From Fear to Faith

We all know we need more faith, especially in hard times. But how can we increase our faith? How can we have peace?

The prophet Habakkuk has wrestled with the mystery of God’s ways. He has questioned how God could tolerate the evil in Judah. And then when the Lord replied that He was sending the Babylonians to correct His people by bringing death and destruction, Habakkuk questions how God could allow the Babylonians, who are more wicked than those in Judah, to triumph. The Lord answers that the Babylonians will be crushed when He is done with them, but in the meantime His righteous ones will live by faith (2:4).

The final chapter of Habakkuk is the prophet’s prayer. While the unpleasant circumstances of his life have not changed, his heart has changed. No longer does he argue or question God’s ways. Instead he prays for God to revive His work among His people; he remembers God’s great acts and promises; and he humbly entrusts Himself to God. We too need to learn to pray, to remember, and to trust when times are hard.

Please read Habakkuk 3 before listening to this sermon.