An Honest Conversation
Have you ever noticed your prayer life turning into desperate pleas for God to move in a situation? Has your prayer ever turned into complaining while you wait? What if our prayers became more about praise, honor, and respect? What if instead of feverishly asking God to fix something, our focus shifted to thanking Him for how He is already working and moving in our circumstance?
That doesn’t mean we stop petitioning God; we’re called to pray continually. But sometimes, our desperation can cloud our view of WHO God is and what He is already doing. He is moving. He is working. It just may not always be the way or timing we expect. We can try to predict the outcome, attempt to map out His next move, but ultimately, we add unnecessary stress and anxiety to our hearts. Peace comes through patience and praise.
Habakkuk is a powerful example of this. In the opening verses, we find him boldly and honestly crying out to God:
How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.
The Lord answers him, showing Habakkuk that He is, in fact, working. But it’s not the way Habakkuk expected. Still frustrated, Habakkuk complains again, and the Lord replies at the end of verse 3 in chapter 2:
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
I absolutely love that part of the verse. It’s full of hope and promise.
Think about it. How often do things feel like they are coming slowly in life? How long have you been waiting for God to move according to your terms? Yet, even when we can’t see it, God is moving.
In Habakkuk 1:5, the Lord says:
For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.
That truth brings peace. God is moving behind the scenes, and the book of Habakkuk shows us how to respond.
Read through the whole book of Habakkuk today. It’s only three chapters. The book is full of his complaints that turned to prayers, and ultimately, turned to praise. Habakkuk learns to trust God’s pace and process.
In Habakkuk 2:4, we are reminded:
The righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
Remain faithful to God. There is fullness of life in our faithfulness to God.
Today, thank God for His faithfulness. Praise Him for how He is already moving in every area of your life. Ask Him for what you need and for His perspective to fill your heart. Choose joy today regardless of your circumstance.
Let your prayer echo Habakkuk’s final words:
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
Activation:
That doesn’t mean we stop petitioning God; we’re called to pray continually. But sometimes, our desperation can cloud our view of WHO God is and what He is already doing. He is moving. He is working. It just may not always be the way or timing we expect. We can try to predict the outcome, attempt to map out His next move, but ultimately, we add unnecessary stress and anxiety to our hearts. Peace comes through patience and praise.
Habakkuk is a powerful example of this. In the opening verses, we find him boldly and honestly crying out to God:
How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.
The Lord answers him, showing Habakkuk that He is, in fact, working. But it’s not the way Habakkuk expected. Still frustrated, Habakkuk complains again, and the Lord replies at the end of verse 3 in chapter 2:
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
I absolutely love that part of the verse. It’s full of hope and promise.
Think about it. How often do things feel like they are coming slowly in life? How long have you been waiting for God to move according to your terms? Yet, even when we can’t see it, God is moving.
In Habakkuk 1:5, the Lord says:
For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.
That truth brings peace. God is moving behind the scenes, and the book of Habakkuk shows us how to respond.
Read through the whole book of Habakkuk today. It’s only three chapters. The book is full of his complaints that turned to prayers, and ultimately, turned to praise. Habakkuk learns to trust God’s pace and process.
In Habakkuk 2:4, we are reminded:
The righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.
Remain faithful to God. There is fullness of life in our faithfulness to God.
Today, thank God for His faithfulness. Praise Him for how He is already moving in every area of your life. Ask Him for what you need and for His perspective to fill your heart. Choose joy today regardless of your circumstance.
Let your prayer echo Habakkuk’s final words:
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.
Activation:
- Read the book of Habakkuk.
- Have an honest conversation with the Lord today.
- Turn your complaints into prayers, and your prayers into praise.
- Speak life over whatever it is you are facing today.
- Declare the goodness of God over your life.
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