IF ALL GOES WRONG, I STILL WILL PRAISE HIM!
Hab. 3:17-19
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: THE SOUR INTERVIEW
1. Some people have a knack for picking things. Hannah went to a citrus Farm and asked Henry, the manager, if there are any jobs available at the farm.
2. He told her that the only job available was for a part-time lemon picker. Hannah says the job would suit her well.
3. After Henry has asked her some questions about her education and previous jobs, he told her, "You’re really far too qualified for such a lowly position."
4. "But I would still like the job," said Hannah. "I would be very good at it." Henry asked, "Do you have any experience in picking lemons?"
5. "Well, actually, I do," replies Hannah. "I’ve been divorced three times."
6. That statement betrays a negative view of life that we need to beat. God wants us to be positive; people of hope and good expectation. That’s our direction tonight.
B. TEXT
1. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Hab. 3:17-19
C. THESIS
1. We’re going to look at the Terrible Vision, Reasons to praise God in Trials, and 3 surprising results of praising God.
2. The title of this message is “If All Goes Wrong, I Still Will Praise the Lord.”
I. HOW BAD THE VISION WAS (17)
A. FOR ISRAEL
1. Fig Tree and Vine were common symbols of prosperity. The Olive Tree was the symbol of abundant supply of oil. Hence the failure of these is the indication of deepest affliction.
2. The picture of desolation is rendered complete when bread-corn is said to cease and flocks and herds are cut off. Illus. – painting of clouds – it looks gloomy from a distance, but up close is full of angels!
3. Depicts effects of hostile invasion. “Fig Tree” won’t blossom. Israel is the Fig Tree. The Assyrians and Egyptians cut down fruit-bearing trees when they invaded. “Yet” – Habakkuk is unshaken in confidence in God, unbounded in joy at coming salvation.
B. REWRITTEN FOR U.S.A.
1. “Even though the economy collapses and we enter another Great Depression, and all our savings and retirement accounts are wiped out;
2. And though the government has gone into bankruptcy and no longer issues Social Security checks, S.S.I., disability or any other type of assistance; and though there is no food, no jobs, and no indication that things will ever get any better;
3. And though we’ve all lost our homes and have to live in the woods and eat roots and berries and sleep on the ground…
yet we will rejoice we have the Lord and our wonderful salvation!”
II. REASONS TO PRAISE GOD EVEN IN TRIALS? (18)
A. BECAUSE HE’S WORTHY OF PRAISE
1. Coming before God reminds us of -
a. His Hugeness and our smallness;
b. His Power and our weakness;
c. His Glory, His Majesty;
d. His Perfection and our unworthiness. We praise God
2. A wealthy man or a head of state may think of him/ herself as powerful, but standing next to the Grand Teton Mountain Range always makes one feel small again.
3. Worship brings us before the All-mighty, before the Eternal. No matter who we are, the comparison sets our estimations of ourselves down toward their proper place.
B. GRATITUDE FOR ALL HE’S DONE
1. Even if we don’t see God’s hand of blessing today, we should still praise God for all He’s done for us in the past!
2. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits” Ps. 68:19. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” 1 Thess. 5:18.
C. WORSHIP IS THE CORRECT RESPONSE TO GOD
1. If you’ve ever seen the British crown jewels, one diamond the size of a lemon with a million sparkling facets – it takes your breath away! So is the wonder of God and equally worthy of our honor.
2. We have no trouble praising humans who do great feats, or spectacular mountains, or gigantic waterfalls – why would we think the Creator of all these things doesn’t deserve honor and praise for all He’s done for us?
3. It’s only right to worship Him (Ps. 33:1 “fitting”). God doesn’t want or need our praises, but God deserves all praise. It’s right for us, as created beings, to praise our Creator, even more than to clap for a human!
D. WHAT IS PRAISE?
1. Praise means to "speak well of, to glorify especially by ascriptions of perfections."
2. OTHER “PRAISE” WORDS. Other Hebrew words used in the book of Psalms are:
a. Tehillah – laudation by hymn, to praise.
b. Zamar -- to "touch."
c. Halal -- "to shine, to boast, to celebrate clamorously."
d. Towdah -- "to extend the hand (in worship), to adore;" used especially of a choir of worshipers.
e. Shabach -- "to address with a loud voice."
f. Barak -- "to kneel, to bless God."
3. Praise is the joyful experience of coming before God's presence to worship him, of touching Him and Him touching you!
4. In Psalm 34, David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth!” This means that we should always praise God, in good times and in bad!
5. Godless people can’t rejoice when their prosperity ceases and national calamity comes, but the Righteous can because their joy is in God and they have the promise of future satisfaction and happiness.
E. NO TIME LOST LOOKING UP
1. In Europe is an old church which has a picture of a man plowing a field. However, in this picture, he has stopped his horse, put down his plow and is kneeling to pray to God.
2. But while he is praying, an angel is going on with his plowing for him. The point is, the time we use “looking up to God” is not wasted time.
3. We will find that whatever time we sacrifice for God in prayer, He will make up to us in time saved in other areas. NO TIME IS LOST LOOKING UP! (Knights 300 Illus., p. 504).
III. 3 RESULTS OF PRAISING GOD IN TRIALS (19)
A. WE OBTAIN STRENGTH FROM GOD
1. Habakkuk says he finds his strength in God. The Amplified Version says, “The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army].”
2. The Hebrew word is chayil (khah-yil), a “force”, an ‘army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength.’ It’s translated as “force, might, power, strength, valiant, etc.
3. Lev. 26:8 tells us that if God is with us, “five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you…”
4. One believer and God is a majority. If we praise God, He will fight our battles for us.
B. GIVES US SPIRITUAL FLEXIBILITY
1. “Hinds feet” – lithe, nimble, active, steady. Skillful for climbing, tenacious to hold on, like a mountain goat, which can jump from one narrow ledge to another on a sheer cliff.
2. Mountain goats have an amazing dexterity. They can climb on virtually sheer cliffs. They act like they’re in a contest as to who can climb to the most rugged cliffs. They also love the view; to perch on some crest.
3. The one who praises God in adversity is set free/ released from worry and care. They have lifted up their eyes from earthly visions, to heavenly ones.
4. Feet move us from one location to another. They have to do with direction and destination. So the one who praises God is loosed from their normal destiny. They are enabled to move out into new things, new directions.
C. ACHIEVE HIGH PLACES
1. “He enables me to tread on the heights.” The Kingdom of God is pictured as a mountain (Isa. 2:2-3). God’s house is said to be on top.
2. To get there you must climb. But just like earthly mountains, only those accustomed to climbing will be able to scale the highest peaks. In our own strength, we’re insufficient to reach that height.
3. But just like 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 be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
4. “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands, and a pure heart….” Psalm 24:3-4.
5. If we make God our chief joy and don’t look at circumstances, we’ll be surrounded with God’s Army, we’ll be given a flexibility, a new direction and destiny, and we will be enabled see visions, and have a divine encounter with God the majority of Christians will ever attain to.
D. ILLUS. “How High?”
1. A father sat down with his young son on his bed. It was time for their nightly prayer. The usual words were prayed and the Dad ended it, “In Christ’s Name, Amen.”
2. After the Amen, the boy looked up at his Dad and said, “Daddy, How high did we pray? Do you think God heard our prayer?”
3. The Dad answered that he was sure God heard every word; that God always hears everything we pray.
4. But that night when the Dad laid down to sleep, that question came back to him. He then began to ask himself, “How high did our prayer go?”
5. There are things that weigh down our prayer and many prayers aren’t accompanied by faith – which helps them go aloft. Then there’s also earnestness. “The effectual, FERVENT prayer of a righteous man avails much” Jam. 5:16.
6. 2 Chron. 30:27 “and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place, even unto heaven.”
7. God told the Israelites, “You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.” Isa. 58:4.
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Mrs. W.K. Norton wet 10 other missionaries were in New York, who were to sail to India. She had no one sponsoring her. There was no one in India who was to receive her and take care of her. She had little money to subsist on.
2. She was simply responding to God’s call by faith, without thinking of the means. When she was on the ship bound for India, she finally began to wonder about what she would do on arrival. So she began to pray.
3. That night God gave her a dream. She was standing on a single plank out in the ocean. Just when she needed to step off of it, another plank came to the surface just under her foot.
4. God was telling her that He would supply her need one step at a time. So she went happily on not worrying about how God would provide and always finding one more plank to step onto. [“My Life” of the Pilgrim’s Mission, Benares, India. In Knight’s 3000, p. 253]
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you have a major trial going right now? Let’s pray for you! We need to trust God to take care of it however impossible it may look.
2. Now let’s praise the Lord in spite of our trial! Will you join me?
