THE WAITING ROOM IS PART OF DAILY LIFE! THE LESSON OF HABAKKUK... Part #2
DEALING WITH HUMAN PROBLEMS TAKE TIME!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
1. Waiting and Patience -- the dirty words? ; 2. Habakkuk’s Waiting Room; 3. Danger of waiting and spiritual rust; 4. The five levels of waiting; 5. Waiting with Joy and gladness 6. Long waits and sudden answers; 7. TEPID WAITING; 8. Waiting with a fire in my bones!
TEXT:
Isa. 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they
shall walk and not faint.
Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me
upon the tower, and will watch to see what he
will say unto me, and what i shall answer when I am
reproved.
2: And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the
vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may
run that readeth it.
3: For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but
at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it
tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it
will not tarry.
4: Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not
upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Habakkuk 3:17 -- 18 Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the
labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall
yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the
fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in
the God of my salvation.
MICROWAVE/COMPUTER AGE!!! ???
We live in a microwave society.
Seems the only people I know with a lot of patients
are doctors.
We have fast planes and fast cars, good roads, and
plenty of gas, yet we are always late?
We can get our oil changed in less than 15 minutes
Remember, the coal or wood cook stove, to build the
fire in the cook stove took 20 minutes, then to cook
the food was much longer? We raised our own food in
the garden and canned it for the winter?
We have instant coffee, but is it as good as perked?
We have instant mashed potatoes, but are they as
good as the peeled and cooked kind?
We have minute rice, instant pudding, lean pockets
from freezer to the table in 60 seconds.
Yet, we depend on fast food restaurants and eating
out.
Anyone remember the wringer washers and rinsing the
clothes in a big tub of water.
We have hot water, automatic washing machines,
clothes dryers, dish washers, vacuum sweepers that
clean the air, but yet it does not seem like we have
time to get anything done?
We wait in the doctor’s office. Our hospitals have
so many waiting rooms, that the rooms are
specialized.
There is an emergency room waiting area, with
security and cameras. There is surgery waiting
areas, out patient waiting areas. There are waiting
rooms where we wait for babies to be born, CCU
waiting areas, and many more.
We have fast acting pain pills and medicine.
You wait in line at Walmart, Kmart, and Sears. Seems
like I can get in the shortest line, and the other
lines move much quicker.
There is a waiting room where you buy your car? When
you pull into the garage, they often suggest you go
home or back to work because it is going to take
time to work on your car.
WE GO TO CHURCH AND DEMAND A SERMONETTE SO WE CAN GO INTO THE KITCHENETTE TO SMOKE A CIGARETTE?
We want fast action professional song services, a
quick testimony, and a five minute sermon with a
funny illustration to make us laugh, a one minute
prayer that includes all, so we can beat the other
church to the local pig outs, or
smorgasbord, so we can eat real quick and get home
to watch the ball games and take a nap.
BE INSTANT DOES NOT MEAN IN HASTE!
BE INSTANT in season and out of season...2 Tim. 4:2
Haste in every case and business brings waste and
pain. Haste still pays haste!
You are only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry.
Don’t worry. Make sure to smell the flowers along
the way.
Dealing with reality humanity and hurting lives is
not instant! We must learn to wait.
GOD ANSWERS EVERY PRAYER!
God answers every prayer --- one of three ways:
1.Yes.
2.No.
3.WAIT.
We must not just pray for tasks that equal your
powers.
Pray for power to equal your tasks.
Eyes tend to believe themselves. Ears tend to
believe others. We must wait and trust God!
Patience with others is LOVE. Patience with self is
HOPE. Patience with God is FAITH!
Paitience carries a lot of wait!
THE BOOK OF HABAKKUK HAS TWO GREAT THEMES.
Habakkuk was a prophet of God.
Habakkak is the 35 book of the Old Testment. It has
3 chapters; 56 verses; 1,476 words; 12 questions;
1 command; no promises. (Dake)
Habakkuk loved God and wanted to see God’s holiness
vindicated.
THE TWO THEMES OF HABAKKUK ARE:
1. WAITIING ---
2. FAITH ---
The key verse is Hab.2:4 --- BUT THE JUST SHALL LIVE
BY FAITH!
Habakkuk was broken and hurt and very much disturbed
by what he saw going on among God’s people.
He saw how mean people could be, he saw great
violence, cruel people with little fear of God and
respect for each other.
He saw bitterness, conflict, and strife all around
him.
Contention, arguing, quarreling, disputing, and
opposition were fighting within and without.
Habukkuk in his great concern wanted to know from
God why is all this going on?
Habukkuk wanted answers, but God seemed to be far
away.
Habukkuk starts his writing by complaining and
expressing his grief and pain and discontent for
what was happening around him, in the church and in
the world. Seems there was haste and bitterness and
self-centeredness rampant.
CHAPTER TWO STARTS WITH A DIFFERENT ATTITUDE!
1. GOD’S PEOPLE MUST LEARN TO WAIT ON GOD FOR HIS
ANSWERS!
2. GOD KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING, AND AS GOD’S
CHILDREN WAIT THEY MUST LEARN TO WAIT IN FAITH!
WAITING BECOMES THE SUPREME TEST OF EVERY BELIEVER’S FAITH.
THERE ARE SEVERAL DANGERS IN WAITING UPON GOD!
WAITING CAN BREED:
1. DOUBT.
2. FEAR.
3. WORRY.
God’s People must learn joy in waiting and develop
a spirit of expectation of a release of God’s word
and God’s work in our daily life’s. As we learn to
discipline our hearts and emotions faith learns to
THRIVE AS IT WAITS!
WAITING AND FAITH IS MORE THAN DOCTRINE, IT MUST
BECOME A WAY OF LIFE!
WE MUST STAY FAITHFUL AS WE WAIT UPON THE LORD!
We need to grow a humble trust and steadfast
obedience to the man of God and the word of God!
GOD’S PEOPLE SEEM TO GROW TIRED OF WAITING ON HIM AND HIS PROMISES!
Study the men and women of God. See how we can they
were to murmur, complain, find fault, and want to
disobey God’s plan for their life.
Naaman did not want to go dip 7 times in that dirty
river?
Jonah did not want to go where God wanted him to go?
Moses tired of the people murmuring, and murmured
himself.
Elijah had fits of depression?
Peter could not admit how weak he really was?
James and John wanted to burn the town down when
they were rejected?
WE ARE WAITING FOR ANOTHER BOOK OR ANOTHER TAPE SERIES OF ANOTHER?
Can we see the opportunities before us?
What we call adversity God calls opportunity!
Opportunity is very often fleeting and difficult.
There is no guarantee that opportunity will knock
more than once.
Often advancement and progress ride on the wings of
simple waiting.
WE ASK THE WRONG QUESTIONS?
WHERE IS THE GOD OF ELIJAH? THIS IS THE WRONG QUESTION?
WHERE ARE THE ELIJAH’S OF GOD?
While we are waiting on God we must not allow our
spirits to be troubled and discouraged!
Smooth sailing is no test of faith. Even dead fish
can swim down stream.
WAIT FOR THE PROMISE:
Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them,
commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of
the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? All the
days of my appointed time will I wait,
till my change come.
Lam. 3:25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for
him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26: It is good that a man should both hope and
quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
Psalms 37:7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for
him; fret not thyself because of him who
prospereth in his way, because of the man who
bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Psalms 40:1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he
inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Psalms 130:5 I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait,
and in his word do I hope.
Isa. 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run and not grow weary; they
shall walk and not faint.
AS EVERY DAY SLIPS SILENTLY INTO THE GRAVEYARD OF HISTORY ---
We must look where we have been? We must look where
are we going?
Time will try our soul? faith? love? family?
faithfulness?
For if the cross is in view, --- If heaven is in
view, --- WE CAN WAIT ON EACH OTHER! WE CAN WAIT ON
GOD!
SO WHETHER YOU GET THE ANSWER YOU PRAYED FOR, OR THE
ANSWER THAT YOU DREADED ---
GOD IS STILL GOD, AND HIS GRACE WILL PULL US THROUGH.
Worry is the dark room, where negatives are
developed!
WHEN ORDINARY TALENT TEAMS WITH EXTRAORDINARY
PATIENCE AND PERSERVANCE
ALL THINGS CAN BE ACHIEVED.
We consider problems, difficulties, hard times as
test. God considers them celebrations of patience
and waiting.
Great test make great testimonies. God rekindle the
spirit of learning and teach us to wait with great
excitement and a holy expectation!
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com.
