It’s summer! Yes, we’ve officially had the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. Time for vacations, and road trips. Fun times. Amusements. Amusement parks.
[amusement parks - numbers]
And speaking of long days, those amusement parks can be really long days, can’t they?
[pic of long lines]
Waiting. It can be a beat down just getting there. Are we there yet? One of the more favorite questions of kids. Anyone here ever asked that? Are we there yet? It’s the question of summer, isn’t it? All those summer road trips? And the thing is, it’s not a helpful question. Because pretty much every time the question gets asked, the answer invariably is, no. No. Does it look like we’re there yet? Being “There” means the car has stopped driving. The real question is, how much longer? How much longer do we have to WAIT…?
How do you feel about waiting…? What are some of the worst things about waiting? What are some of the WORST things to have to wait for? —> things you wouldn’t do if you didn’t HAVE to
[pics of waiting places - waiting in traffic, waiting rooms...]
How long?
We come to Habakkuk and he is playing the waiting game. It’s been more than a century since the northern kingdom of Israel was taken captive by the Assyrians. And things in the southern kingdom of Judah are just getting worse.
[Hab 1.2-5]
The waiting game… So much of life seems to involve waiting. Waiting for the time to get up, waiting for the bathroom, waiting for your hair to dry, waiting for the water to heat up, waiting for your hot beverage to cool down, waiting for your car to warm up, waiting in traffic, waiting at red lights, waiting on the phone, waiting on someone else to finish something for you, waiting at the place to eat, waiting for your day to be over with, waiting to get off work, waiting for that special occasion, waiting for your favorite show to come on, waiting for the preacher to finish - so MUCH of life involves waiting. And isn’t much of our technology designed to reduce the amount of time we need to spend waiting, to save us precious seconds of time? Remotes, and microwaves, and hair dryers, and wifi, and life hacks, and smartphone apps, and Alexa, and automatic anythings… Progress oftentimes gets equated with those things which allow us to go faster and spend less time.......... waiting. Aren't some of the rarer pleasures in life those times when we DON'T have to wait? Green lights. Getting in the faster line - or the empty line (the Fast Pass phenomenon at amusement parks!). Reservations. And I would like to suggest that it is often our inability to wait that gets us in trouble. Unwillingness to wait. Usually it is the person who is in a hurry who causes the accident. They’re in a hurry to do something else. They’re not paying attention. Perhaps with all our progress and advanced civilization might we not actually need to learn the value of being able to slow down, to wait?
It's not that we shouldn't ever try to be more efficient or get in the faster lane, but sooner or later we all will be forced to wait for something. Sometimes it pays to get out of line and try a different one. Sometimes it pays to use Waze, to try and bypass the backup. But other times it does not. Sometimes haste makes waste. Sometimes we're in such a hurry that we mess up - or we miss out. We miss the best part of the journey. We miss the sights along the way. Radiator Springs is now on the road less traveled. Off the beaten path. The slower path. AND we might miss out on an intended lesson along the way. Thankfully God is faithful and usually helps us learn what He wants us to learn - even sometimes when we opt for a seeming shortcut, when we stray off of His path. Jonah - case in point. Part of growing up and maturing involves learning HOW to wait.
Here’s a thought for us this morning. Faith is a waiting game. Faith is the anticipation of things yet to come. The assurance of things not seen. There is a promise of future glory. It is not here yet. You haven’t even seen it. But you trust that it is true and that it is going to come to pass. And so we wait. Faith is waiting. Anticipation. Do you remember that song?
[heinz commercial] - the heavenly taste of heinz ketchup… :) But something better than ketchup is here!
Hebrews 11:35-39
“…others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised…”
They never saw it. Not physically. They saw it with the eyes of faith. And then they waited. Some of them for a lifetime - and then some. Willingness to wait. We call this patience.
God says, wait for it… You and I need to be willing to wait for it. Whatever He’s promised, it will certainly happen. So we have some promises here in Habakkuk. The first one is, justice is coming - and you are not going to believe it…
[Hab 1.5]
The Chaldeans. Babylon. Babylon is coming. They had taken down Assyria (aka Darth Vader)! They were even badder! It was the ascension of King Nebuchadnezzar - the greatest warrior king and ruler in the known world. Nebby K Nezzer - some think he looked like this:
[veggie tale pic]
We’ll get a closer look at him next week when we take a look at the book of Daniel. You know, for all its notoriety, other than its initial appearance 1000 years prior to this, Babylon as a world power endured for less than a century. Basically, long enough to earn a reputation for ruthlessness, long enough to be God’s unwitting instrument of discipline for His prodigal people. And then, the Medes and the Persians conquered them, and that was it. A brief, bright blip on the radar of the history of world power.
But so God says, I am going to do something about the waywardness of My people. I have a plan. I am going to use the wicked Chaldeans. And Habakkuk be like, why, Lord? (Hab 1.13)
Sometimes we feel like God is like a referee or an official while we spectate at some sporting event, and we’re quick to point out all the calls we call into question, but that ref doesn’t seem to hear a word we say. That ref keeps making what we think are bad calls. We question and criticize the refs all the time. Don't we do that with the Lord? Don't WE question His calls? (1.14-17)
Look at 2.1 - this is the turning point for Habakkuk (and for us…)
Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved.
Habakkuk 2:2-5
Then the LORD answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay. Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith. Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, so that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, and he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations and collects to himself all peoples.”
Note the contrast here. The proud one, the haughty man (epitomized by Nebuchadnezzar, as we’ll see next week). As opposed to the one who will live by faith, who will wait on the Lord and trust in Him. On the one hand we see patience. We see one who is willing to wait, willing to stand and watch - and wait. Willing to wait and listen. Shhhh!!!! Listen! There is an element of quietness about this one who is walking by faith. There is anticipation, patient expectation, confidently waiting to see the Lord show up, waiting to see what He will say, see what He will do.
Whereas there is another mindset. The proud one. The one whose soul is not right. The haughty one. He does not stay at home. He doesn't wait around. He is NOT waiting on the Lord. He is going out and taking matters into his own hands.
But Habakkuk is willing to wait. He chooses to wait. Note what is happening here. First, Habakkuk is taking the time to listen. It's what God tells His people: Hear, O Israel. Habakkuk is taking the time to listen, to gather truth about the Lord, about Jehovah, about what He is like and what He wants. He is taking the time to wait on the Lord. He is watching. What we see in Habakkuk in 2.1 is that he decides to take the time to wait and listen. Let’s skim down and observe what we see emerging from the heart of this man of God as he relates what the Lord has shown him.
Habakkuk 2.14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
How do the waters cover the sea? What is true about water as it relates to the sea? Everywhere. Habakkuk relates both truth, AND a promise. God IS breathtakingly good and great - AND His plan is for the whole earth to know that. Everywhere. Everyone.
Hab. 2.20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
He IS God, the thrice-holy Lord of all. Everyone, wait. Listen! Shhhhh! Slow down, and be quiet - for a moment at least. Hurry up and start waiting. Keep waiting. Be willing to wait on Him, on His good plan, for His good plan to play out in the world, on earth as it is in heaven, in my life, and in the lives of those around me. Be still - and know that He is God.
Habakkuk 3:2
LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.
Note also, what is he doing with the report, with the truth he is gathering? How is he responding? Fear. Awe. Reverence. His is not the questioning, the challenging, the complaining, the criticizing of the cynical skeptical heart. He is not throwing shade on the Ref. No, his is the heart of humility. Not like Nebby K, the proud haughty one whose heart is not right within him. No, this one is teachable. Ready to be instructed, and even to be reproved, corrected (2.1). You know, you and I do not know everything. We hit our teens, and we begin to think we know everything. We know everything we need to know. We’ve figured it all out. Those unfortunate others - like our parents - they’re still figuring it out. But herein lies the key to life, to walking with the Lord: A patient heart which is teachable. When Habakkuk decides that he is going to wait, he does so with with a teachable heart.
Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
10:17 - He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who ignores reproof goes astray.
9:8 - Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you, reprove a wise man and he will love you.
9:9 - Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser, teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.
15:32 - He who neglects discipline despises himself, but he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
15:33 - The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and before honor comes humility.
Waiting on the Lord, with patience, with a heart that is teachable, which is open and listening to what the Lord has to say to us - this is the path of life, the path of honor. This is the journey of faith. And let’s not miss the foundational truth in 2.4 - the righteous will live by faith. Being right with God, entrance into heaven, eternal life - doesn’t come by being good. It comes by faith, trusting in God, in what He says, in what He says about Jesus, in His death on the cross. And it is grounded in the truth of Who God is, that He is oh-so-always-good, that He is oh-so-always-faithful. Faith camps out here. It locks in this truth and rips off the knob. It waits.
The knowledge of God’s truth, of His faithfulness, and of His good plans for His people, of His plans for eternal life - as illuminated by His Spirit - provide a basis (THE basis) for faith in any and all circumstances. And this was one of the fundamental reasons for why God’s people had strayed so far from Him in their hearts. They forgot (i.e. they ceased to know). They forgot all He had done for them. Egypt. The Red Sea. Mount Sinai. The Wilderness. The Jordan River. He fed them, He led them, He taught them, taught them about Himself, He brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey - and in the midst of all their prosperity, all God's blessings, they forgot Him. The Blessed One, the Bless-er. They left Him in their hearts. They stopped waiting on Him. They stopped slowing down enough to listen, to wait, to take the time to remember and reflect, to listen and learn.
Psalm 25:5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day.
Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.
What does this look like, practically speaking? It certainly begins with that humble teachable heart. Putting God in His proper place. God You are God. And I am not. I will wait for You. I will listen to You. Even Darth Vader knew what he needed to do - What is Thy bidding, my Master? And so each day, I think we need to take the time to get our marching orders from Him. Not only marching orders. Milk and meat and daily bread for our hearts. I wonder if some of us might need to get up a few minutes earlier…? Go to bed a few minutes earlier?
Devout Muslims stop what they are doing five times a day, just to pray. To focus on Allah. I’m not saying we are required to do that - not at all. We are under grace. Stopping and praying doesn’t get us into heaven or make the Lord love us any more. Jesus’ death is what gets us into heaven. But surely we ought to stop and focus on the Lord at least once each day.
And I think we should consider the Lord’s heart in all this. Do we have any inkling how much our everlastingly loving Father longs to spend time with us? Longs for us to come to Him and just be with Him in our hearts, to focus on Him? Spend time, hang out with Him. For You I wait all the day. Imagine your own child coming to you, not with a need or a request but simply coming to you, sitting down beside you, I love you, Dad. I’m so glad you’re my dad. I’m so grateful for you, and for all you do. What’s on your mind today? What’s on your heart today? Is there anything you want me to know today? Is there anything you would like me to do today? Anything you say, dad…
Look where Habakkuk lands at the end of the psalm he writes in chapter 3:
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
OK, who does that? How does any soul exult and rejoice in the Lord when the fig tree did not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines? There is no produce, no livestock - the cupboard is bare. Yet I will exult in the Lord. Who does that?
I’ll tell you who does that - those who hurry up and wait. Those who have learned how good He is, this breathtakingly good God Who is the Author of our salvation. Those who have learned to patiently wait on the Lord, to trust in Him, to trust in His good plan and His timing. I’m not saying it’s easy to wait. Patience doesn’t mean waiting is easy. It doesn’t mean you WANT to wait. It means you are willing to wait. Cuz the wait is worth it.
All those people standing in line at Walt Disney World, waiting for 205 minutes for a 3 minute ride - they are not saying that they WANT to wait. Esp not in that heat. But to them the wait it worth it. That 3 minute ride is worth the wait. You and I just need to decide if the wait is worth it. We need to decide if salvation is worth it. If Jesus is worth it. If the Lord is so breathtakingly good as to be worth the wait. Waiting on Him. Waiting on Him every day. Waiting on His good plan to unfold. Waiting for what He wants. Could be 205 minutes. Could be 205 days. Could be 205 months (for math majors, that’s about 17 years).
Is there something God wants you to wait on today? Is there some way you need to learn to hurry up and wait on Him? To post yourself on that rampart and be on the lookout for Him, for what He might have to say to you? To any one of us? I trust that you will find the grace this week to hurry up and wait for Him, take the time to listen to what He has to say to you…
- Introduction (1.1)
- Lament - How long justice perverted in Judah (1.2-5)
- God’s Response - Justice by Babylon (1.6-11)
- Lament 2 - Why Babylon? (1.12-2.1)
- Response 2 - Justice for Babylon (2.2-20)
- Wait for it (2.2-5)
- Woe 1 (2.6-8) - Looters
- Woe 2 (2.9-11) - Evil gainers
- Woe 3 (2.12-14) - Bloodshedders
- Woe 4 (2.15-18) - Neighbors-drunk-ers
- Woe 5 (2.19-20) - Idol-makers
- Prayer/Psalm (3.1-19)
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