Bible Studies

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The Scriptures
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 - Watching for Answers
Key Verses: (MSG)

• 1:2: "O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen?" - Habakkuk, an oracle or messenger from God, shares with us his conversations with God. He shows us that we should not be afraid to question God.
  
  
• 3: "Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise." - Why does it seem that evil always prevails? Why do the bad guys always win? Why is good so often corrupted? Why is there so much suffering in the world? The questions can go on with unending resolve.
  
  
• 2:1: "I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what He will say to me and what He will answer concerning my complaint." - Once we hand our concerns to God we then should adopt an attitude of patient listening - God's answers may come from every quarter.
  
  
• 2: "Then the Lord answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it." - God answers and, in answering, He tells Habakkuk to listen closely and record the answers so that others may understand it.
  
  
• 4: "Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith." - As Christians, we must live by faith, trusting that God is in control and all things happen according to His purpose and will.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Do you question God? Do you see things in life that do not make sense? If God is faithful and loving, why does He allow evil in the world? If the visions of the kingdom of heaven are peaceful, then why is there war? Why can't we eliminate poverty and disease? Why are so many of Dr. Martin Luther King's dreams of the 1960s still unrealized forty years later. Do these things cause you to question God? Habakkuk took these types of questions to God and then, patiently waited for a response. Do you take your frustrations and uncertainties to God? Do you pour out your heart to Him regardless of the issue? Or do you only ask questions that you feel are answerable? Are the big questions in life too big? Do you feel it is a waste of time to pray about these vast concepts? If an issue is heavy on your heart, why wouldn't you give it to God?
  
  
• Do you listen to God? After you pour out your heart to God in prayer, is that the end of the "prayer process?" Or do you then begin seeking His answers? Do you stand alert on the watchtowers of your life to be ready as His answers roll in or does your focus turn inward towards your pain and confusion? Do you go back to your life expecting nothing to have changed? Or are you anticipating God's answer? If you do not stay alert, how are you going to hear God's answers when they come? If you are not expecting Him to answer, what is the purpose of your prayer in the first place?
  
  
• Are you living by faith? What does this mean? How is your life changed by your faith? Does it mean you are resolved to accept whatever comes your way? Or is faith accepting the promise of a better life to come? Is faith in some way the vehicle that carries you from today to the end of time when you will be standing in the fullness of God's glory? Or is faith an understanding that the kingdom of heaven exists today in the lives of those who believe in Christ, who have received the Holy Spirit into their hearts, and are able to manifest the love of God through their actions and good deeds? Are you living in the "end times?" Does your life reflect the love of God to everyone you meet? What better times than this could there possibly be?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

In your mind picture Habakkuk walking the streets of your town today. Perhaps he was young and active at the turn of the twentieth century when the world was filled with hope for peace and prosperity. Or maybe, he was young during the 1960s where enlightenment and hope for equality, peace, and a clean environment filled his mind. Now he walks the streets in a more cynical time and he wonders what has happened. Instead of glossing over the issues, he mulls them over and then he lifts his many questions to God. Why is the world this way? What happened to all our hopes and dreams? With his questions asked, Habakkuk does not turn and walk back to his small apartment. Instead, he steps out into a field and begins watching for God's answers. He is ready. He is alert. He fully expects to hear what God has to say. And then he knows. He knows that God is as much involved in today's world of cynicism as in any other time in history. Daily, people are turning to Him and discovering that living a life of faith will open their hearts to a world of new possibilities. They are filled with His Spirit and made righteous by their faith. The world becomes a better place because now is the time for the kingdom of heaven.

FUMC Devotionals

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