“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?” Habakkuk 1:2
Have you ever questioned God? Like seriously, cried out from the very depths of your soul questioned the reasoning of the madness and wondered if God was listening?
Questions
It didn’t make sense to me. Here I was, pregnant with my fourth child, only to find out that my baby sister was losing her first.
Why God?
I admit that I was angry. I was grateful for my baby, but I was angry at what I felt was injustice.
God! IT IS NOT FAIR!
Why do I get to experience the miracle of life, while my sister experiences deep loss, pain and suffering? Feelings that will.never.ever.truly go away.
God, do you hear me?
We prayed so long for this baby, for this miraculous life and this precious gift was gone all too soon.
Why God?
Moments like these are not unfamiliar. This was not the first time I questioned God. More than likely, I will question Him AGAIN as I continue on in my faith walk. I believe that it is ok to ask the hard questions. I know that God is big enough to handle my questions. I know that by asking these questions and submitting myself before God, my relationship with Christ will be made stronger and my faith will grow deeper.
There are many accounts of people who questioned God in the Bible. But there is one man who models an amazing transformation of faith.
The Prophet Habakkuk
Right smack dab near the end of the Old Testament is a beautiful faith story. A story that shows the process we walk through when we question.
We don’t know a whole lot about this man, other than he was a prophet, his name is Habakkuk, he was wrestling with God, and according to the content of his writings, “we can guess that he wrote in the 25-year period between the time when Babylon conquered Nineveh and the Assyrian Empire (612 B.C.) and the time when Babylon conquered Jerusalem (587 B.C.).” (Blue Letter Bible)
Walk by Faith, Not by Sight
Habakkuk was in utter disbelief as he watched chaos and injustice unfold before him.
He said, ” O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
and you will not save?
Why do you make me see iniquity,
and why do you idly look at wrong?
Habakkuk 1:2-3 ESV
In this conversation with God, Habakkuk desperately wants to know why God wasn’t putting a stop to the madness. He also asks why he has to witness all of the hurts, the sin, and the troubles among the people.
Habakkuk knows who God is and what He is capable of. His questioning is not a matter of unbelief. His questioning is because what he SEES going on around him, does not match up with what he KNOWS to be true.
When God responded (Habakkuk 1:5 ESV), it brought up even more questions. God was telling him that it was under control, but it wouldn’t be what he was expecting.
What I love most about this passage, is that through Habakkuk’s prayers and cries to God, you can see the struggle, but you can also see that Habakkuk doesn’t lose faith in God’s abilities. In fact, he states, what he KNOWS to be TRUE (Habakkuk 1:12-14).
- He is Everlasting.
- God is the Holy One
- He has pure eyes
- He is Creator
Why, How, Who
We naturally need to know why! In fact, I think for all four of my boys, their very first question was, “WHY?” Unfortunately, there is not always a concrete answer to every “why” question.
In her book Fresh Out of Amazing, Stacey Thacker says, “You and I can ask why. Jesus himself did, but in the end, he still trusted and yielded to the will of his father. This has to be our resolve as well.”
After, we ask why, it is only moments before we wonder HOW? How will it happen? How will we manage? How do I fix the problem? We need to have a plan. We need to feel like we have some control. Really, what we should be doing is looking to God and surrendering.
“God is waiting for your store of strength to be utterly exhausted before he can deliver you.” -Stacey Thacker
Ultimately, our questioning should lead us to the WHO! When we finally look past, the Why and the How, we can see the One who has the answers. The one who sees the whole picture. The One who is actively at work and fighting for us.
God Does Not Stay Silent
Just like Habakkuk, I wrestled. I cried out to God in desperation. I knew that God is a good God, but I struggled.
My why’s were never answered, but God didn’t stay silent. In fact, He spoke to me through many different facets. The most impacting was the work He was doing in and through my sister.
When I finally stopped worrying about my sister and surrendered my will and woes, God met me. He lifted my head and showed me that His way was better and reminded me to “be still” (Psalm 46:10).
Join me next time as we continue on this faith journey with Habakkuk.
Let’s Pray!
God you are good! You are Holy! You are Everlasting! Thank you for desiring to have a REAL relationship with us, for not running away when we ask the hard questions. Thank you for being patient and gracious. Thank you for being gentle. Lord I pray that you would help us to come to you when we struggle. Help us to hear you and surrender our will to you. Deepen our faith as we work out our struggles. God we love you! We praise you for you are worthy of our praise.
In your name, Amen!
BE BRAVE
- What are you struggling with? Have you talked to God about it?
- Reflect on the “goodness” of God in your life. How has He answered you before?
- Be in the WORD!
This devotional was inspired by the book “Fresh Out of Amazing” by Stacey Thacker.
Christine Morton
She is a lover of Jesus, Littles, Coffee, and Light bulb moments.
Christine enjoys leading worship with her husband, crafting, and encouraging mommas in the trenches of motherhood.
Latest posts by Christine Morton (see all)
- The Just Walk by Faith-The Hard Questions - October 7, 2016
- Brave Words: Good for Building Up - September 30, 2016
- Brave Actions: My Grace is Sufficient - September 23, 2016
Love this Christine. And of course the lessons we learn with Habakkuk as we cry out to God. I love that God is not bothered by our wrestling and our questions.
Me too! So thankful for Habakkuk and you!