pastor]

And I just walked up on the place I gripped the Bible.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And with the faith I had, I preached about Jesus. And as I preached about Jesus.

[Lead Pastor]

The doubts just faded and the faith just grew back. And it wasn't even about feeling.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Was.

[Lead Pastor]

Just about believing it in a deeper place. Because I know what he did in me and I know who he is. And I know that I'm not perfect. And I know that my heart without him is deceitful.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And I know that my emotions lie.

[Lead Pastor]

And I know that his word is true. And I know that his ways are higher than my ways and that my mind is incomplete with. And I only see in part, but he sees in full. And so sometimes I just say, I don't understand.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And I continued to hang on.

[Lead Pastor]

And.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

I preached about Jesus and I invited people to follow Jesus and lives were changed and I pushed through the doubt, didn't destroy my faith. It just kind of even maybe a little bit strengthened it because I, in a moment, worked through it. And I'm not going to say for whatever you're facing, it's going to be that easy or that quick. Maybe, hopefully it is. And it might not be. There might be more questions, more wrestling, more praying, more discussing, more talking to people, more seeking God. And do it, do it. Wrestle and embrace. Because life is hard. It's going to be hard. And you may face some doubts, but doubt isn't the enemy of your faith. And many times it's an invitation to a deeper and more meaningful faith. And so you can't ask questions and you can still have faith. Because sometimes real faith isn't found in having all the answers, But it's found in not letting go of God. God, you're always good, you're always present. And even when we don't understand God, we hang on to you. So, Heavenly Father, do a work in our hearts today as only you can do as you're praying today at our church. Those of you online, if you find yourself with questions, hurts, things you don't understand, and you're still holding on to God, would you lift up your hand right now, just all over the place, just lift up your hand. There's more of you than that. You're going through something, you're hanging on to God, lift up your hand just in an act of faith. Those of you that someone you love is going through something and they may be having faith questions right now and you want to pray for them, would you just lift up your hand as an act of saying, I want to pray for somebody I love. There's so many of you. So God, we just do that right now. We thank you that you are here right now, in this moment. God, someone who's watching on a phone, a computer, you are with them right now. And God, we just acknowledge there are so many things that we don't understand. And sometimes we. Not only do we not understand, but we don't like it. We'll just tell you, God, we don't like it. We don't understand. And we embrace you, we keep seeking you, we hold on to you. We're believing that you're good.

[Lead Pastor]

We may not feel like we believe.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

And we're choosing to hang on to you. God, would you help us? God, would you help us? Would you build our faith to trust you even more? God, for those that are struggling, maybe walking away, loved ones, God, give us grace to love them and the truth to help lead them back to you. We thank you, God, that you're a good God, a compassionate God, a God that can handle our questions, and a God who continues to love us. And as we draw near to you, you draw near to us. Work in our hearts. We pray as you keep praying today, I look at Jesus before he went to the cross. If you know his story, he knelt down in the garden before he was going to give his life, and he kind of had a wrestle and brace thing. He's like, God, hey, God, is there any other way? He said, like, if this cup of suffering can be removed from me, in other words, like, I really don't want to suffer really bad. And then he's like, yet nevertheless not my will, but your will be done. Like, I don't want it, but I trust you. I don't want to hurt, but God, I trust you. And so Jesus became obedient even to death on a cross. Why did he have to die? He was the son of God. He was God in human form. He was without sin. And he died in. He died in my place. Jesus, the son of God, died to pay for my sins. To pay for your sins. And the good news is, God is so good, God raised him from the dead. You can imagine the disciples who thought Jesus was gonna be like the king. And then he's dead and they don't understand and they're trying to hang on. And three days later, three days later, God, prudent self, faithful. God is always faithful. He's always good. To those of you today that don't know where you stand with God, maybe you wonder, you know, have I been too bad? Am I good enough? And the answer is, none of us are good enough. All of us are broken in our sins without Jesus. But the good news is, when we put our faith in the perfect work of Jesus, God forgives all of our sins and makes us brand new. Today, if you don't know where you stand with God, I'm gonna just invite you to step toward him. Step away from your sins. Step toward Jesus. Call on his name. When he hears your prayer, he will forgive all of your sins. You become brand new. The old is gone. The new has come. At all of our churches, those online, you say, yes, that's me. I need his forgiveness. I want to know him. I'm stepping away from my sinfulness and.

[Lead Pastor]

I'm surrendering my life to him. Jesus, I give you my life.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

That's your prayer today.

[Lead Pastor]

Would you lift your hands high right now, all over the place, Lift up your hands and say, yes, I'm giving my life to Jesus. Praise God for people today and all of our churches saying, yes, Jesus, we surrender to you online. If you can type in the comment sections, I am surrendering my life to Jesus. Just type that in the comment section together.

[Co-Pastor or Teaching Pastor]

Wherever you are, just pray this. Nobody prays alone. Pray. Heavenly Father, forgive all of my sins. Jesus, save me. Be the Lord of my life. Fill me with your spirit so I can serve you and be faithful to you all the days of my life. My life is not my own. I give it all to you. Thank you for new life. I give you mine. In Jesus name I pray.

[Lead Pastor]

Church, could you give some praise to God? Give me a little sigma praise today. Give God praise for who he is.

[Life Church Host]

We are celebrating with those of you who just made the decision to follow Jesus. Check out the show notes for helpful resources and next steps. Remember to head over to Life Church PodcastConnect to share a little about yourself and how we can support you.