Key Truth: In the midst of difficult circumstances, we should prayerfully seek God’s glory to be made known, to remember God’s faithful redemptive actions, and to be humbled and caused to tremble at His response.

Introduction:

Q: How do you often respond to the hard words of God?

“The book of Habakkuk is unique in that the reader is privileged to observe the prophet himself grow out of an attitude of rigorous complaint against God into a spirit of total submission.”

O. Palmer Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets

A Prayer for the Glory of the Just God:

Habakkuk 3:1-3

“There is no request whatsoever that God should hold his hand, or spare Israel. We find, rather, a recognition that what God says He will do is perfectly right; that God is absolutely just, and that the punishment which is going to come upon Israel is well deserved- an attitude of complete submission to the will of God. There is no attempt to defend Israel or himself, but frank admission of sin and a recognition of the righteousness, holiness, and justice of God.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, From Fear to Faith: Studies in the Book of Habakkuk

Q: Do you care whether or not God is glorified in and through your life and its circumstances?

Remembering the Historical Faithfulness of God to Redemption:

Habakkuk 3:4-13

“To speak of sin by itself, to speak of it apart from the realities of creation and grace, is to forget the resolve of God. God wants shalom and will pay any price to get it back. Human sin is stubborn, but not as stubborn as the grace of God and not half so persistent, not half so ready to suffer to win its way.”

Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin

Q: What are some of the ways in which God has acted faithfully in your family’s life history to deliver you and bring redemption?

The Righteous Tremble at the Word of God:

Habakkuk 3:14-16

“Surely it must be to the honor of the great God that, when He speaks, all the people should tremble. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty; the voice of the Lord is gracious; and therefore, it becomes us all to tremble before Him. Let us lay upon our hearts the meditation of how much there is in the Word, and consider the majesty of God that is there.”

Jeremiah Burroughs, Gospel Fear: A Heart That Trembles at the Word of God

Q: Are you ever humbled by and/or caused to tremble at the Word of God?

Application:

“Thus says the Lord: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Isaiah 66:1-2

Habakkuk’s prayer in 3:1-16 in the midst of pending judgment teaches us that:

• we should be concerned for the knowledge of the glory of God
• we must remember God’s faithfulness in our family’s life history to bring redemption
• we are to be humbled by and caused to tremble at God’s response

Benediction:

Psalm 96:11-13