Rejoicing in God in Hard Times

[0:00] Thank you. Habakkuk, chapter 3.

[0:20] A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet on Shechem. Lord, I have heard of your pain. I stand in the hell of your peace, Lord. Lord, repeat them in our day.

[0:31] In our time, make them known. In wrath, remember mercy. God came from Telam. The Holy One from Amparan.

[0:43] His glory covered heaven. And His praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise. Rains flashed from His hand. For His power was in.

[0:55] Plague went before Him. The pestilence followed His steps. He stood and shook the earth. He looked and made the nations crumble. The ancient mountains crumble.

[1:08] And the ancient riddles to us. But He marches on forever. I saw the tents of Tushan in distress. The dwellings of Lydian in anguish.

[1:19] Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you roamed your horses and your chariots to victory?

[1:30] You uncovered your bow. You called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers. The mountains saw you and writhed. Torrents of water swept by.

[1:43] The deep roared and lifted its waves on high. Sun and moon stood still in the heavens. At the glint of your flying arrows. At the lightning of your flashing spear.

[1:54] In wrath, you strode through the earth. And in anger, you threshed the nations. You came out to deliver your people to save your anointed one.

[2:06] You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness. You stripped him from head to foot. With his own spear, you pierced his head. When his warriors stormed out to scatter us.

[2:18] Floating as though we were to devour the direction you were to die. You turned out to the sea of your horses. Churning in great waters. I heard and my heart pounded.

[2:30] My lips swivered at the sun. Decay crept into my bones and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation in great class.

[2:44] Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the gardens. Though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food. Though there are no sheep in the sheepfold.

[2:57] And no cattle in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of the deer.

[3:10] He enables me to tread on my heights. With the director of music on my sound instruments. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Okay folks.

[3:29] Habakkuk chapter 3. What an end to this book. Hope you've enjoyed looking at it this weekend. I just want to remind ourselves of where we are in the book.

[3:43] How Habakkuk gets to this point. So here's the aim as we look at this. To see how we can move from doubt and despair to joyful praise. So in chapter 1 we saw Habakkuk's first conversation with God.

[3:57] Which he cried out and said, God why are you doing nothing when there is so much wickedness amongst your own people? And God responded by saying, Well Habakkuk, I am going to do something.

[4:09] I have raised up a little known nation called Babylon. And they are going to come. They are going to sweep across the earth. And they are going to wipe my people out.

[4:20] And from that first conversation we learned how, about how important it is to speak to God in honest prayer when times are hard. And how we need to listen to what God has said.

[4:30] Even if it's not the answer we want or the answer that we might be expecting. The God of the Bible is the God who speaks to us. Then it seems, I think a few decades have passed, Babylon becomes this superpower.

[4:45] Can you scroll to the next slide? Next one, sorry. There we go. Yep, thank you. It seems a few decades have passed, Babylon becomes the superpower.

[4:55] They cut through the nations like a hot night through butter. And they are right on the verge of taking Judah. So in chapter 1 verse 12, Habakkuk has a second conversation with God.

[5:08] In which he basically says, God, I know who you are. But I don't get this solution. Your people are bad. But these Babylonians, they are way worse.

[5:20] How is this solving the problem of evil and injustice? God responds in chapter 2 by saying, look Habakkuk, Babylon will be held to account.

[5:32] All evil, all injustice will be held to account in the end. I will get the glory. And what you need to do, and what the faithful remnant of my people need to do, is have faith.

[5:48] And in that conversation, we learned about the importance of perseverance by holding on to God's character and by looking to the future that God has promised. And now we have chapter 3, in which Habakkuk is going to take all that that he has learned and use it to write a psalm.

[6:08] A psalm that is designed really to encourage Israel and to encourage the church to keep going in faith when times are hard. And so this is the final thing to say.

[6:19] If we were to move from doubt to joyful praise, we need to sing biblical truths about God. So I'm glad you didn't miss the singing. Because it's really important.

[6:32] Now, I'm not much of a singer. But there is something powerful about the songs that we all enjoy. It doesn't matter who you are. So I'll be working class guys.

[6:42] In my context, they might come to church for the first time and it's really weird that we sing songs in church. Let me tell you. Sorry to bring us up again. I mentioned last night about the 2016 Cup Final.

[6:58] A momentous moment for the mighty, mighty DeBernia. I was surrounded by thousands of working class boys from Leith, including my own father-in-law. When that final whistle blew, what did everyone do?

[7:13] We sang. Sunshine on Leith. What song? Because the singing expressed and highlighted the joy, the exuberance that we all felt.

[7:26] And there's something about song that does that. It expresses it in a way that words can't express. And so it's little wonder that the Bible is filled with songs.

[7:41] Because the most wonderful, praiseworthy person in existence is God. And he has done the most wonderful, praiseworthy acts. And so you'll find lots of songs in this book.

[7:55] From Adam's celebration right at the beginning of creation to the saints gathering around the throne of King Jesus right at the end of Revelation. Music is important to God and to us.

[8:11] And it's why Christianity is so musical. Have you ever noticed that, that one of the key differences between the Christian faith and other religions is how musical it is.

[8:22] The variety of song and music it produces from, you know, the Gaelic psalm singing to the gospel songs of the Deep South from orchestral epics like Handel's Messiah to modern day Christian hip hop.

[8:37] There's something about the gospel that produces this vibrant, varied musical response. And here's the thing, a lot of the songs in the Bible were written in really brutal times.

[8:53] Habakkuk has written a song here in chapter 3. We can see that because at the end he tells us it's for stringed instruments. And at the start he calls it a Shigionov, which you see most of your Bibles will have a lot of footnotes saying it's probably a literary or musical term.

[9:11] Shigionov, by the way, would be a great name for a death metal band. There's a great name for that. We have to see what's the context of this song. It's not written in a hotel room. Habakkuk is writing this on the brink of his nation, of God's nation, about to face terrifying destruction.

[9:32] The murderous horde of Babylon are at the gates. They're going to lay siege to Jerusalem. It will be awful. Many will die of starvation. They will burn the city. They will destroy the temple.

[9:43] And those that have been faithful to God will survive. But they will be carted off to Babylon as prisoners. No land, no king, no hope, it will be.

[9:56] And this is the song for them. And so as we look at this, I think it's helpful to picture them. Picture the exiles sitting on Babylon having lost everything. Everything that they thought was tied into the promises that God had given to them.

[10:10] Picture them that this is a song for God's faithful people in hard times. And its purpose is to motivate us to do what God said in chapter 2, verse 4, to keep living by faith.

[10:23] faith. These Bible songs are so key to keeping going. Reminded in the New Testament of where the Apostle Paul and his companion Silas were trying to tell the people of Philippi about Jesus.

[10:39] And they ended up getting lifted. They ended up getting put in the jail because they helped this poor servant girl. They'd done nothing wrong. They were beaten. They were humiliated. They were thrown into a dark, dingy prison.

[10:49] And what did they do whilst they were in the chains? They sat. I remember sitting with a group of church planners, my friends, from 20 schemes. And some of the boys had just been going through such a rough, difficult time.

[11:04] We were together. There was lots of difficulty. There were some tears. We were there to pray. We were feeling pretty down. And one of the lads said, look, let's sing. And so we cracked out Psalm 130 and we sang it together.

[11:22] Even, I remember, the initial invasion of Ukraine, there was an image, a video at the start of Christians gathering in the underground in the subway in Kiev, singing as the Russians began their invasion.

[11:35] We need songs that speak to our souls the great truths about God from the Bible. You know, we don't need sappy nonsense. I know there's a lot of Christian music out there that isn't good and it's just kind of sappy and over-sentimental.

[11:48] We need robust songs that tell us biblical truths about God. Songs like Habakkuk 3. And what is it about this song that will help us to keep going in faith and help us to keep singing?

[12:00] Well, three things Habakkuk calls us to do in this song. And they all begin with R, so you should remember them. Here's the first thing. Request God's continued mercy.

[12:15] Secondly, remember God's powerful victory. And thirdly, rejoice in God's saving grace. And there's something really key in this song to notice.

[12:27] Everything he writes is grounded in the word of God. And specifically, there's one event that Habakkuk has in his mind as he writes this song for God's people at this difficult time.

[12:41] And that event is the moment that God rescued Israel from the hands of the Egyptians by letting them pass through the Red Sea. Many of you will be familiar of that story.

[12:53] It's kind of the monumental event in Israel's history. They had been slaves for a long time in Egypt. God had rescued them through the sending of ten plagues.

[13:04] They had been brought out of Egypt. It looks like they were going home. They were on the home stretch. And he brought them to the shores of the Red Sea. And then the Egyptians decided they didn't want to let their slave labor force go.

[13:16] So they sent the entire army after them. And God's people, instead of being between a rock and a hard place, were between a murderous army and an impassable sea. And it seemed impossible for them.

[13:28] And yet in the moment of the impossible, God did something amazing. He told Moses to stretch his sap out across the sea. A gust of wind came and parted the sea in two.

[13:40] And the Israelites wandered through three. And when they got to the other side, the Egyptians tried to follow. The chariots got stuck and God brought the waves down.

[13:51] And in a moment, the greatest army on earth was crushed and destroyed. And what did Moses do? What did Miriam do after that event? They sang a song.

[14:03] Much of the words that they sang are reflected in the words that Habakkuk writes here in chapter three. Habakkuk knew that was the time when the odds were against God's people.

[14:19] And yet God fought for them and made a way. And he knows that God will do that again. Even with Babylon knocking on the door, wait in faith. So, let's look at these three things that Habakkuk calls us to do.

[14:31] Firstly then, request God's continued mercy. Look at how he begins verse two. Lord, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day.

[14:42] In our time, make them known. In wrath, remember mercy. So he's got his Bible open. He's reading about the Red Sea, that awesome deed of salvation that God did in the past.

[14:54] And he knows, as he studies Israel's history, as a prophet of God, he knows, God has been so merciful to us. Even when we've not deserved it, even when we've been rebelling against him, he has been constantly merciful to us.

[15:10] He has always given a way out. And now Babylon has come as an act of judgment. Judah deserves to be wiped out. They have been so evil. evil.

[15:22] But Habakkuk says, Lord, in your wrath, remember mercy. We don't deserve it, but I've seen your awesome deeds in the past.

[15:33] I know what you're like. Please, will you do it again? Please show mercy to us again, as you have always done. He's just asking God to be consistent with his character.

[15:45] The life of faith does not appeal to God on the basis of what we can do for him, but it appeals to God on the basis of the mercy that he has shown to us.

[15:59] And so we cry out for mercy. We request mercy for ourselves. God, you owe me nothing but in faith I'm going to ask you to have mercy. Forgive me of that sin that I keep doing.

[16:12] Help me. Change me. And what gives us confidence that God will have mercy on us is when we look back and stand in awe at his deeds of the past.

[16:23] We can look back to the Red Sea, yes, but we look back to the greater event. We look back to the time where Jesus died for our sins. We look back to that moment where in wrath God remembered mercy, where Jesus took the wrath that I deserve so that I could have his mercy.

[16:41] So when we sing these songs we request that God be consistent with his character. They show us mercy. We request mercy not just for ourselves but we request mercy for others, don't we?

[16:55] God, you saved me when I didn't deserve it. Please do the same for my friends and family. Please do the same for the people in this nation. Please have mercy on Scotland.

[17:06] Have mercy on Glasgow. Grow your church. in your wrath remember mercy. I was reminded of this recently when I went to meet with some of the guys from Texthians to have that prayer time just before going in and there was a guy standing at the door and he called my name and I didn't recognize him.

[17:30] I said, what's your name? So he said, oh, my name's Derry. I used to go to your youth club and I remembered him. We ran a youth club in Chalmers and this guy was, he's the only kid I ever banned from that club and that's really saying something and he was just an absolute nightmare and really difficult child and basically, the last time I saw him was actually when he got banned from the club and we were always trying to do gospel talks for these kids and share the gospel with them.

[18:04] Anyway, I couldn't believe it when I saw him there outside this church in Nidre and said, what are you doing here? He said, oh, one of the guys from Nidre got alongside me.

[18:16] He explained to me his life story a little bit. Disastrous, tumultuous home life. He said, I'm a Christian, I'm getting baptized in a few weeks. Of all the people and yet, it was just a great example of the mercy of God and it's just so limitless and so we request that God's mercy goes out even if we don't see how it happens.

[18:38] We know what God is like. We know that he shows mercy. We know that he can save anyone. There's something here as well about the fact that Habakkuk is writing something not just for himself but for all God's people to sing it together because when we sing together we're teaching one another about the greatness of God.

[19:03] We're encouraging one another as we sing the great truths about who God is. And that's why if you're struggling you need other Christians around you that can speak the gospel in your life.

[19:15] Others that you can sing with. That leads on to the second thing that Habakkuk's song calls us to do. Remember God's powerful victory.

[19:27] Here's the thing. That's why we need these songs especially in dark times. When you're struggling and when you're in a time of hopelessness or doubt and confusion it can sometimes skew your understanding of reality.

[19:50] We need songs that will take us out of our own wee world and help us just see the big picture of what's going on. Something about suffering makes you quite introspective.

[20:02] Your problems become vague and as a result God becomes quite small. You struggle with depression or if you've ever walked with someone through depression one of the hardest things about that is that it does make you so focused on yourself.

[20:18] And it's like when you realise that it makes you even more depressed that you're like that. It's difficult and it's complicated. There are many different ways that we can help in that.

[20:31] But if you are feeling like that and many in the Bible do what they often need is to have songs that take them out from looking at themselves. And so that's what Habakkuk does in verse 3 to 15.

[20:45] He's singing here he's writing songs he's saying let's get things the right way round. Let's recognise that God is big and in comparison to him our problems are small.

[20:57] That's the reality. And so Habakkuk with his Bible open wants God's people to remember his victory in the Red Sea. Remember how this nation began.

[21:08] How he saved us. What he did. And it's like as he looks at the past he knows what God is going to do in the future. The certainty of God's salvation in the past gives him certainty about God's salvation in the future.

[21:25] Let's stop in the chaos of life and just remind ourselves of who we are singing to. This is the great God who fought for us.

[21:37] Verse 3 He came from Tamim and Mount Paran. These were places on the borders of Israel and it's as if he's saying remember how God went before us to give us this land.

[21:54] And who is he? Who's the one that went before us Israel? He's the Holy One. He's not just some deity of some other tribal nation. This is the Holy One.

[22:06] The I Am. This is the God whose glory covers the heavens. Whose praise fills the earth. He's not located to one specific location.

[22:18] He's the eternal Holy God. Our God. Think of his greatness. Verse 4 His splendor is like the sunshine.

[22:30] Rays flashed from his hands where his power was hidden. What does that mean? When I first read that the evidence that popped into my mind was of Iron Man. And we picture into the Avengers as well he was.

[22:42] Iron Man shoots his beams from his hands. It's not that. It's actually a reference to something Moses says in Deuteronomy 33 verse 2. And it's an image that's meant to convey the brilliant goodness of God.

[23:00] Moral perfection like a bright light. It's like he's so unbelievably good that it just blinds us that there's truth and beauty just emanating from him.

[23:11] He is the source of it all. He is a great king. When he walks through the world in all his brilliant goodness it brings judgment in its wake.

[23:26] Verse 5 The plague went before him and pestilence followed in his steps. I remember one time in Dundee I got to play samba music for the queen.

[23:39] There you go. True story. She was opening a dance theater. We had a samba band in my school that was meant to play there to greet her and it was as we'd say in Dundee a mentor.

[23:52] Very embarrassing. Stand out there and play these drums and then she didn't we waited there for an hour and she just waved and that was it. She was gone. But before she came there was this huge entourage coming before her.

[24:07] Security guards people on motorbikes getting ready for the queen who's coming. But when God comes his entourage is plague and pestilence.

[24:21] his goodness brings judgment on evil and all creation trembles at his arrival.

[24:33] The earth shakes. Verse 6 the mountains tremble. Think of the mountains around about this place. Think of somewhere like Gwanko.

[24:45] Mountains that have stood there for thousands of years they will crumble like sand tassels caught in the encroaching tide when the creator arrives. This is awesome power.

[25:01] This is this is the God that Israel worship. The God that we worship. You can see in verse 8 again the reference to the Red Sea victory. The time where the seas parted where the waves obeyed God and then crushed his enemies.

[25:15] Verse 10 the mountains saw you and writhed torrents of water swept by the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. It's like the chaotic uncontrollable sea is terrified of God.

[25:29] They bowed down to God Almighty. And so are you feeling what Habakkuk is saying here in his poetry? Do you realize who God is? Powerful. Almighty.

[25:41] Let me ask you. If someone was to say to you what is God like? What words would you use? Loving. Good.

[25:53] Mighty. Powerful. Would you ever use the word warrior? God. You should. If you're speaking about the God of the Bible.

[26:06] Because he is a warrior. He causes the sun and moon to stand still with flying arrows and lightning as a spear. He fights.

[26:18] But Jesus isn't like that. Oh my. Don't let the humility and grace of Jesus blind you to his terrifying power.

[26:29] You remember a whole legion of demons cowered before the feet of the man from Galilee. Begged him not to torment him before the time.

[26:45] You remember Mark chapter 4 when Jesus is caught in a furious storm and he yells at the wind and the waves to be quiet. And what do the disciples do? They don't say wow this is incredible Jesus.

[26:56] The disciples are terrified. They say to each other who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him? This is the God of Habakkuk 3 mighty in power.

[27:11] See what's more terrifying than a deadly storm? Someone who can quiet a deadly storm with a word. There should be a sense of trembling as we think upon God Almighty.

[27:25] Jesus said and he's made it very clear that he is coming back. When he comes back it will be a day of judgment.

[27:38] In fact it will be so terrifying at second coming that there will be some who will cry for the rocks to fall on them, hide themselves from the face of Jesus.

[27:49] the defeat and the overthrow of evil and injustice is awesome. And in verse 16 Habakkuk is thinking of it and it makes his heart pound and makes his knees shake.

[28:10] As he is writing the song, the truth of God's awesome power becomes more real and has a palpable effect on it. Let's remember who God is.

[28:21] And look, if you are living a life in which you have rejected Jesus and you're turning away from it, don't do it. Don't run from him, run to him.

[28:33] There's a guy called Derek Kidner and he summed it up like this, there is no refuge from King Jesus, but there is refuge in King Jesus. Come to him.

[28:46] him. This is not the God to reject and turn your back on. But let me encourage you, because this song is a huge encouragement.

[28:57] If you do follow Jesus, you need to know that this awesome, terrifying God is not fighting against you, rather he has fought for you.

[29:09] Verse 13, it tells us why God is going to war. war. Verse 13, you came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one, to save your king.

[29:24] You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness. You stripped him from head to foot. God's judgment is bringing salvation. It happened at the Red Sea and Habakkuk knows it will happen in the future.

[29:39] You know, at the Red Sea crossing, when the Israelites are absolutely terrified, and they think it's all gone to pot, and they're all just going to die, you know what Moses says to them? He says this in Exodus 14, do not be afraid, stand firm, and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today.

[30:02] The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you. You need only be still. God will fight for your deliverance.

[30:14] In the face of insurmountable odds, God the warrior fought for his people's salvation, and he did the impossible by leading them through the sea. In the face of insurmountable odds, Jesus the warrior fought for our salvation, and he did the impossible by dying for our sin, and leading us back to God.

[30:36] God he has defeated the great enemy, the leader of the land of wickedness, he has defeated our sin, he has defeated Satan, and his hold on us, he has defeated death, and risen victorious, he has set us free, and he has fought that victory, right up to the point that it cost him the shedding of his own blood.

[31:04] You and I just need to be still, and see the victory that Christ has won on our behalf. When I look at this awesome God and what he did to save you, to fight for me, to fight for me when I've not done anything to deserve, but when I deserve the complete opposite, that is incredible.

[31:31] So when I sing about that, it helps me, because I have no idea what's going to happen in my life, but like I said yesterday, I know what the end is, I know that because Jesus has already fought the fight, he's won the victory, and so the life of faith looks back to what God has done, as it looks forward to what God will do.

[31:53] Justice will come, and I will be restored. We need these songs, don't we? These songs that just enlarge our understanding of who God is, songs that shrink us down, and magnify his greatness.

[32:13] And that leads on to the final thing that this song calls us to do in faith. We rejoice in God's saving grace. We request it, we remind ourselves of who God is, and that's how you can get to the point of verse 17.

[32:30] Amen. The situation has not changed. If you remind yourself, you know that God has fought for me, it doesn't change your situation, but it does give a new perspective.

[32:43] Babylon is still coming, and they're still going to destroy Judah. And who knows if Habakkuk even survived that attack. I don't know. But he was able to see, to remember the victorious warrior God who fought for his salvation.

[33:01] He was able to see the big picture. So he could close his song with this encouragement to Israel. Verse 17, Though the fig tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the bines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheep fold, and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord.

[33:25] I will be joyful in God my Savior. It's like the complete opposite of the prosperity gospel, isn't it? God takes everything from me.

[33:39] I will rejoice in you. This is not luxuries, olives, figs, no food, no sheep, no cattle.

[33:52] God, if you strip our nation bare, if you destroy our economy, if we are starving, I'm going to rejoice in you.

[34:05] We could phrase it like this for us today, even though my bank account is empty, even though I fail my degree after weeks of hard slogging study, even though I lose all my friends because of my faith in Jesus, even though I get that diagnosis that means my life will probably be shorter than I thought, even though I'm told by that doctor that I will not have children, even though everything is taken from me, yet I will rejoice in the land.

[34:39] I will be joyful in God. Why? Because he's mine, he's my saviour, and I cannot lose him.

[34:52] Maybe the New Testament equivalent would be in Romans chapter 8. Well known verses. Romans chapter 8, where the apostle Paul says this, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

[35:03] Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sore? As it is written, for your sake, we face death all day long. We are considered a sheep to be slaughtered.

[35:15] Right, that's a pretty big deal. Some Christians, for the sake of Jesus, are being led out to be executed like a sheep is being led out to be slaughtered. Paul goes on to say, we are more conquerors through him who loved us, because nothing can separate us from Jesus.

[35:36] It does not matter what this world throws at us, because we have a love that is not from this world. We cannot lose it. And look at what he mentions in Romans 8.

[35:48] Trouble, even if I am overwhelmed with trouble and anxiety, Jesus' love will not leave me. Hardship, even if I'm struggling because life is hard, Jesus' love will not leave me.

[36:00] Persecution, even if people make fun of me or I'm shunned by others or they kill me, Jesus' love will not leave me. Famine, even if me and my family are starving to death, Jesus' love will not leave me.

[36:15] Nakedness, even if I'm humiliated before others, Jesus' love will not leave me. Sword, even if I'm killed, Jesus' love will not leave me.

[36:32] I can be joyful because I always have the love of Jesus. Can we say that? It's hard and one way, I guess, maybe the only way we can know really is to suffer.

[36:53] The best way we can prepare for that is to remind ourselves now of how God has fought for our salvation, to sing songs of the victory of Jesus. That truth, really that's the only anchor that will hold us when the storms of life come.

[37:11] or to phrase it like Habakkuk does, right at the end. Verse 19, Sovereign Lord is my strength. He makes my feet like the feet of the deer.

[37:22] He enables me to tread on the heights. I was just saying there was some deer outside a moment ago. And I always thought that that image of being like a deer, you know, is kind of like prancing about like Bambi or something.

[37:35] It's not that. It's the opposite. It's an image of steadiness. Think of if you've ever seen any of those videos on YouTube of mountain goats getting into these impossible situations.

[37:47] They look quite clumsy but they're so steady their footing doesn't fall. Life will throw you curveballs but the thing that will keep you steady the strength that you need is bound in the sovereign Lord, the God who governs and controls all things.

[38:04] Habakkuk's final verse is a reminder that in the chaos of life, it's only his strength that will keep us crowded. He has fought for you, he has got the victory, he will get you home and if we are to keep going in faith until we get to that point, we need to sing those truths to our soul.

[38:31] Let me pray and then in the next session we'll do just that. Let's pray. thank you for this wonderful book, thank you for the faith of Habakkuk the prophet as he penned the words of that song to encourage his own soul, to encourage faithful women of Israel, to encourage the church of Jesus Christ.

[39:00] Thank you that his words remind us of your mercy, constantly show mercy to your people. We pray and ask that you would continue to do that today.

[39:13] Your wrath remember mercy, so much brokenness and evil and sin and we know that it offends you more than anyone else. Please remember mercy. Father, we look back to all that you have done for your people and we see your God who has fought for your people.

[39:33] God, nowhere is that more greatly displayed on the cross of Jesus where the great enemies of sin, Satan and death were put to shame and Jesus Christ has won the victory over them all.

[39:54] Our sin is removed and we are forgiven. The sin has no hold on us and death will not be the end for us. Thank you that he has won that victory. He has done it all.

[40:06] Father, that's what we need. That's the hope we need to hold on to when life is so dark and difficult and confusing and we are struggling. We know that following you will not be easy.

[40:18] Your word says the opposite. It will be hard. For some it will feel like we have sheep being led out to speed slaughtered. But the truth is that we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

[40:30] So Father, help us to see that. Would that be the thing that keeps our feet steady amidst the storms of life? Would we look to your strength so that our feet are like the feet of the deer and enable us to tread on the hands?

[40:49] Would you help us who started in faith to keep going in faith? In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen.