GOD IS GOOD…
Ok, so this whole echo thing does not work so well over the internet, but I hope that somewhere in the world you are screaming, “ALL THE TIME!”
Before every session at Revival X, we said, “God is good all the time, and all the time God is good.” Now that is very easy to say at Revival! It is the best week of the year! You get to spend the whole week with your friends playing crazy games like extreme steal the bacon (by the way, how about T-Payne’s fairy skillz), worshipping with the Revival Band, and hearing great sermons from your pastors. Basically, it’s easy to say that God is good when life is good.
But the whole point of the phrase is that God is good ALL the time, even when life straight up stinks. This is also the main point of the book of Habakkuk.
Habakkuk is having a pretty bad day. He looks around the kingdom of Judah and sees injustice and sin everywhere, so he cries out and asks God to do something about it. God says that he is going to send the Babylonians to judge the people. This completely blows Habakkuk’s mind! The Babylonians were even worse than the Israelites! How could a good God use such an evil people to accomplish his will?
Throughout this short book, Habakkuk learns that he can trust God no matter what the circumstances. Even if life makes no sense to him at all, God is good all the time. He says at the end of the book in chapter 3:17-18,
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Here are a few miscellaneous tips for reading Habakkuk:
- Remember that it is a conversation. Habakkuk asks a question (1:2-4). God responds (1:5-11). Habakkuk asks another question (1:12-2:1). God responds again (2:2-20). Habakkuk now responds to what he has heard from God (ch. 3).
-Learn to enjoy the imagery in the words. The prophets were very poetic in their language. For example, chapter 1:4 says, “The law is paralyzed.” Habakkuk paints a beautiful word picture here of what is happening; the law is there but it does not do anything. It has no power, and people ignore it. Images like this one are all over this short book. Do not let them confuse you, let them give you a better understanding of God’s Word!
-Come to Beach Night! We are going to discuss this book even more, especially how it applies to our lives!
Solid blog!
Why thank you very much for that background information! Very helpful! :D
Thank you SO much for the blog about Habakkak..it makes so much more sense now. I read it through & I was kinda confused at first. The way you started your blog, GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME…ALL THE TIME…GOD IS GOOD. What you said after that about how its so easy to say that at camp when you are doing this with these people & its so amazing, but when life is hard at home, you’re not necessarily raising God’s name up with joy. That convicted me! Even being home for 5 days, I feel like I am not as crazy pumped up for Christ as I was when I was at Revival, because I have home things to think about. Thanks for your words of encouragement&wisdom, Pastor Ben! (sorry this is so long, I kinda forgot I was writing for a little while there. :) )
In Habakkuk the subtitles call Habakkuk’s questions a complaint. I bet my questions end up being or sounding like a complaint to God. I have nothing to complain about if I am trusting in God.Thank you for the insight Pastor Ben! and the tips for reading Habakkuk!
Megan I loved your comment. So honest and open. :)
wow! thanks for the help Ben!
What an encouraging overview of Habakkuk, Ben, thank you! I’m excited about Beach Night tonight to discuss this book even more!
me too!
Psalms 55:16-17
But I call to God,
and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
This blog really helped me understand Habakkuk!!! Also, thank you for teaching at Beach Night tonight!!!!!