"What part of your life sucks right now?" & "What part of your life is great?" Which of these two questions would you answer first and with greater depth? Life can often times seem to be so unfair or unpleasant and as a result we find ourselves complaining about it to God. We don't like something, we want something, we wish something would change and so an attitude of ungratefulness invades our take on life and towards God. But how much of all that is a matter of perspective? Do we complain because God isn't doing what He said He would do or because He isn't doing what we WANT Him to do? In the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), in vs. 10, we are instructed to pray "Your kingdom come, your will be done" by Jesus himself. I think the church has somehow gotten the impression that to just simply say it is sufficient and that we are not to sincerely mean it. As if praying it might be the means by which we will obtain the thing or things we are desiring. Praying "your will be done" is not what we're supposed to say but it's how we're supposed to live! Could we be complaining so much because our will is not submitted to Jesus' and we are finding ourselves frustrated because things aren't going our way?
In following my personal devotional, the next book to read was Habakkuk. (This is one of those books/stories you may not really hear much about in children's church but it's in the bible and with good reason.) At this point in the bible, God had spoken through his prophets of the coming judgement to the people of Israel and Judah due to their perpetual disobedience. So in comes Habakkuk and the first thing he does is....well, complain. He didn't quite understand how God could use such an awful and horrible nation such as Babylon to execute His will (Ch. 1:2-4; 12-17); I'm sure you can relate! The toughest times in our lives seem to spark this type of response towards God. You know what I'm talking about, when the pastor preaches about how God can use a difficult time in your life to work His will. It may sound good in a sermon but living in it is a different thing. Recently a family that I know lost their 12 year old son to cancer (keep them in your prayers) and I too have personally experienced first-hand what it feels like to lose somebody close. How and why would God use such horrible things in our lives to draw us nearer to Him?
"Do we complain because God isn't doing what He said He would do or because He isn't doing what we WANT Him to do?"
After Habakkuk complains in the bible, God's response to Him really caught my attention. In Ch. 1 vs. 5 God says to Habakkuk "For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." If God answered our complaints and questions would we even believe Him about what He was doing? Our understanding and vision is so limited by the moment but God sits outside of time and in eternity. He sees all and knows all! What happened yesterday is in conjunction with today and today with tomorrow. As it pertains to the things God does in our lives, Romans 8:28 tells us that "for those who love God all things work together for good." This response may not seem to be the cure or answer you might have been looking for in a hard time but what it is is much greater. God is not giving you every detail (which He has yet to do with me) as to why He's doing what He is doing in your life because what He wants more than your understanding is your faith in Him; He doesn't want your complaints, He wants your complete trust!
So how do we respond when we still don't understand and things still aren't clear? In chapter 2 vs. 1, Habakkuk says this "I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint." Let's mimic what Habakkuk moves to do; He's stationed to pay attention! Habakkuk decides to become more concerned with what God has to say than with what He had to complain about. Complaining to God is ineffective because it's "you" centered. James 4:3 says "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your own passions." Habakkuk repositioned himself intentionally to become preoccupied with what God wanted, not with what He wanted. Take a moment, step back, asses, and establish the right intentions to approaching God. We should be approaching God not with hopes to get Him onto our agenda but to move onto His! "God, I don't understand and I may not like this either but help me to have faith in what you're doing in my life. I will trust you!"
"...what He wants more than your understanding is your faith in Him; He doesn't want your complaints, He wants your complete trust!"
In the final 3 verses of the book there is a noticeable change in Habakkuk's response to God. He says " Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no fruit, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength;" Today, when you woke and nothing seemed to have improved I would like to challenge you to pray but not whine. To allow God to be your strength in the toughest of times and trust Him, that He is doing something you don't understand and that that is okay. You need to have faith in Him and that is your life line. There is a phrase that is repeated consistently throughout the book and it is this, " the righteous shall live by his faith." As believers we are sustained not by having an explanation for everything that we go through but by the faith that we maintain in our God despite what we endure. My pastor, Angel Chavarria, recently preached a sermon about being in a time of waiting in our lives. In it he talked to us about praising and worshipping God in a difficult situation as Paul and Silas did in prison (Acts 16:16-40). Their praise and worship through a stressful moment lead to the salvation of a jailer and his entire family. Wherever God has you right now, as you're reading this, it is for a purpose and on purpose. Being there you have two options 1) complain about not knowing why you're there or 2) find out why you're there by worshipping God in the midst of it that purpose may come to the surface. Be stationed to pay attention, trust God, and in it all don't stop your worship!
Blessings,
Allan Guido,
Casa De Adoracion Youth Pastor
In following my personal devotional, the next book to read was Habakkuk. (This is one of those books/stories you may not really hear much about in children's church but it's in the bible and with good reason.) At this point in the bible, God had spoken through his prophets of the coming judgement to the people of Israel and Judah due to their perpetual disobedience. So in comes Habakkuk and the first thing he does is....well, complain. He didn't quite understand how God could use such an awful and horrible nation such as Babylon to execute His will (Ch. 1:2-4; 12-17); I'm sure you can relate! The toughest times in our lives seem to spark this type of response towards God. You know what I'm talking about, when the pastor preaches about how God can use a difficult time in your life to work His will. It may sound good in a sermon but living in it is a different thing. Recently a family that I know lost their 12 year old son to cancer (keep them in your prayers) and I too have personally experienced first-hand what it feels like to lose somebody close. How and why would God use such horrible things in our lives to draw us nearer to Him?
"Do we complain because God isn't doing what He said He would do or because He isn't doing what we WANT Him to do?"
After Habakkuk complains in the bible, God's response to Him really caught my attention. In Ch. 1 vs. 5 God says to Habakkuk "For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." If God answered our complaints and questions would we even believe Him about what He was doing? Our understanding and vision is so limited by the moment but God sits outside of time and in eternity. He sees all and knows all! What happened yesterday is in conjunction with today and today with tomorrow. As it pertains to the things God does in our lives, Romans 8:28 tells us that "for those who love God all things work together for good." This response may not seem to be the cure or answer you might have been looking for in a hard time but what it is is much greater. God is not giving you every detail (which He has yet to do with me) as to why He's doing what He is doing in your life because what He wants more than your understanding is your faith in Him; He doesn't want your complaints, He wants your complete trust!
So how do we respond when we still don't understand and things still aren't clear? In chapter 2 vs. 1, Habakkuk says this "I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint." Let's mimic what Habakkuk moves to do; He's stationed to pay attention! Habakkuk decides to become more concerned with what God has to say than with what He had to complain about. Complaining to God is ineffective because it's "you" centered. James 4:3 says "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your own passions." Habakkuk repositioned himself intentionally to become preoccupied with what God wanted, not with what He wanted. Take a moment, step back, asses, and establish the right intentions to approaching God. We should be approaching God not with hopes to get Him onto our agenda but to move onto His! "God, I don't understand and I may not like this either but help me to have faith in what you're doing in my life. I will trust you!"
"...what He wants more than your understanding is your faith in Him; He doesn't want your complaints, He wants your complete trust!"
In the final 3 verses of the book there is a noticeable change in Habakkuk's response to God. He says " Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no fruit, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength;" Today, when you woke and nothing seemed to have improved I would like to challenge you to pray but not whine. To allow God to be your strength in the toughest of times and trust Him, that He is doing something you don't understand and that that is okay. You need to have faith in Him and that is your life line. There is a phrase that is repeated consistently throughout the book and it is this, " the righteous shall live by his faith." As believers we are sustained not by having an explanation for everything that we go through but by the faith that we maintain in our God despite what we endure. My pastor, Angel Chavarria, recently preached a sermon about being in a time of waiting in our lives. In it he talked to us about praising and worshipping God in a difficult situation as Paul and Silas did in prison (Acts 16:16-40). Their praise and worship through a stressful moment lead to the salvation of a jailer and his entire family. Wherever God has you right now, as you're reading this, it is for a purpose and on purpose. Being there you have two options 1) complain about not knowing why you're there or 2) find out why you're there by worshipping God in the midst of it that purpose may come to the surface. Be stationed to pay attention, trust God, and in it all don't stop your worship!
Blessings,
Allan Guido,
Casa De Adoracion Youth Pastor