1. "Throughout her life, she was confused, never able to make sense of a loss so tragic. With much prestige, she carried even more grief. Friends, such themes are often explored in works of fiction, and the reason they resonate with us so much is because so often we see issues like this in our own lives."

2. "The downfall of Judah was imminent and their enemies were surrounding them. These were indeed dark days. A once great nation had now descended to chaos, where fear was in the air, corruption was rampant, and the hearts of the people had grown cold."

3. "I think we can all imagine how Habakkuk must have felt. It's like Habakkuk here has been complaining of a feral cat who's invaded Judah's house, and what Yahweh says is, here's a lion to take care of the cat. The cat has been chewing up the furniture, ruining the house that God has built, and God says, here's a lion to take care of that."

4. "Your circumstances may scare you, and you may fear you'll be overtaken. The lions may come for your life, but the Lord's plan for you extends beyond the grave. You can trust him."

5. "Our life together is all about waiting. Waiting amidst confusion, waiting amidst weariness, waiting while we grieve, but waiting in hope."

6. "Just know that our outward activity doesn't always correlate to inner vitality. Seek the Lord from your heart. Don't stray any further."

7. "What makes you righteous before God is not what you've done or how you compare to others. What makes you righteous is God himself. It's believing him."

8. "You see, faith in the biblical sense isn't just some belief system. And it's not just something you pick up, you put down, or you analyze. It's not an easy thing. For the Christian faith is the instrument we use to see God."

9. "Faith is sharpened. You see more clearly. You know that your hope is not in this world, but because your circumstances aren't all that great. But you know the God who is great."

10. "Some of you are nearing the end of this life. You've believed and you've endured for years. Your instrument is well tuned. Your faith will soon turn into sight. You may sing with us now, but soon you'll be singing hymns in heaven."

Observation Questions

1. In Habakkuk 1:2-4, what specific conditions in Judah does Habakkuk describe in his complaint to God?

2. How does God describe the Chaldeans (Babylonians) in Habakkuk 1:6-11? What characteristics stand out?

3. What does Habakkuk say about God's character in 1:12-13? How does this create tension with what he observes?

4. In Habakkuk 1:14-17, what metaphor does Habakkuk use to describe humanity's condition? What point is he making?

5. What specific posture does Habakkuk take in 2:1? What does this reveal about his relationship with God?

6. According to Habakkuk 2:2-4, what key promise does God make about the righteous? How does He contrast this with the proud?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does God direct Habakkuk to "look among the nations" (1:5) rather than just focusing on Judah's situation? What might this teach us about gaining God's perspective?

2. How does Habakkuk's waiting posture in 2:1 differ from simply being passive? What does this suggest about the nature of biblical waiting?

3. What does it mean that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (2:4)? How does this answer Habakkuk's earlier complaints?

4. Why might God choose to use the wicked Chaldeans to accomplish His purposes? What does this reveal about divine sovereignty?

5. How does Habakkuk's example show us the proper way to bring our doubts and questions to God? What elements of his prayer life should we emulate?

Application Questions

1. When was the last time you brought your raw, honest questions to God like Habakkuk did? What kept you from being completely honest with God?

2. Think about a current situation where you're waiting for God to act. How does Habakkuk's example of taking his "stand at the watchpost" challenge or encourage you?

3. Where in your life have you been looking to outward signs (like Judah did with the temple and kingship) rather than living by faith? What specific steps can you take to reorient your focus?

4. When you face confusing circumstances, do you tend to retreat from God or press into Him through prayer? Share about a time when you chose one response over the other.

5. How has God used difficult circumstances in your life to strengthen your faith? What specific truth about God's character became clearer through that trial?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Romans 1:16-17 - Paul quotes Habakkuk 2:4 to establish the foundation of the gospel, showing how living by faith connects to receiving Christ's righteousness.

2. Psalm 73 - Asaph, like Habakkuk, struggles with seeing the wicked prosper but finds his answer in God's presence and ultimate justice.

3. James 1:2-8 - James provides practical instruction about maintaining faith during trials and seeking God's wisdom, complementing Habakkuk's example.

4. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 - Paul encourages believers to look beyond current circumstances to eternal realities, much like Habakkuk learned to do.

Sermon Main Topics

I. The Chaos of Orual’s Life and Judah’s Despair

II. Look to the Lord by Seeking Him in Prayer (Habakkuk 1:2–4)

III. Look to the Lord by Seeing His Plan (Habakkuk 1:5–11)

IV. Keep Seeking the Lord in Prayer Amidst Questions (Habakkuk 1:12–17)

V. Submit to the Lord While Waiting (Habakkuk 2:1)

VI. Savor the Lord’s Promise of Righteousness by Faith (Habakkuk 2:2–4)

VII. The Ultimate Answer in Beholding the Lord

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Detailed Sermon Outline

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I'm sure many of you are familiar with the works of C.S. Lewis. Indeed, he's known for many great works, many having to do with introducing Christianity, some fairy tales, story of a lion and children. But one of my favorite works of C.S. Lewis is maybe less known.

It's the work titled Till We have Faces. In it, Lewis offers a retelling of an old fable. The fable of Cupid and Psyche. But he tells the story through a different perspective, the perspective of Psyche's sister, Orel. From the opening pages of this book, Orel's life is miserable.

She had lived large, she had amassed power and prestige, she even became queen. But none of this could make up for the loss of Psyche.

The sister she loved. Her life was spent searching for answers. She raged against those who had taken her sister's life. She investigated, studied, pursued, and waited. But her quest was met with silence.

Nothing she could do was ever enough. As her influence grew, so too did her despair. Throughout her life, she was confused, never able to make sense of a loss so tragic. In many ways, you could say her life was one of chaos. Where would she turn for answers?

Did anybody have them? Her questions were eating away at her soul. With much prestige, she carried even more grief. Such themes are often explored in works of fiction, and the reason they resonate with us so much is because so often we see issues like to do this in our own lives. Often our lives can feel chaotic.

We can often be confused. Sometimes there are big events that disrupt our lives. Sometimes it's small. Well, the Bible, friends, is no stranger to times like this either. Times of confusion and chaos characterize the people of Judah in the seventh century BC.

Things in Judah were coming undone. The brutal Assyrians captured the neighboring kingdom to the north, and the people in Judah in the south lived under constant threat of invasion. Gone were the days of the kings of old. Gone were the days of glory under David and Solomon. The once great kingdom of Israel, now divided, was a pale shadow of its former self.

The old foe Egypt had even taken Judah's king captive and installed a new king to serve Egypt's interests. The kingdom was falling apart. Would they even go back into slavery, to Egypt? Fear was certainly in the air. But these problems from without, armies allied against them, only heightened the problems within.

There was some hope under King Josiah, hope that Judah might be reformed. Maybe the hearts of the people could be turned back to the Lord. But sadly, the corruption was too great. Too many wicked leaders had led the people astray for too long. The hearts of the people had grown cold.

The downfall of Judah was imminent and their enemies were surrounding them. For those tracking from last week in our series in Kings, we're about 200 years or about 10 kings after where we ended last week. You can read about the immediate context of our passage for this morning in 2 Kings 23 to 24. But suffice it to say, things had gone from bad to worse. A once great nation had now descended to chaos.

These were indeed dark days. Well, enter the prophet Habakkuk. If you have your Bible, you can go ahead and turn there. We're going to be in the book of Habakkuk, looking at the first chapter and a little bit of the second for the rest of our time this morning. Aside from the book that bears his name, we know know surprisingly little about this prophet.

It's likely that he prophesied in these, the waning days of Judah, around 620 to 610 BC. And as we'll see, he's acutely aware of Judah's peril. Let's start at picking up in Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 1, and I'll read the entire passage that we'll look at this morning.

The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw. O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you violence, and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you look idly at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.

So the law is paralyzed and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. Look among the nations and see, wonder and be astounded, for I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation who march through the breadth of the earth to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome.

Their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves. Their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swift to devour.

They all come for violence. All their faces forward. They gather captives like sand.

At kings they scoff, at rulers they laugh, they laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their God. Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, you have ordained them as judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.

You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you oddly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler. He brings all of them up with a hook, he drags them out with his net. He gathers them in his dragnet, so he rejoices and is glad. Therefore, he sacrifices to his net and makes offerings to his track net.

For by them he lives in luxury and his food is rich. Is he then to keep on emptying his net and mercilessly killing nations forever? I will take my stand at my watch post and station myself on the tower and look out to see what he will say to me and what I will answer concerning my complaint. And the Lord answered me, Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end, it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith. Moreover, wine is a traitor, an arrogant man who is never at rest. His greed is as wide as Sheol, like death he has never enough. He gathers for himself all nations and collects as his own all peoples.

While the world was seemingly coming apart around Habakkuk, where our text begins is with Habakkuk crying to the Lord. He makes his complaint known. The Lord responds in our passage by revealing his plan and reminding Habakkuk of his promises. As God does this, he teaches us to look to him in times of trial. That's the focus of the rest of our time this morning, in times of chaos, Look to the Lord.

Look to the Lord. I'll have five points to help us look to the Lord. So first, we'll look to the Lord by seeking. Second, look to the Lord by seeing. Third, keep seeking.

Keep seeking the Lord. Fourth, look to the Lord by submitting. And finally, look to the Lord by savoring, seeking, seeing, keep seeking, submitting and savoring. I pray that as we do this and think about ways to look to the Lord, that your faith will be encouraged, that you'll be reminded that we serve this God who hears our prayers. So first, in times of chaos, look to the Lord by seeking the Lord in prayer.

Look to the Lord by seeking him in prayer. The vision of Habakkuk begins here with a beleaguered prayer. That's verses 2 to 4. Habakkuk opens with a cry for help. Habakkuk here is looking at God's people and what does he see?

He sees violence. As the book begins, he's already wearied in prayer. Did you notice that? Long has he cried out to the Lord, but seemingly the Lord does not act. The substance of Habakkuk's question to the Lord is there in verse 3.

Where he says, why do you make me see iniquity? And why do you idly look at wrong? Habakkuk here is exhausted. He's exhausted with injustice, with the violence that he's seen. And the rest of verse 3 and verse 4, it shows what characterizes the people of Judah.

You see it there, destruction, violence, strife. Contention, lawlessness, injustice, and there are threats abounding. In such a setting, Habakkuk is asking why the Lord tolerates such evil. How can he, the God of the universe, sit idly by when his people are coming to ruin? But in seeking the Lord, notice here what Habakkuk knows of the Lord.

He calls on the name of the Lord. He calls on that covenant name, Yahweh. He knows that this is the God who saves. Apart from the idols of the land that have been constructed over the series of kings predating Habakkuk, Habakkuk is calling on the Lord. Habakkuk's request is made to the God who saves.

He knows the word of the Lord and he's meditated on his law. And it's the law that he's seen, the law that he's heard that does not characterize his people. Habakkuk knows that Judah should be a land of peace. But it's marked by violence. From Jerusalem, Habakkuk knows justice should flow down like water, but instead, justice never goes forth.

Justice gets perverted from the people who should know it best. God's people here are coming undone, and they're coming undone from within. And so often, when times are fearsome, it is tempting, isn't it, to retreat within ourselves? Or to look improperly to others to deliver us. But take note from Habakkuk here.

He appeals to the Lord based on what he knows of Him even when He's conflicted. He has questions, but he still comes to the Lord because who else is there that can save? Who else is there that has shown the power of this God? Habakkuk doesn't retreat into cowardly despair as he sees God's enemies abounding, as he sees even kings turn on their own people. As he sees even Egypt come up from the south and take the king captive.

Habakkuk's not retreating. He's entreating the Lord to turn to him, to incline his ear to him. And when he does, Habakkuk is stating his request plainly. So do you know this God? Seek him in prayer.

Point two, look to the Lord by seeing his plan. Look to the Lord by seeing His plan. Habakkuk has raised a question of why God tolerates wrong. And Yahweh responds here in verses 5 to 11. He responds by telling Habakkuk, look there in verse 5, to look among the nations and see.

You notice what he does there? He's redirecting Habakkuk's focus.

Habakkuk has been looking at God's people and now God says, Habakkuk, lift up your eyes, look around, look to the nations. What do you see there? No longer should Habakkuk look only at God's people. He's now to look upon these nations. And what he sees there, Yahweh says, is going to astound him.

He's going to be amazed. The Lord's work will be unbelievable. God is signaling what he's about to say is huge. You can feel the anticipation grow in verse 5. The Lord is speaking with emphasis.

We ask the question, what will He do? Well, He tells us in verse 6. He says, Behold, signaling again, Here it comes. He says, I'm raising up. Finally, He's acting.

Finally, He's raising up someone. Finally, this God is bringing peace. Maybe after all, He has hurt. He says, I'm raising up. The Chaldeans.

What? Who? Are you sure? You can hear, you can feel the sense of mystery. Is this what God is doing?

Is how are these people going to deliver your people? Well, the Chaldeans here are simply the Babylonians. It's just another word for the same people, the Babylonians. And the rest of verses 6 through 11 describe what Yahweh calls this bitter and hasty nation. They're a powerful and prideful people, as we see there.

They set their own corrupt standards for justice. They have no regard for God's law. They don't just commit violence, they intend violence. You see that there in verse nine. Their power is unrivaled in the earth.

No king, army, or fortress is too much for them. This is the nation already amassing armies to the north that Habakkuk likely would have heard about. But it's like Habakkuk here has been complaining of a feral cat who's invaded Judah's house. And what Yahweh says is, Here's a lion to take care of the cat. The cat has been chewing up the furniture.

He's been ruining the house that God has built. And God says, Here's a lion to take care of that. We can all imagine how Habakkuk must have felt. The section does present a question for us to consider briefly. It has to do with how the Lord uses evil to bring about his people.

Indeed, this is a question that's going to carry us through the book of Habakkuk, but it makes sense to deal with it now. The tension there is again in verse 6, when the Lord says he's raising up the Chaldeans. I don't think we shouldn't understand this verse to mean that God is somehow intending evil. That would be to overread this passage. Instead, he's not the cause of the Chaldeans' fury, but he does dispose them.

He's arranged their successes and is leaving them unrestrained according to his plans. But the Lord sees them clearly. The Babylonians there in verse 11, you hear his judgment. A faint echo of it here that'll sprout forth later when we'll consider in subsequent weeks, Lord willing. The Babylonians are guilty men, whose own might is their God.

It's as if here God is already saying that the lion may be coming for you, the lion may be coming in the house to get rid of the cat, but the lion is on my leash. This lion is not going any further than I allow. I'm raising them up to do my bidding. They have no regard for me, but I know them.

And their judgment is coming soon. They will not go any further than the Lord allows. Brothers and sisters, such is the case in your trials. It may indeed seem like the lions are out for you. Against them, you are powerless to stand on your own.

God may permit they come into your life and your life is upended, but God knows exactly what He's doing.

Especially when you don't. None of us see these things perfectly. Your circumstances may scare you and you may fear you'll be overtaken. The lions may come for your life, but the Lord's plan for you extends beyond the grave. You can trust him.

You can trust him in times of trial. Brothers and sisters, as one of your pastors, I just want to thank you for letting us walk alongside you in these times of trials. Many of you, we know, are in seasons of great grief and sorrow. Several are confused and searching for answers. Many are in fact sharing their burdens with others and you're enduring faithfully.

As one of your pastors, I just want you to know that it's a privilege to walk alongside you. And our task, and this is often to remind you of God's plans. That's why so much of our time is spent together looking at the scriptures, both together in gatherings like this, but also privately. Of opening up the Bible and looking at God's plan together. There our great God has in fact given us what we need to navigate the trials of this life.

And it's true we may lack complete answers for how God is using this particular trial in your life, but brother or sister, you can be sure of this, that whatever you're facing, God will use it for his glory and your good is bound up there. As God gets glory, your good is accomplished because you, by faith, are His. His plan will come to pass and when it's revealed, it will be fully satisfying. So look to the Lord now by seeing the Lord's plan. Third, when you still have questions, keep seeking the Lord in prayer.

Look at verses 12 to 17. The Lord has shifted Habakkuk's gaze and what Habakkuk sees does astound him. He is aghast. He saw the wickedness of God's people and now he sees a people given over to evil. And this only sharpens his question.

Habakkuk still appeals to the Lord by recalling his character. He's addressing the eternal God, the covenant keeping Lord, the only sovereign, holy and upright King. Again, Habakkuk knows who this God is. And that's what creates the tension. And you see it in verse 13, where Habakkuk says, you, who are of pure eyes and see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?

So here, that the Lord is pure, that he's holy, is not what's in question. Again, the concern lies in how the one who is pure allows the wicked to overcome the righteous. How can one so pure tolerate such evil? Following his question, Habakkuk then gives a description of the ways of man on earth. That's verses 14 to 17.

And what he describes here is a state of disorder or a state of chaos.

Where he describes what mankind like fish, they're puny and ill-treated. The wicked are in power and they prey on the weak and take many captives. The world is truly upside down. This isn't the way that God intended it. Those who were to share and rule over the fish of the sea, back from Genesis 1, are now being treated like these scaly creatures.

Truly, things were not right. God's people are disregarded and consumed. And the wicked even worship themselves because of their power. And such a dynamic is being played out among the nations. And that's what Habakkuk sees.

This being the same thing, the same evil that characterized God's people is now multiplied by looking to the nations. And Habakkuk asked, How long? How long will this go on? He begins his complaint where he began the first one. How long, O Lord?

But Habakkuk, don't miss this point, is still seeking the Lord in prayer. He hasn't turned aside. He hasn't retreated in fear. His prayer again is provoked by the occasion that the Lord helps him to see. But it's concentrated on the character of God.

His prayer is direct. It puts the question to God. And I wonder if that shocks you. Does it shock you that we as Christians earlier in our service would have a prayer of lament? Maybe you thought Christians are just these strangely happy people that always seem to smile, that always seem to see the bright side of things.

I know that's many of you and I praise God for you. But I do think when we come to the Bible we do see these direct questions. The Bible does give us language to talk about the deepest questions in this life. And it doesn't just give us language to help us talk about them, although we should and we do, but it gives us language to take these questions to the Lord. And that's what Habakkuk is doing here.

So the Bible understands our condition. Though Habakkuk is met with no answer, He's still coming to the Lord. His prayer is attuned to what God has revealed. So friend, though we find trouble on earth, we still commit to seeking the Lord in prayer. We commit to seeking his wisdom.

We commit to seeking his character. He is pure and his plans are sure. There's no one else beside him. Keep seeking the Lord in prayer. Point four, submit to the Lord as you wait.

Number four, submit to the Lord as you wait. After responding to the Lord, Habakkuk takes his stand and he anticipates the Lord's response. Even though he hasn't seen what he desired, Habakkuk still waits on the Lord. He doesn't turn aside, he waits expectantly. He's made his complaint known to the Lord and now he braces for the Lord's reply.

And Habakkuk knows in knowing the Lord that this God, when he speaks, will demand a response. So Habakkuk waits eagerly and humbly. He's not hiding like Elijah did when he retreated into the cave. He's not running from God and his plan by getting on a boat like Jonah did. No, here Habakkuk has made himself ready.

He's standing and he's ready for God's response. Such posture is essential in the midst of hard times. For some, you're weary. You feel like you can't stand any longer. But still, wait for the Lord.

In these seasons, it's essential to do what you're doing now and that's gathering with your church. Our life together is all about waiting. Waiting amidst confusion, waiting amidst weariness, waiting while we grieve, but waiting in hope. It may take all you have to show up here, to sing, to hear prayers, to your scriptures reading, to sit through a long sermon like this one. But brother, sister, you can be sure But as you do this, as you endure in faith, the Lord sees.

The Lord knows. He will answer and He'll answer in His time. As you look to the Lord, none of this is wasted effort. Take heart and wait for the Lord. There are others though that may be content with going through the motions.

You may show up regularly. You have a plan for reading your Bible, you may stick to it well, it is February after all, maybe the check marks are abounding for you.

But over time, through the sense of duty, you've found that your heart has grown cold. It's not weariness that you battle, but distraction. You're distracted to think that in these things you'll find life and you miss the substance.

You miss looking to the Lord. You've slowly begun to trust your ability and your heart strays from the Lord. Just know that our outward activity doesn't always correlate to inner vitality. Seek the Lord from your heart. Don't stray any further.

Look to the Lord by submitting to Him. Expect Him. Cry to Him as you wait.

Habakkuk here demonstrates both, both this inner resolve and outward action. He's made his complaint known and now he waits. How now will the Lord respond? Will he? That's where Habakkuk ends in verse 1 of chapter 2, taking us to point 5 and finally.

Fifth, in times of chaos, savor the Lord's promise. In verse 2, the Lord answers Habakkuk's complaint. Look back briefly at chapter 1 verse 5. There the Lord responds to Habakkuk, but do you notice what's not there? Sometimes these superscriptions in our Bible can be confusing, although it helps us kind of divide up the text.

But Habakkuk doesn't say in chapter 1 verse 5 that the Lord answers him. God is speaking, but the Lord's answer that Habakkuk's signals doesn't come until chapter 2 verse 2. And that is where the Lord answers Habakkuk's complaint. After all his prayers and pleas for God to act, after his weary prayers, after pouring himself out to the Lord, God answers him. Christian, that is the God that we serve.

We serve a God who answers us, whose prayers never fall on deaf ears. We may not see or understand the answers right now, and brothers and sisters, that's not the point. The point is God does hear prayers by faith and God will answer. And here he answers Habakkuk. And Habakkuk signals at last that the Lord's answer has come and the Lord's answer is big.

Look what the Lord says. He says, Write this vision, make it plain on tablets so he may run who reads it. What the Lord is about to say is news. It's news that's meant to be shared. The imagery here of someone running to read it is of a prophet going and reporting the news, sharing it far and wide.

Again, the suspense is building. Even in the Lord's response, He's building us up. The Lord continues, For still the vision awaits its appointed time. It hastens to the end. It will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. The vision here, it's true.

There's no error in it, and its timing is fixed. Habakkuk is beginning to see the answer is in fact coming, but it'll take a little while. So even though he'll have clarity, he's still to wait. What is it that God reveals here? It's there in verse four.

He says, Behold, his soul is puffed up. It's not upright within him. But the righteous shall live by his faith. Here the Lord draws his readers in to see his promise. He states it simply, the proud will be judged and the righteous will live.

Habakkuk looked to circumstances to understand God's plan. He saw the wickedness of Judah and the Chaldeans, which drove him to question the plan of the Lord. Habakkuk looked, but he didn't see the promise of the Lord being fulfilled. So the Lord patiently corrects him. The Lord makes him see.

And this is the truly astonishing revelation of the book of Habakkuk. What Judah had abandoned, what even Habakkuk almost missed, was that the righteous will always live by their faith. In the waning days of this kingdom, some thought that so long as David, a son of David, was on the throne, there was still hope. So long as the land was occupied, God's promises still had a chance. So long as the temple was standing, maybe God would one day again dwell with his people like he did of old.

If all that is lost, how would they live? How would they go on? What hope would they have? But what they had forgotten was that all of these objects, the things that they looked to, these were just the accoutrements. These were just the signs and symbols.

The substance was always a matter of the heart. Their eyes thought security came from the strength of their walls, the glory of their king, but they had forgotten the promise that started the whole thing. Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. God's not showing Habakkuk something new. Most basically he's reminding him of something very old.

The promise to Abraham is what adorned God's people, but they forgot it. They became distracted and puffed up just like the rest of the nations. Just like the Chaldeans, they had been puffed up in their pride, thinking that their glory was attached to the kingdom and all these outward expressions. But they forgot what was most fundamental, that the righteous live by faith. This revelation is so grand that it rings through to the New Testament.

We read one of those references already this morning, and we'll hear more about it tonight in Galatians 3, but it's also in Romans 1 and Hebrews 10. And each of those in the New Testament, each of those references look at a different aspect of what it means that the righteous live by faith. If you want, I'll just encourage you this afternoon, read those three chapters, Galatians 3, Romans 1, Hebrews 10. See how those authors understand this text here. That the righteous will live by faith.

In our passage, the people had mistaken the miners, the accoutrements, for the majors, the main thing. And God was going to turn their world upside down to help them see. What about you? What do you look to to tell you that you're right with God? It may not be a fortress, a nation or a king.

But friend, we all look to something. Maybe you look to something you've done. Maybe you play the law of averages and you think so long as I'm better than many of the people that I know that God must accept me. Well, that all sounds so risky. Sounds like a constant game of fear and investigating your standing with God.

What makes you righteous before God is not what you've done or how you compare to others. What makes you righteous is God Himself. It's believing Him. God is the standard for your righteousness, and faith is the instrument of how it's applied. What makes you righteous is believing God like Abraham did.

What makes you righteous is heeding what God has said. And what does he say? Well, that's where we're welcome to the wonderful world of the Bible. If you don't know what that is, the basic message is this: God is perfect. You are not.

You've sinned. But God has provided a way for sinners to be forgiven. He sent his son, Jesus, to die in the place of sinners. Jesus lived, died, took the penalty for all who would trust in him, and Jesus was raised to life because he is the righteous one, as Titus had us reflect on earlier. Jesus was the only righteous person who ever lived, who perfectly obeyed God's law, who fulfilled every commandment, And he now lives to include in his righteousness all those who believe in him by faith.

So all who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus will be saved. If you have questions about that, talk to a friend about it today. Don't delay, as tragic events have sadly reminded us this week, this life is a vapor. Don't take it for granted. Brothers and sisters, God's word in Habakkuk here affects how we see the world today.

The world reminds us, His word reminds us that things are not always the way they seem to be. Kingdoms rise and fall, kings come and go, reform flourishes and vanishes, but God's promise never retreats. For Judah, their world was on the verge of collapsing. Exile for them was imminent. The army amassing to the north, the Babylonians, what the God said was true, the lion would come, he would invade, and the people would be dispelled from the land.

And why is he doing this? Why is God raising up the Chaldeans to judge his people? Well, friend, that's where we have the rest of the Bible to help us understand what God is doing in this is to prepare the world. He's getting the world ready for the coming of his son. The temple would be destroyed.

The throne in Jerusalem would sit empty because the world was getting ready for a new king, one whose might lay not in the strength of his horses, but in the power to lay his life down. He didn't intend violence. Instead, he took it. He didn't just look upon evil, but instead he died at the hands of evil men. And what was the result?

What was the result of this God entering the world to save many? The result was redemption. The result was righteousness being awarded to all those who trust in him. Here the Lord is making the people ready to see him, to behold him, his son Jesus with the eyes of faith. Why was the Lord doing this here?

Well he was doing it to build faith. I wonder how this strikes you. Does the plan seem worth it? Is raising up the Chaldeans to judge Judah really the best way to do this? Why do so many things so great for something so small?

Well, friend, if that's you, respectfully, think maybe you have a too small view of faith. You see, faith in the biblical sense isn't just some belief system. It's not just something you pick up, you put down, or you analyze. It's not an easy thing. For the Christian, faith is the instrument we use to see God.

It's like a piano. The piano is not the point. The instrument may be interesting, but the point is the music. A piano is only so good insofar as it helps us hear, helps us hear a melody. The sound that it makes is our delight.

So faith itself is not the substance, but the instrument we use to behold the Lord. It's his gift, and it's through that faith we live, because it's through that faith that we behold the God of the universe who is life in himself. And who gives life to all who believe in him. And such a gift is in this life is met with its challengers. There are many and there are many matters that can distract us from seeing the Lord clearly.

That's what verse five is all about. The righteous still live under threat in this life. We see there that wine, wealth and worldliness all threaten to deter our gaze. A multitude of enemies can consume our lives. And the Bible is realistic about these trials, but the hope of Habakkuk is still clear.

Though chaos abounds, the righteous will live. Their soul is upright through faith. Who is it that helps you see this clearly? Kids, this is a good question to ask your parents over lunch today. Who helps them look to the Lord?

Whose faith inspires them? In the same way that a well-trained musician through his instrument delights his hearers, those trained in this faith fortify others. Not because of anything in them, but because of what they behold. Times of chaos and trial have ways of tuning our faith. That's why it's a joy to walk alongside you.

In times of trial, faith is sharpened. You see more clearly. You know that your hope is not in this world because your circumstances aren't all that great. But you know the God who is great. You know that He will lead you through it.

It's the Lord who helps you endure as you behold His provision. Some of you are nearing the end of this life. You've believed and you've endured for years. Your instrument is well-tuned. Your faith will soon turn into sight.

You may sing with us now, but soon you'll be singing hymns in heaven.

Your faith is still growing. And keep going after him and let us come near you as you make your journey home. Ours is the life that comes by faith. In times of chaos, look to the Lord by savoring his promises together.

In Lewis's novel, the Queen's life had amounted to no answer. Until she took her questions to the Lord of the mountain. As she ascended the mountain, she came to Him, and what she saw there transformed her. She would never be the same. She says this, I ended my first book with the words, no answer.

I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You, yourself, are the answer. Before your face questions die away. If only this queen knew by faith what she eventually beheld by sight, how her life would have been different. This fictional account only echoes the realities that we've been exploring together this morning.

Habakkuk helps us behold the Lord. We see His plans and promises, and one day soon we'll see Him in glory. For now we may have questions, and we come to Him with questions. We share those questions with others. Our lives may be in chaos, but soon we'll see this God face to face and what glory awaits us there.

There we'll see satisfaction. There we'll find questions to answers to all life's questions. But until then, look to the Lord. Look to the Lord by seeking him, by seeing his plans, submitting to him, and savoring His promises. Look to Him today.

We're almost home. Let's pray.

Our Father in heaven, we do thank you that you have spoken clearly, that you have provided all that we need, that you have given us your word, that we can go to and look to in times of trial. So Lord, we pray that as we do this, you would help us to see you. Lord, our desire is to be with you. So we pray that you would strengthen our faith. You would build us up.

In Jesus' name, amen.