Faith Talk - September 15, 2024
Sunday: September 15, 2024
Series: When God Doesn't
Sermon: Where Is God?
Series: When God Doesn't
Sermon: Where Is God?
Scripture
Habakkuk 1:5 - Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.
Summary
Today we started our new sermon series, When God Doesn’t. In this series, we look at the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. He is in a difficult circumstance and doesn’t understand where God is, what He is doing, or when He is going to act. Habakkuk is asking the very same questions we are asking today. He wanted to know the answer to when God doesn’t seem involved. When God doesn’t seem to be listening? When God doesn’t stop our suffering? He says, “I know You could do something about this, God, but You're not, and I don't understand.”
The name Habakkuk literally means to embrace and to wrestle.
Habakkuk is doing everything he can to embrace who he knows God to be, but what he sees doesn't line up with what he knows, so he's wrestling with God. As Pastor Brian pointed out, for true intimacy with God, you must embrace and wrestle. Before we can receive God’s answers, we must embrace who God is and wrestle to trust Him more.
In God’s answer to Habakkuk, we realize that God gave a revelation, not an explanation. What we need in times of trials and fear are not explanations that satisfy our limited knowledge and understanding but a deeper intimacy from a more mature trust in God.
The name Habakkuk literally means to embrace and to wrestle.
Habakkuk is doing everything he can to embrace who he knows God to be, but what he sees doesn't line up with what he knows, so he's wrestling with God. As Pastor Brian pointed out, for true intimacy with God, you must embrace and wrestle. Before we can receive God’s answers, we must embrace who God is and wrestle to trust Him more.
In God’s answer to Habakkuk, we realize that God gave a revelation, not an explanation. What we need in times of trials and fear are not explanations that satisfy our limited knowledge and understanding but a deeper intimacy from a more mature trust in God.
Discussion
- Share a time you were frustrated with God. What did it look like to embrace and wrestle with God through it?
- What did you learn about God? About yourself? About your faith?
- Maybe you are frustrated with God right now. Discuss one step each of you can take to begin to wrestle with God and embrace who He is.
- Have you expressed your true emotions to Him? (Psalm 142:1-3)
- Discuss what it looks like for you to embrace and wrestle with God through the sinful brokenness of our world.
- How can you trust Him with the outcome and reflect Him in the waiting?
- We believe God is working through the challenges we face in our lives, in our world, and even in our church.
- Discuss a few ways you already see God working in each of these areas (your life, our world, our church).
Pray Together
God, thank You for Your sovereignty and grace, that we can wrestle with You through the difficult circumstances of life, embrace who You are, and mature in our trust that You are working in ways we don't understand. We ask that You give us the humility and courage to wrestle with You rather than run from You. We commit to cry out to You with our honest emotions, to embrace who You are, and wrestle to trust You more.
Wrestle with God until you find yourself in the embrace of Jesus.
Wrestle with God until you find yourself in the embrace of Jesus.
Posted in Faith Talk