Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. the founder and perfecter of our faith. Habakkuk the Prophet's complaints belong on today's front page. Evildoers are having a field day and the foundations of the nation are being torn apart. Yet in the midst of turmoil, the prophet has a burst of faith that God is still in charge.
From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, your series is on the triumph of unanswered prayer. Last time, you began telling us how Habakkuk handled things, when for him, the answer was disaster. Yes, Dave, the remarkable thing is this, that Habakkuk begins, he prays to God.
that God might intervene, and God shocks him by saying, I am intervening, I am bringing the Babylonians to your country to destroy Israel. Habakkuk struggles But it's at the end of the book. that you have what you have referred to as a burst of praise. What a message for all of us God didn't answer his prayer the way in which he intended. but God none the less gave him grace to bear it.
I mention that because that message actually is part of my new book entitled, Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers? The subtitle is A Biblical Guide to God's Hidden Purposes. If you have a pen or pencil handy, I'd like to give you some contact info.
So that this book could be yours. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com. or call us at 1-888-108 218. 9337.
Now if you missed that, I'm going to be giving you that contact info again, but for now, let us listen.
Okay. When Habakkuk hears about God's sovereignty and God's judgment, He says finally in verse 20, but the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth Keep silence before him. Earlier in the first chapter, he said, Oh God, how can you be silent? When all this is going on in the world, And now he begins to back up and to say, now it is my turn to be silent.
As a matter of fact, it is the turn of the entire world to know that God is in his temple. And in His presence, our mouths have to be closed. We might not understand his ways. But it's all under his control.
So notice that we have moved now. And we have moved from the idea of his prayer to his perplexity. to his position. And now I'd like to talk about his praise. We're going to go through the text, then I'm going to tell you what's going on, and then your life is going to be changed forever.
You'll never be the same. if you are open to what God has to say to you today through His Word. He goes on in chapter 3, and he prays that in wrath God would remember mercy, last part of verse 2, and then beginning at verse 3 and going on. He begins to talk about what God has done in the past. As he's contemplating the works of God, the splendor of the heavens, verse 4, his brightness was like the light, rays flashed from his hand.
Before him, verse 5, there went pestilence and plague followed at his heels. He scattered mountains. You can look through this yourself. and see the wonderful hyperbole that Habakkuk has regarding what God is doing. Most commentators believe that what he's really talking about is the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt.
You know, it talks about the seas and the rivers opening and the pestilence that came upon Egypt and so forth. And Habakkuk here is lost in wonder when he looks at the past. and begins to think what God has done. And then we conclude, you'll notice it says, Verse 16 of chapter 3. I hear and my body trembles.
My lips quiver at the sound, rottenness enters into my bones, my legs tremble beneath me. Don't you feel that way when things go bad and when we read the headlines? Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon the people who have invaded us. I am willing now to have patience to let God do it on his schedule and his agenda and not mine.
So that's what he's emphasizing. And then this book ends with this unbelievable almost surprising Burst of praise. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail, and the fields yield no food. The flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herds in the stalls. Yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God the Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the deers. He makes me tread on high places. And then he ends with a note to Jerry Edmonds. It says right here.
To Jerry Edmonds, the choir master with stringed instruments. That's right. It's right there. This This apparently was sung. This was Sun.
What's going on? What's the connection between what Habakkuk is learning about God? And suddenly, this great burst of admiration and praise. What's the connection? How can we move from all these questions?
To praising God. How can we make that transition? That's the question. There are two things. that Habakkuk concluded about God.
And he said, if these things are true about God, I can praise. Even though everything that has been nailed down is being torn up and everything is falling in around me. First, God. is in control. God is in control.
The Chaldeans are coming? That's scary. They were wicked. They were evil. They used to skin people alive.
They were known for their violence. The Chaldeans are coming. God says, I'm the one that is raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation that shall come against you. That is part of my work as a discipline and as a judgment for your sin. But I am in control.
Have you ever wondered how strong the Chaldeans were? Yeah. Have you ever wondered how strong um Radical Islam is, for example. Have you ever wondered how much authority Pilate had over Jesus? Let me ask a different kind of question.
Have you ever wondered how strong the devil really is? You say, yeah, I'd like to know. Today I'm going to tell you. Whatever you may say about the service today, if you're listening by the internet, radio.
However, Finally, You will find an answer to the question of how strong the devil is. Are you ready? He has as much power as God lets him have, and not one whit. more. That's how strong the devil is.
He cannot even harass you unless it passes. Jesus Christ's test. of control. The devil wants to get to Peter. And Jesus says, Simon, Simon, Satan has desired to have you that he might sift you like wheat.
He can't get to you until I've passed off on it. Once you understand this, you will pray against Satan as we must and as we are instructed. But we will pray with great faith because we know that God is in control. And I will quote the words of Jesus to Pilate. words that I absolutely love.
The words are, Thou couldest have no power at all against me. unless it were given to thee from Above. The evil people that are harassing you. What is happening in your life, the injustice that you are enduring. The feeling that you are being marginalized and misunderstood.
Evil can have no authority over you unless it is given from above. God is in control, and that's why we pray to God. And that's why we have a day of prayer and fasting. It is because we believe that ultimately we must submit everything to God and we can come to God about anything because God is in Control. When Habakkuk realized that, Said, I realize that nothing is happening willy-nilly among the nations.
Nothing is happening in the raising up of leaders and the taking down of leaders, that God stands back of everything. He does not do evil. He does not do evil, but through secondary causes he's involved in. in everything that transpires on his planet.
So that's the first thing. Secondly, when Habakkuk began to go over the story of the Israelites and their deliverance out of Egypt, he learned something else about God. He learned about the control of God, but he also learned about the care. of God. He began to think of how God led them through the Red Sea and how God dried up the Red Sea and how God fed them and how the mountains trembled and how everything else began to happen under his sovereign control and God delivered his people.
He said, you know what? I can also believe that God cares about me. And Habakkuk finally realized something. He said, Never again will I interpret the silence of God. as the indifference.
Yeah. There are times when God is silent, but that doesn't mean that He's not working. That doesn't mean that He is indifferent. It still means that the very hair of your head is numbered. still means that he sees the sparrow fall to the ground.
And that you, as a child of God, are number one on his list of things to take care of in the universe. He says, I will accept, he says. The fact. that there are times when God is silent, but He is faithful. and he is working and that he cares about me.
So what Habakkuk says in the last part of his book, verse 17, we could translate it for our era something like this. And though the refrigerator is empty, And though I may lose my job or perhaps have, because that's exactly what Habakkuk is saying, the only means of livelihood was what grew, and of course the animals in the field. Though things should turn against me, and what I have planned not come to pass. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord my God. I will take joy in the God of my salvation, for the Lord God is my strength.
And I will go on believing and trusting no matter. What? That's what the prophet is saying. And so it comes down to this. Do you believe in the care of God?
and the control Do you believe that when God puts us through the kiln, through the furnace, that He keeps His hand on the thermostat? And therefore, we can be assured that nothing is happening randomly. It is directed toward an appointed And uh We have to understand that God is on a different timetable. God was saying, Habakkuk, you're absolutely right about my holiness, you're right about my justice, you're wrong. about the issue of time.
Because I'm on a different schedule. than you are. William Cooper. struggled with insanity. and tried to commit suicide.
You say, well, who was he? He was the man who gave us the wonderful line. that God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. He also wrote of the song, There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. I mention that.
Because there are people who are genuinely saved who struggle. with perhaps mental illness, with depression. with a sense of hopelessness. That's why, by the way, we need the church. That's why we have TMC communities.
Is because not a one of us can live the Christian life successfully on our own. And it's not enough simply for you to be here, though that's wonderful. You need to plug into our ministries. You need to get to know people. You need to become part of a body.
that helps us in our walk with God. But I love what William Cooper wrote. based on this text. Though vine nor fig-tree neither their wonted fruit should bear. Though all the field should wither, nor flocks or herds be there Yet God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice.
For while in him confiding, I cannot but rejoice. God says where you are. You can live differently.
Now you say, Well, Pastor Luther, I just don't see the connection.
Now, here's what we're going to do. In the next three or four minutes, God is going to bring deliverance to hundreds of you who are listening when I explain. What commitment means. Because you see, here's what we do as Christians: we hear a message like this and then we pray and we say, Oh God, I pray that things will work out, I pray that this will happen. And we're just fidgeting and we don't pray in faith because we keep praying over and over and over again and don't see anything, and we even get more nervous.
God says you're praying and that's fine, but what you aren't doing is you don't understand the meaning of the phrase. commitment. The best way to illustrate it is the life of Joseph. Potiphar. The Bible says he committed all the matters of his house to Joseph, and then it says, and concerned himself.
With nothing that was happening in his house.
Now it turns out that Potiphar's wife tried to derail Joseph, but even then Joseph was faithful. But here's the point: he's so committed. Himself, the Bible says, To what Joseph was doing, he had such confidence in Joseph that he concerned not himself regarding. the matters of his house. Could you imagine?
What would happen? if we committed ourselves to God like that. I told somebody yesterday via email who's struggling with. Anxiety. He believes that maybe he won't be able to earn enough money for.
His family. Years ago, a young medical student met with me and said, I am so full of anxiety, I can't even sleep because I think I might flunk out of med school. I said, that's no problem. We can take care of all that right now. What you need to do is to commit yourself to God in such a way that you take the burden from your heart, transfer it to God, and say, God, you are fully in charge.
I'll do the best I can, but this is yours, not mine. He said, I can't do that. Because he said, if I do... God might Let me flunk med school anyway. I'm saying, yeah, but how would you like to flunk?
At peace? or not at peace. You know? You can go through it joyfully or you can go through it with You know, it depends, sure. There's no guarantee you're going to pass med school.
But why not enjoy it? Either way. And he left filled with anxiety. I never did discover whether or not he passed. I hope he did, but.
If he didn't, how can you go wrong? To simply transfer that burden from your shoulders to God in such a way that you say, God, as of this moment, I no longer concern myself. with what is going to happen. Because that is your business, my confidence in you. See, what God is saying is: you pray, you pray, you pray, you pray.
Don't you think it's time to trust? And when you trust You continue to pray, but you pray very differently. Your prayers are filled with praise and adoration. You say, even though the worst time should come. I will still rejoice in God.
You can't get that by praying. Just praying. You can only get it. by that transfer. Of trust to God.
Now, I need to tell you from my own experience, I know you can't do this in this meeting, you can start. What you need to do is to take out an hour, at least minimally, maybe longer. When you're alone with God, And then you say, God, I'm here for serious, serious business because I can't bear these burdens, and you never intended me to.
So, what I'm going to do is, I maybe get down on the floor on your face before God in silence. And by the way, if you were not here last week and you did not get one of those bulletin inserts, those cards that tell you how to seek God, we do have some extra ones over at the connection corner, I understand.
Well, what you do is you say, God, I'm going to spend time in silence. I'm going to agree with you about everything, and I'm going to make. a commitment of my life and my future to God that is so complete. Oh, I'll tell you, there's going to be a struggle. The devil's going to be there and saying, yeah, but what if God doesn't come through?
Yeah, but, you know, you have to look out for yourself, the whole thing. Stay there as long as you need to. Bring your lunch. Unless you want to fast. And leave it in God's hands.
So that you can say, even if the fig tree doesn't blossom. Even if the crop fails, even if my job is curtailed. even if there isn't enough money. even if the relationship doesn't work out. I will still rejoice in God.
Because it's not my burden. It's his. And then we think of the verse of Scripture. Casting all your care upon him. For he careth.
for you. Get rid of that burden. woman riding a bus. Caught a bus, heavy suitcase. Scarcely hold it.
The bus stopped. She was so glad. She got in the middle of the bus and continued to hold it up.
Somebody said, put it down. She said, I'm glad the bus is carrying me. I can't expect it to carry my suitcase, too. That's the way we are. Listen, if you're on your way to heaven, you're on the bus.
All right, put down the suitcase. and begin to do it. Right now, let us pray. Father, Bring deliverance to your people. Bring the same faith that Habakkuk had.
Because, Lord, we're going through difficult times. All of us have challenges. All of us have a future that is very, very unknown. All of us have issues that we bring to church and we keep in our homes. All of us have that, oh God, we pray, and I ask in Jesus' name.
That we might be able to say though the fig tree Rots. We will continue to trust you. Grant that, O God, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
My friend, this is Pastor Lutzer, and if you're going through a real difficult time, Why don't you pick up your Bible and read the three chapters, it's only three chapters, of the book of Habakkuk. And you will be blessed to see how this book ends. I've written a book entitled, Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayers? I've written it because there are so many people who deconstruct from the Christian faith. Because God doesn't answer their prayers at least the way in which they think He should, they walk away.
thinking God is irrelevant. Do you know some one who has turned away from God because of unanswered prayer? We've all at times been disappointed when God has not come through the way in which we think He should. This book, I believe, is going to be a tremendous blessing and a help. And an encouragement, and will also teach you the difference between simply praying.
and committing Leaving things with God.
Now for a gift of any amount we're making it available and you can be among some of the first people to receive your copy. Here's what you can do. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-8. 218 ninety three thirty seven.
One of the points that I make in this book is that when Jesus was in Gethsemane, he experienced an unanswered prayer. And you might be surprised what God did as a result of it. Once again, I want to encourage you. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer dot com.
or call us at 1-888-218 ninety three thirty seven. And I want to remind you that it is because of people just like you that running to win goes around the world. It's not the ministry of a man, a church, or an organization it is your ministry, our partners. Thanks so much for joining hands with us as together we run toward the finish line. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614.
Running to win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life. There are times when the answer to a Christian's prayer is a clear no. We have a choice. These times can either make us resentful or they can increase our faith.
Next time I'm running to win, how to react and respond when God denies the petitions we make to Him. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
