Scripture: Habakkuk 1:1-4
1 The burden which the prophet Habakkuk saw. 2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save. 3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises. 4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
Title: When God doesn’t Make Sense
Tragedy is hard to understand, and it is definitely hard to explain. Not only is it hard to explain and hard to understand it is hard on the faith. But those are more extreme tragedies, what about the tragedy of a breakup, what about the tragedy of a job loss, what about the tragedy of a health diagnosis. Those tragedies will have us asking for understanding and baffled.
Life, indeed, is a mystery. Much of what happens in life is beyond us. And even if it were explained to us, we probably wouldn't be satisfied with it. We long for sensibility. We seek explanation. We are desperate for reason. Which brings us to the passage of scripture located before us.
Point 1 When God doesn’t Make Sense still Pray
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save.
I don’t know about you dear brothers and sisters there have been times I’ve wondered how long will a think last. There are times when we our prayers seems like complaint or lament, the words are not necessarily a lack of faith, just a turning of our hearts to God and pouring out our soul. Praying through turmoil is saying to God I will continue to turn ton you.
Point 2 When God doesn’t Make Sense still Believe
3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; There is strife, and contention arises.
Habakkuk is looking around and sees pretty much what we see taking place in America and across the world today. We see a whole lot of trouble. When you see a bunch of violence and strife taking place it can impact your spirit and bring about pain. Yes, pain is real. But God, indeed, is real, too. Because God is real we can still believe in what He said.
Point 3 When God doesn’t Make Sense still Trust
4 Therefore the law is powerless, And justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
I’m not sure how many of you remember the story that grip the world when in April 2014 276 Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped by the Muslim terrorist organization Boko Haram. Can you imagine what it must have been like for those young ladies, who only wanted better for themselves. Yet through their turmouil they still maintained their trust in God and humanity. We must do the same.
Conclusion
God is here for you, too. He will never leave you. He cares too much for you. Even if the night is dark and the storm is raging, know that God is here.
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