Do you have the courage to pray

YET?

Adapted from a Mark Scott sermon presented at the

Kiamichi Men’s Clinic, 2012

Do you know how to pray yet? If we learn how to pray yet, we’ll learn how to be more

effective for the cause of Christ. I’ve not read it, but I’m told a book titled, “Faith and Doubt” quotes a Pentecostal Scholar by the name of Fredrick Dale Bruner who said the

Christian faith is always bipolar. The Christian faith always advances, then

regresses, it matures, and then it falls back. It grows then it somehow stumbles and it

does these at the same time it seems.

You remember that desperate Father who brings his boy to the base of the mount of transfiguration for the Apostles to heal &

they couldn’t do it. I guess they were operating out of the power of the flesh. So

they couldn’t do it. Jesus with Peter, James & John comes down the hill & asks what’s

going on.

I brought my boy to your disciples & they couldn’t do anything. If you could help us,

and Jesus said, “IF, IF?” All things are possible to him who believes and this

desperate Father said this, “I do believe, help thou my unbelief.” It’s kind of the way

we find ourselves so often. The most important word in the book title I mentioned is AND! It’s not “Faith OR Doubt,” it’s “Faith

AND Doubt.”

They kind of tend to go together, if you will. That book makes this statement, “Disciples are not people who never doubt, they doubt & worship, they doubt & serve, they doubt &

help other people with their doubts, they doubt & practice faithfulness, they doubt &

wait until their waiting someday will turn into knowing.” Fredrick Buechner, a famous

preacher from another generation, is credited of saying,

“Doubts are the ants in the pants of the Christian experience. They keep it alive &

moving.” Well if that’s true, then the old minor Prophet Habakkuk, who takes us into

his prayer closet, must have had a lot of ants in the pants. Because I think this minor Prophet helps us know something about the tension of faith & doubt & learning to have

the courage to pray YET.

I want to talk to you today about the book of Habakkuk that wonderful minor Prophet. I gotta tell ya I didn’t know much about the

book of Habakkuk. The Apostle Paul evidently was “well versed,” so to speak, in Habakkuk. In the first chapter of his letter to

the saints in Rome he says, For the righteousness of God is revealed in the

gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.” Romans

1:17 NET

If you have cross-references in your Bible you’ll see Habakkuk 2:4 NIV “See, he is

puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith—

So the Apostle Paul builds his theme in the first couple chapter of Romans from a little

remark in Habakkuk.

Paul ends his sermon in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch in kind of an odd way. Acts

13:41 NET 'Look, you scoffers; be amazed and perish! For I am doing a work in your days,: a work you would

never believe, even if someone tells you.' “ Your cross-reference will cite Habakkuk 1:5 NIV “Look at the nations and watch—

and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not

believe, even if you were told.

Our outline of Habakkuk:1 Hello!

2 Na-huh!3 Say What?

4 CHILL!5 Whoa, Dude!

Ok, can you follow that?

“Hello!”Chapter 1:1-4

I think the first thing we find in this book as we find the courage to pray yet is the Prophet saying, “Hello!” Why is he

saying “Hello!” because it’s 600 BC & his world is filled with idolatry & immorality,

greed & violence. Remind you of any culture your familiar with?

This is the same time period as Jeremiah, the weeping Prophet trying to get God’s people ready for Babylonian captivity.

Maybe he’s battling with the seemingly in-activity of God. “Hello! God, are you paying attention? We’re having trouble down here. Things are not good down

here.”

Habakkuk 1:1 NIV The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received. 2 How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you,

“Violence!” but you do not save? 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 4 Therefore the

law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the

righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Do you feel this way sometimes? You watch the evening news? The wicked hem in the

righteous, so that justice is perverted. Habakkuk is having trouble with the

seemingly in-activity of god. It looks to him like God is asleep on His deal. Anybody that

believes in the righteous or justice of God can’t look at the current culture & be satisfied. That would be impossible.

Let’s talk about Missouri for just a

second.

It has two of the most crime ridden cities in America.

Rank City Index1 St. Louis 530

2 Atlanta 484

3 Birmingham Alabama

380 (tie)

3 Orlando 380 (tie)

4 Detroit 369

5 Memphis 361

6 Miami 346

7 Baltimore 339

8 Kansas City, Missouri

337

9 Minneapolis 331 (tie)

9 Cleveland 331 (tie)

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/02/16/the-11-most-dangerous-cities

City Crime Risk Index 100=National average

There are a lot of casinos which I am sure has to do with the Missouri & Mississippi rivers. Jefferson City had to pass a law

because we have 60,000 gambling addicts, that’s bigger that the town of Joplin. 60,000 people who can’t stop gambling so they had to pass a law limiting how much you can bet at the table each night because it was killing

families.

So sometimes you just want to say, “God, are You paying attention? Missouri’s in a mess. This is sort of a Bible belt state so

what’s going on here God? Are you paying attention?”

It makes you want to say,

“Hello!”

“Na-huh!”But God address the Prophet & says, “Na-huh!” It’s not what you think!” In chapter 1:5-11 God speaks to His troubled Prophet & he says you don’t understand, I’ve got

this all figured out. I know it seems like I’m not paying attention to you, but listen to this:

Habakkuk 1:5 NIV “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am

going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told. 6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across

the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own. 7 They are a feared and dreaded people; they are a law to themselves and

promote their own honor.

8 Their horses are swifter than leopards, fiercer than wolves at dusk. Their cavalry gallops headlong; their horsemen come

from afar. They fly like a vulture swooping to devour; 9 they all come bent on violence. Their hordes advance like a desert wind and gather prisoners like sand. 10 They

deride kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh at all fortified cities; they build earthen

ramps and capture them.

11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—guilty men, whose own strength is

their god.”

I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless & impetuous people who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwelling places not their own? What a surprise to

this Prophet. At first Habakkuk had a problem with the seemingly in-activity of

God.

Now you know what he’s got a problem with? The activity of God, you’ve got to be kidding me. “But God, I know that Israel is bad, but Babylon is badder! This is terrible, how could you use Babylon to punish us?” One of the most disturbing truths I find in

the New Testament is For it is time for judgment to begin, starting with the house of God. And if it starts with us, what will be the fate of those who are disobedient to the

gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17 NET

Ouch! Stings like a viper. So it’s like God saying, “I’m going to deal with Missouri, I’m going to handle that state. They can’t keep doing this, no way. I’m going to take care of that. I’m going to raise up the…the…the…

Taliban.”

“Say What?” God you would take a group worse than us to punish us? Oh, the weavings & waves of

God.

“Say What?”It’s been said the shortest distance between

two points for God is often a zig-zag. He often takes us on a journey we don’t

understand. So we go from “Hello!” to “Na-huh!”

to “Say What?”

Chapter 1:11 to 2:1 “Say What?”“You’re going to punish us with whom?” You

get it in verse 13 oh God, how could this be?

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do

you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those

more righteous than themselves?Now the Prophet Habakkuk has another

issue trying to internalize this saying, “Can I have faith in a God whose ways I don’t totally understand? Is that possible?”

One Jewish scholar said it this way, “The only faith worth having is a wounded faith.”

Sometimes our faith has to take some shots before we really know what God it going to

do.Habakkuk 1:12 O LORD, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O LORD, you have appointed them

to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish.

13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do

you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? 14 You

have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. 15 The wicked

foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up

in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.

16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest

food. 17 Is he to keep on emptying his net, destroying nations without mercy? 2:1 I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this

complaint.

“Just CHILL!”So you move from “Hello!”

to “Na-huh!” to “Say What?” When we come to chapter 2:2-20 I’d put it this

way, “Just CHILL!” “You can’t see it from

your prospective but I can so “Just CHILL!” I want you to trust me in

something you can’t see.”

Jesus said something about that. John 20:29 NET Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are the people who have not

seen and yet have believed.”

Habakkuk 2:2 NIV Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.

3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove

false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. 4 “See, he

is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous will live by his faith—5 indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant

and never at rest.

Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to

himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. 6 “Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,” ‘Woe to him

who piles up stolen goods and makes himself wealthy by extortion! How long must

this go on?’ 7 Will not your debtors suddenly arise?

Will they not wake up and make you tremble? Then you will become their victim.

8 Because you have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will

plunder you. For you have shed man’s blood; you have destroyed lands and cities

and everyone in them.

9 “Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to

escape the clutches of ruin! 10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples, shaming your own house and forfeiting your life. 11 The stones of the wall will cry out, and the

beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by crime! 13 Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the

fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing? 14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as

the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till

they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies. 16 You will be filled with

shame instead of glory. Now it is your turn! Drink and be exposed! The cup from the

LORD'S right hand is coming around to you, and disgrace will cover your glory.

17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and your destruction of animals will terrify you. For you have shed

man’s blood; you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? Or an image that teaches

lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up! ‘Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. 20 But the

LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Here’s what you do Habakkuk. Write on a sign big enough so it can be read when a guy carrying it runs down the street. The

righteous will live by his faith, that’s all they need to know. In Habakkuk 2:2-20 you have

a series of things where God says to the Prophet, “I’m going to take care of Babylon

in Babylon’s own good time.” He will exercise his own judgment.

In fact chapter 2:8 says this, 8a you (Babylon) have plundered many nations, the peoples who are left will plunder you.

So God’s going to get His lick in. If you look at the 2nd chapter you’ll see the Babylonians

broke many of the 10 Commandments.

You’ll also see 5 times the Prophet says, “Woe to him,” “Woe to him,” “Woe to him,” (Babylonians.) If there’s any message you get right as you get to Revelations 22 it’s this: someday wrong will be eradicated &

right will be vindicated. God will see to that! So He says, “I’ll take care of Babylon, you

“Just CHILL!” Here’s what I want you to know, the earth will be filled with the

knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

That’s not my first thought when the news comes on every night. If I hear one more time of some fella shaking a baby, one

more time of a murder my first thought is not, oh yes, the earth will be filled with the

knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

No, the only way you can say that is by hanging on by your teeth with faith that

somehow God will make this right. So you finally get to chapter 3, now that’s my text,

I’m ready now to start.

“Whoa Dude!”Chapter 3, now we’re at, “Whoa

Dude!” It’s like he backs off in Chapter 3. Habakkuk 3:1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. 2 LORD, I have

heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in

our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman,

the Holy One from Mount Paran.Selah

His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. 4 His splendor was

like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. 5 Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. 6 He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills

collapsed. His ways are eternal. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of

Midian in anguish.

8 Were you angry with the rivers, O LORD? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode

with your horses and your victorious chariots? 9 You uncovered your bow, you

called for many arrows. Selah

You split the earth with rivers; 10 the mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted

its waves on high.

11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the

lightning of your flashing spear. 12 In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. 13 You came out

to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from

head to foot.

Selah

14 With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us,

gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. 15 You

trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters.

16a I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my

bones, and my legs trembled.

See, now the Prophet has made a transition. At first he didn’t understand. Now he’s looking at things from heaven's point of

view, and now he’s shifted gears.

What he does, in words of highly-figurative language he recounts the two big events in Israel’s history. The exodus & the conquest, The book of Exodus & the book of Joshua

are in chapter 3 in very figurative terms and you finally get the big enchilada when you get to 3:16. May I remind you, one of the

famous 3:16s of the Bible.

There are lots of them. One of these days just look through your Bible and read all the 3:16s. You’ll be amazed at how many you already know. Here’s one of them & this is

really my text. 16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs

trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading

us.

I heard What did he hear? He heard of the coming judgment of the Babylonians. I

heard and my heart pounded, Literally, I heard my inward parts pounding. my lips

quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, Somebody said body & soul live so

close together they catch each other’s diseases. and my legs, oh this is

interesting, trembled, can I play with that word for just a minute?

The word trembled, ragaz in Hebrew means, I’m all shook up, it really does. It

means to quiver, to shake, to quake, that’s what this word means. If you do a little

concordance work on this word you’ll find yourself in some interesting places. For

instance, you’ll find yourself in the book of Genesis. You remember Joseph finally

reveals his identity to his brothers in a little cat & mouse game.

You remember that? Then the brothers were going to go back up & bring down

Father Jacob to Egypt to live. Joseph says to his brothers to go get daddy Jacob.

Genesis 45:24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel (ragaz) on the way!” Don’t you quiver, shake or agitate each

other, don’t you do it!

It’s also used in Exodus 15. Remember chapter 15 when God brought Israel out

Egypt & wiped out the pursuing army in the sea? Moses led the Israelites in a song. Exodus 15:14 The nations will hear and

tremble; (ragaz) anguish will grip the people of Philistia.

The nations will tremble when they hear what God can do.

There’s another interesting reference to it in 1 Samuel 28:15. You remember when King

Saul had the witch of Endor summon up Samuel. When she did 1Samuel 28:15a NIV Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed (ragaz) me by bringing me up?” Why did you bring me back? Why did you

agitate my soul? Why did you… Some interesting references.

But here is what’s really powerful, and this is what I want to show you today. What’s the next word? 16b Yet I will wait patiently

for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.

“I know of coming judgment God. I know I don’t understand your ways God, YET!” Do we have it in us to pray YET? he says. Yet I

will wait patiently for the day of calamity. That’s one of your better qualities isn’t it

folks.

Patience? Not one of mine. Wait patiently? One guy reported seeing a sign,

“Antiques… while you wait” We’re not very patient about anything. 16b Yet I will wait

patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 17 Though the fig

tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are

no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

Verse 17 Six lines, 3 couplets. Even though the Hebrew word though only appears once

the translators are correct as they keep repeating it. Though the fig tree does not

bud, I never lost any sleep over that. There are no grapes on the vines, We might of

grown gardens, but not many grapes. Though the olive crop fails, not too worried

over that.

You heard about the young guy who got to the potluck salad table before anyone else

& sucked all the red out of the olives.

The fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, Verse 17 kind of sounds bleak to me.

How about you?

Do you understand Habakkuk didn’t make that list up? I didn’t know, but every one of

those things are in Leviticus 26 & Deuteronomy 28 as terms of the covenant. Do you understand what he’s saying? God, even if you stripped away the promises you gave us…what’s the next word? YET! You talk about praying through clenched teeth.

18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign

LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On

my stringed instruments.One person paraphrased that last part,

“Now put that to music!”

That’s what encourages me about Habakkuk. If we’re going to make our life

count more for Christ, we’ve got to learn to have the courage to pray YET! Now here’s

the deal, fig trees, grapes on the vine, cattle in the stalls, sheep in the pen, that’s all part of that old covenant. I believe what is said,

“It’s the Word of God for us, but not necessarily the command of God for us.”

We live in a different age since Calvary. So let’s just play with verse 17 & see how you do. What if we change verse 17 to reflect

our world & where we are. What about this, Though my kids disappoint me, don’t raise

your hand, but did you ever have that happen?

You’ve heard the story about the mischievous boy waiting on the school bus one morning. The outhouse just happened to be close to where he waited. One day he

pushed over the outhouse. When he got home his dad met him. “Before you left for

school today did you kick over the outhouse? The boy new he was had.

“Like George Washington when he chopped down the cherry tree I cannot tell a

lie. Yes I tipped over the outhouse.” Dad said “come here,” & he started taking off his

belt so he could whip him.“Dad! George Washington’s dad didn’t whip

him when he chopped down the cherry tree.” “Well George Washington’s dad

wasn’t in the cherry tree when he chopped it down.” Sometime your kids disappoint

you.

How about this, though my spouse angers me.

Did you ever hear the saying, “I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I blame you!”

Though your kids disappoint you, though your spouse angers you, though your boss angers you, though your friends betray you, I wonder if Jesus knew anything about that. I’m asking you what you would put in verse

17. One military group had a statement. The test of a good soldier is what it takes to stop him. So what’s it take to stop you? Do

you have the courage to pray YET? Sometimes you have to pray it through

clenched teeth.

A young married couple found out they were going to have a baby. A short time into

the pregnancy the couple were sent to a larger city for testing. It was found the baby

was not growing a brain. The doctor told them the longest an infant born like this had

ever lived was 4 months. The child would be born, but he was going to die. When the

due date came the doctor induced labor.

Jonathan Samuel was born & died. They named him Jonathan because that means gift of God, Samuel because that was the baby so prayed for. At the funeral, before

the little casket was lowered into the grave the young father slipped a note into the

casket. It read, “Dear Jonathan Samuel, I’m already looking forward to getting to know

you someday. Love, Dad.

I think there is a man who knew how to pray YET! Here’s the rest of the story. That

young husband & father sometime later had a stroke & died. People who pray YET!

Believe things like this, he’s playing with his son.