Verse number 1, Habakkuk 1,1, The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see, O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear, even cry unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save? Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me, and thereof that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slapped, and judgment doth never go forth. For the wicked doth compass about the righteous, therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Behold ye among the heathen and regard, and wonder marvelously, for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling place that are not theirs. They are terrible and dreadful. Their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses are also swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves. And their horsemen will spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far. They shall fly as eagles that hasteneth to eat. shall come all for violence. Their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall scoff at kings, and the princes shall be scorned unto them. They shall deride every stronghold, for they shall heap dust and take it. Then shall this mind change, and he shall pass over and offend in putting this, his power, unto his God. Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? We shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment, and O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. for thou art of pure eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity. Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue, when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he, and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them, They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net and gather them in their drag. Therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice under their net and burn incense under their drag, because by them their portion is fat and their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty their net and not spare continually to slay the nations? You may be seated tonight. In the book of Habakkuk we're looking at this and really I think it's something that we can draw strength from today. Let me talk to you about our condition or at least ask you some questions. First of all, have you ever looked upon this world with all of its injustice and violence and asked a question similar to what Habakkuk did and said, why doesn't God do something? Have you ever done that? Sure we have, amen. If you hadn't, maybe not audibly, but you've thought, why doesn't God intervene? Why is he gonna let this keep on going? You see, it seems as though the wicked are prospering and the righteous are suffering. In other words, and you pray, and it seems as though your prayers do no good. That's where Habakkuk was at this particular time. And that's what he faced in his day. But in this book, we're gonna find the problem solved. as Habakkuk is talking to God. Now Habakkuk, as far as the man, we don't know much about him. We don't know really the exact time that he prophesied as far as Bible, it's not dated, but according to historical facts that we can come across and look at, we think that, realize something that probably he, and basically in this book, it's not a prophecy to the people of Judah, if you'll notice. It's not telling them exactly what's going to happen in one way, even though there's some of that in there. But basically, he's talking to God. Why, God? Why? And God's talking back to him, and then he talks back to God, and God talks back to him. But yet it's still applied for us, because God preserved this. Because this is the infallible, in the word of God, that he's preserved for us today. So there's something we can draw strength from in this particular book, as far as we see it relates this experience and back its life. Now if we go about his ministry, I know that he was a prophet. We know this is called a minor prophet here as far as the Habakkuk is called a minor prophet. And you know the reason, you know what the difference is between a major prophet and a minor prophet? It wasn't in the fact of what God said, it was in the fact of the length of what they wrote. Habakkuk is a short book called a minor prophet. It doesn't mean it's any less minor as far as the importance of the word than Isaiah, for instance, which is a major prophet. But it's just the length of the book is the way man's devised it up into minor and major prophets. So Habakkuk is considered to be a minor prophet in that sense. But now, as far as when he ministered, it's hard to really know for certain. But from all indication, what I've studied and what I've looked at, he probably ministered in the days of Josiah, the last part of the days of Josiah's ministry. Now, and of course then after Josiah was Jehoahaz, which reigned only three months, and then Jehoiakim, which reigned for several years. But still, in probably in the last few years of Josiah's ministry, three months of Jehoahaz and maybe a few years into Jehoiakim's ministry is where his ministry was. Now, I don't know what he prophesied else besides what's written down and what's said about him and God. But in this, we find that probably when this conversation transpired, I know some of your books will probably say it's the last part of Josiah's ministry, but folks, I'm going to tell you, Josiah was a good king. Josiah was a sovereign king and he was a good king because Manasseh, for instance, his granddaddy, he had done evil, passed his children through the fire, worshipped idols and done everything contrary to the book. In fact, the business, they displaced the book. It wasn't even to be found in his day. I don't know where it got displaced to, but they didn't even have a copy of the Word of God as far as really looking at it, as far as the king was concerned. And as a result of that, God said, because he shed innocent blood, I'm going to destroy the nation of Judah. That's the southern kingdom. Now you see, the northern kingdom had already gone into captivity about 721 B.C., something like that. They went into captivity to Assyria. Assyria was the world empire, but Assyria fell and up come along, of course, Babylon empire and begin to rise and overrun the Assyrian empire and became a world empire. As we see in the book of Daniel, it talks about Nebuchadnezzar's empire, the Babylonian empire. But as a result of that, you'd think that people would understand and as the prophets had said from time to time, look at your northern brothers. That's what's going to happen to you if you don't straighten up. But you know what? A man can't do anything if he hasn't got an ear to hear. You'd think that if you've got an ear to hear, you'd say, well, why didn't they change? Well, Manasseh didn't. He went worse and worse. But Josiah came on the scene, and probably because of his schoolmasters or your governesses or governors, whoever raised him up, implanted something in him. He sought the Lord when he was about 20 years old, he turned to the Lord. And as a result, they found the copy of the Word of God. They ripped their clothes when they read how we're not doing what God's Word said. He restored the Passover and the temple worship back to the way it should have been. And he said it did better than all the other kings in those days around that time. I mean, like his father David had done. And yet, probably during that time, Habakkuk was maybe a prophet in the country. But yet, this book, the nation doesn't seem to be in that condition, what he's talking about right here. So it's possible that whenever Josiah passes off the scene, his son Jehoahaz becomes king and immediately turns back. and does everything contrary to what his dad done, what the Word of God said. In other words, he's an evil and a wicked king. And probably the nation, as far as the nation we see, they really turned to the place where they were corrupt morally and spiritually and every other way you can think about. They were corrupt politically. under Jehoahaz's ministry. Well, he only reigned for three months and then Jehoakim came in on the scene and about the time he came in on the scene, soon after Babylon came down and caused him to pay tribute to them and that's the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. So somewhere probably in Jehoahaz's ministry, this book probably takes place. as Habakkuk sees what has transpired and what has happened. Now you realize something, whenever things are going well, peace, when there's peace, and in Josiah's day, there was peace in that day. In other words, he didn't have that much war in his time, and being a good king, there was peace in his day, but you know what peace usually leads to? Prosperity. When you have just total peace, it leads to prosperity. And as a result, prosperity. You know what it leads to? Look at the book of Judges. Look at America. It's just like a roller coaster. Whenever things was going well and peaceful and the goodness of God was being shown to people in America and in the days of Judges, what happened? People got to seeking things. And when they got prosperous, They got apathetic, unconcerned, didn't care about the things of God, just wanted to reach out for the things of man, money, materialistic thing. And what happened, God had to send something in their lives to turn them back around. And you'll see that rollercoaster all through the book of Judges. You'll see it if you'd look back in America, the same rollercoaster all through the book of Judges. Prosperity leading to apathy and unconcern for God and didn't care about God, depending upon the government. Hmm, for taking, that's why God said in the book of Amos is he put him out there, woe unto those that are at ease in Zion and those who trust in the mountains of Samaria. Now that was back before the northern kingdom had even gone into captivity and what he's talking about those who trust and in Zion which is the head of the northern, the southern kingdom, he said you trusted in the government, woe to you. judgment upon you. Or the mountains of Samaria's where the palace was built in the north, northern kingdom. They were looking to the government. And he said, you can't do that. But that's what happens every time, all the way back. And in Josiah's day, the people were following what Josiah said. After all, he was king. off with your head if you don't. And what happened to Josiah, as far as Josiah was concerned, you realize something. It's amazing to see, though, how quick a nation can turn like it did after Josiah's ministry. You know why it's that way? Because depravity is still present in those people. Depravity was still there. Even if you're saved, flesh is still there, okay? And man has a tendency to want to follow flesh instead of God. Now, if you're saved, there'll be some difference. But see, the nation of Judah wasn't saved as a whole. But yet they followed what Josiah had said, and he restored worship there. In other words, and you know what happened? As a sovereign king, the people had returned to the prescribed ceremonies of the temple, but not necessarily to the Lord of the temple. They did it without mouth and not with their heart. And that's what people are doing today across this country. People are giving lip service but no hard action. And that's why Jeremiah made this statement in the book of Jeremiah, chapter number 7, verse number 4. He made this statement. He said, I trust you not in lying words, saying the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are these. In other words, they were looking to the temple of the Lord that had been restored in Josiah's day. But when Jehovah has come on the scene, things quickly turned back, and because their heart hadn't turned to the Lord of the temple, and just only to the temple of the Lord, they turned back immediately like they were, and their nation went totally away from God. it bothers Habakkuk as he says these things. And ask these questions, if you please, at this particular time. And you realize something during Jehoiakim's day. The Bible says this in the book of Jeremiah, chapter number 36, verse number 1 and 2. And this is in Jehoiakim's day, which is where Jeremiah was prophesying at that time, which is probably after Habakkuk. But get the picture here. It came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Take thee a roll of a book and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel and against Judah and against all the nations from the day I spake unto thee from the days of Josiah even unto this day. So he said you write these things down and carry them over and let the king hear it. Now it may have been different words from what Josiah had read because these were written after Josiah's ministry but it was still the word of God for the nation of Judah. And what happened was, it comes on down in verse number 23 and 24 of Jeremiah 37, it said it came to pass that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that's what Jeremiah wrote, he cut it with a penknife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. And they were not, yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words." Total different nation from what Josiah was. When Josiah, they read before Josiah the things that he had never heard. He knew that we've sinned against God as a nation and we've gone against him and he rent his clothes. But Jehoiakim didn't do that when Jeremiah's word of God came through Jeremiah. In other words, you realize something, that was the condition of the people, depravity was present even in Josiah's day. So when Jehoiaz came on the scene, Habakkuk was disturbed because a nation that so quickly had turned from truth and went back to the way they were before and even Messiah. in Manasseh's day, if you please. And so therefore, this book probably then reflects his thoughts during this time in Judah's history about the time that Jehoahaz was on the scene. Now, the nation of Judah was in a bad shape politically, spiritually, and morally. And Habakkuk was discouraged and depressed about her condition as he looked out and saw. He saw it in the good times, now he's seeing it in the bad times. Well, have you ever felt that way? Have you looked around lately and seen what's going on in this nation, or have you even seen it yet? You may not have ears to hear and eyes to see, and I'm not gonna get into all the details about the politics we're in, but I'm gonna tell you what, we can feel that way. And you can feel that way spiritually, morally, and politically, okay? You can feel like Habakkuk did. Let me give you a test tonight, okay? Let's see if you pass this test. I'm gonna let you fill in the blank, okay? You answer me if you can, okay? In other words, I'll give you this test. I'm ready to throw in the? Uh-oh, that's the first thing you got right, okay? I'm at the end of my road, okay? I'm just a bundle of nerves. My life is falling. I'm at my wits' end. I feel like resigning from the human... Oh, y'all made a hundred. You know why? Because you felt that way at times, haven't you? Huh? I mean, it may not just be the nation, it just may be your family, it may be what surrounds you, that you've got these kind of conditions and you say, hey, I'm about ready to throw in the towel. What's the use to continue? I mean, it don't matter where you're at. You see, we call these conditions that we're in storms of life. Okay? Think about the storms of life. That's what Habakkuk was facing, the storms of life as there'd been a change of the guard, I guess you could say, the king, and things had just went downhill ever since. Well, you see, you're not the only one that's got that problem because Habakkuk had a storm of life. Jesus also had storms in his life, did he not? The Bible said in Isaiah 53, verse number 3, He's despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and we hid, as it were, our faces from him. He was despised and we esteemed him not. You think about Jesus. He had a storm in his life, if you please. In fact, Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ gave sorrows its name. Man of sorrows. You see, we're going to have storms. Therefore, the title of this series is, it's a question. When it comes to storms, how do you look? That may be a little unusual title, but you'll see it in a minute how it fits together. When it comes to storms, how do you look? How do you look? Most people are looking for a rainbow and a pot of gold instead of the storm. They're looking for something to get ahead. And you know, you see, but you can't have a rainbow without a storm. In other words, there's a rainbow at the end of a storm. When the storm comes, you mix up the storm and the sun pumps out, that causes the rainbow to come. But you've got to have a storm to have a rainbow. Now I'm going to tell you something. There's a rainbow at the end of your storms. If you're connected right to the Lord Jesus Christ, if you're anchored in Him, there's a rainbow at the end of your storms, amen? And without the storms, there'll be no rainbow. So usually when we see in a physical situation, we see the lightning flashing, we see the sky beginning to get dark and the winds begin to blow, what do you usually say? There's a storm coming. Better head for cover sometimes, we'd say that, if it gets bad enough. But there's a storm coming, and sometimes spiritually, the winds of adversity blow, and it gets dark, and you know you're headed for a storm in your life. I don't care where you're at, there's a storm you're facing. Let me tell you, though, that after the storm, there's a rainbow. After the storm, there's a rainbow, and whatever you go through, in other words, there'll be a rainbow for you if you're rightly acquainted and related to the Lord Jesus Christ. There'll be a rainbow whatever storm you go through. And there's not a storm what the Lord Jesus don't understand what you're going through. The Bible said, He's been through every one of them. Hebrews chapter 4 verse number 15. He said, For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. He understands you. He's been tempted in every point as you have, whether you're a man or whether you're a woman. He still understands you. Now, it's hard for us to explain and really understand how he can understand, but he's been there. He's suffered everything that you, have suffered in that sense, and can suffer. Hebrews 2.18, he said, for in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he's able to succor them that are tempted. The word succor means to aid. He's able to aid you because he understands, he's set where you set, and therefore he's been through the storm. Now, I want to tell you, we may have been through some storms, but I don't know all the answers. I don't have all the answers, amen? But I'll tell you somebody who does, the Lord does, amen. He maketh no mistakes. Listen, God does not carry whiteout around with him. You write something and, you know, secretaries used to have to have them little things, corrective tape on the typewriter, didn't they? Now you got the computer and you can just change it and nobody ever know you made a mistake, right? But God never has to carry whiteout around with him. God's never had to say, oops. God's never made a mistake. He's never had to erase anything. He's never had to start over. He's never done one thing. He had to do it again. Never has. Amen. He's right. He's always been right. And He's never allowed a storm in your life but what it was good for, for our good and for His glory. Did not He say that in Romans 8, 28? He said, For we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose. And Paul also said this in 2 Corinthians 4.17 about what he went through. And if you'll read what Paul went through, he suffered a lot. And he says, For our light, affliction. left for dead whipped and beat with rods and cat of nine tails and oh what all he suffered and he called it light affliction for our light affliction which is just is but for a moment it'll be over even if it lasts a hundred years we still got an eternity out yonder it'll be over in other words our light affliction but which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Then he also said in Romans 8, 18, and he understood this because he'd already been on the other side when he was caught up in the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12, but he said Romans 8, 18, for I reckon, I'm counting, I'm putting it on a balance sheet, I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Now this is easier to preach than it is to practice, but still, I'm trying to give us encouragement tonight, asking you how do you look at the storm? In other words, the question, I didn't say that exactly right, did I? When it comes to storm, how do we look? How do you look when it comes to storm? You see, Habakkuk faced a storm when baby Jehoahaz took over. The nation going downhill politically, spiritually, morally, and he couldn't understand God, why have you allowed this to happen to your people? And so I want to apply I see what he went through and apply it to ourselves. The first thing in chapter number 1, and I'll give you the overlay of the book and help us to understand us in a sense, but in chapter 1, we see him wondering and worrying. As he asked questions, he was filled with questions. How long, verse 2? Verse 3, why? Why? In other words, he was in a valley, if you please, and in that valley he could see the storms that was rising and coming up on him on every side. Therefore we conclude that looking at the storm, get that picture, at, A-T, looking at the storm brings confusion. What did I say the title was when it comes to storm? How do we look? If you look at the storms, you're going to have confusion, okay? You're going to have confusion. If worry, and watching in other words there, you're going to, looking at that, you're going to have confusion. But you see, looking at ourselves and our circumstances will bring only confusion, and that's where we stop at a lot of times. Poor little old me. Look what I'm going through. Nobody else has to go through what I'm going through. Beckett said, if you look at the storm, you're going to have confusion like he had. In that sense, we can apply it to us. And so therefore, the storm, as we think about that, it brings confusion, looking at the storm. But in chapter 2, we see him watching and waiting. You see, he comes out of the valley and gets in the watchtower, chapter 2, verse number 1 says there. Let me just read a little bit here to get an overview. He said, I'll stand upon my watch, and set me up on the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, that I may answer when I am reproved." In other words, he's watching and waiting, and he comes out of that valley, gets in the watchtower, therefore, we conclude, looking through the storm brings confidence. We said when it comes to storms, how do we look? If you look at the storm, it brings confusion. If you look through the storm, it brings confidence, you see. Because he was looking to God by faith in chapter 2, verse 4, the last part, he said, "...and the just shall live by his faith." Now then, chapter 3, we see him worshiping, and verse number 2 of chapter 3, he made this statement, let me turn there. He said, It seems that God was allowing things to happen to the nation of Judah, and what he's doing here, he's still worshipping God in chapter 3. In other words, he's saying, you revived your work in days gone by, you revive us again. Remember, Lord, what you've done. In other words, what you have done, do it again. Revive us again. Therefore, we conclude that by looking beyond the storm, it brings comfort. In other words, by looking ahead to his glorious return, is what happened as far as the backet was concerned, he saw the rainbow. You look at the storm, you have confusion. If you just look through the storm... It'll help because it'll bring confidence, but yet whenever you look beyond the storm, it'll bring comfort. Amen. So confusion, confidence, and comfort. It's these three chapters. It applies to us. And so therefore, he said in chapter 3, verse number 19, he spoke of this. He said, the Lord God is my strength and he'll make my feet like hinds feet and he'll make me to walk upon mine high places to the chief singer of the stringed instruments." Well, the first part of that was he said, he'd make my feet like hinds feet. In other words, he said, you just keep on and you look through the storm and you look beyond the storm, you'll find the rainbow and you'll get hinds feet. And hinds feet mean cause you just like a deer. In other words, it'll cause you to skip over the obstacles like that deer can do. You ever seen a deer run around and jump from one place to another to another and it seemed like nothing bothering you and I'd turn our ankle and fall down, wouldn't we? But he said he'll make us like a hind's feet, in other words, and cause us to skip over those obstacles like a deer because he's looked beyond the storm. In verse 18 of chapter 3, he said, Yet I'll rejoice in the Lord, and I'll join the God of my salvation. In other words, the word yet implies that if all these things didn't happen, it don't happen. He said, it don't matter what happens, I'm still going to rejoice because he's looking beyond the storm at the rainbow, if you please. When it comes to storms, how do you look? Tonight I want to just deal with chapter 1 a little bit. And looking at the storm, it brings confusion here. Wondering and worrying when you begin to look at the storm. Anybody got a storm in your life? I know you have. Amen. There are storms on every side. And what are you doing? You're worrying. You're twiddling your fingers. And, you know, you're wondering what's going to happen. How's this going to come out? It may seem like a big storm to somebody else, but it is to you. And so therefore, you wonder and you worry about it. And you see, if you look at your storms, if you look at them, if you look at them, you'll say, why? Why? Why? How long? That doesn't seem fair that this is happening to me. It's not right, Lord. I've tried, I've tried, I've tried. Why now, Lord? Why this? Why is this happening to me? You see, we have the same conditions today as what Abbakad had. Can you identify with that? I think you can if you'll just be honest about it. Look on every side. Why? No sayings. Spiritually, morally, and politically, our nation is in a state of decay and decline. We know that. Amen. Look around. We're in a mess. Amen. Just like they were in Judah's day. And then we're almost to a point of total disaster in our nation, whether you realize it or not, we are. And we begin to ask the question like a bacchid asked, And really, he asked, I want to just sort of paraphrase this or look at three questions that he implied. He asked these three questions like this, okay? The first question is, why don't you answer our prayer? Why don't you answer my prayers for us? He was saying, even though he didn't use those words, look what he said in verse number 2. Oh Lord, how long shall I cry and thou will not hear, even cry out unto thee of violence and thou will not save? Lord, how long? In other words, why don't you answer my prayer? I prayed and I prayed. And I've prayed and I've cried and I've cried. You see, Habakkuk's not the only one asking that. You see, if you get a bad report, sometimes you go to the doctor and you get a bad report and they use the big bad C word that could be cancer. Well, what's going to happen? You say, well, I'm going to pray and God will take care of it. And you know what? And sometimes the doctors say, well, I've gone as far as I can. It's left to the man upstairs. That's his turn, you see. That's what they usually say. He's talking about God, and he don't even know who God is, probably, but they know He's a higher power, but they don't know what to call Him. But then you pray, and you pray, and sometimes it seem as if God's dead, the heavens are brass, and nothing's happened, there's no answer. In other words, you don't believe He's working. Storm. Just a storm in your life. Habakkuk looked out across the world of his day and saw violence, injustice, spoiling, strife and contention on every side. The law was not enforced like it should have been. There was no legal protection for innocent people who were sentenced as guilty. And I know I'm using some application that we've got today. The courts were filled with crooked lawyers and selfish politicians. The whole nation was suffering because of the evil of the government in his day and in our day as well. Yet God seemed to do nothing about it. He said, I prayed and I prayed and I prayed and nothing happened. He was looking at the storm. But God spoke up and said, I'm at work. Look at verse 5 and 6. He said, In other words, God said, I'm at work. just not what you're expecting and how you're expecting to work. You see, God's at work today. For the United States of America, for your life, for every storm you're in, He's at work and He's not caught off guard. Remember, He knows what's going on. And in other words, and what He said in essence to Habakkuk, I'm working and I'm working the work that will amaze you. And of course what he's saying here in these two verses, I'll raise up the Chaldeans, who was Babylon, who will conquer the nations and be my instrument to chasten my people. You see they'd been in sin and God said I'm working. Paul applies verse number 5 to verse number 5 to the situation of the church in his day in Acts chapter number 13 verse number 41 when he said behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days a work which ye shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you. So you see, Paul's saying, quoting basically what God told Habakkuk, I work a work that you won't believe, you'll be amazed at. And of course, and he's talking about really the God's work of bringing the Gentiles into the church, and the Jews sure didn't think that ought to happen, you see, but the Gentiles were going to get in, and did get in, I thank God they did. And they didn't understand that in Paul's day. But he said, I'll work a work. And you see, Habakkuk didn't truly understand why God would bring in the Chaldeans or Babylon in. He's describing the Chaldean armies here in verse 7 through verse number 10. This is what's going to happen. And this of course had to be prophesied or spoken of before it happened. So it's about the time of Jehoahaziz minister or the beginning of Jehoiakim's ministry because it soon came to pass in just a few years after that that Daniel went into captivity about two or three years after Jehoiakim became king. And so as a result, he said, verse 7, this is what they're like, the Chaldeans or the Babylonians. They're terrible and dreadful, verse 7, their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards and are more fierce than the evening wolves. And their horsemen shall spread themselves and their horsemen shall come from far. They shall fly as eagles that hasten to eat They shall come all for violence, their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand, and they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be scorned unto them. They shall deride every stronghold, for they shall heap dust and take it." Not a pretty picture of a nation that's going to come and take over Judah. And it happened not too many years after that, little by little, as he had those three deportations, 607, 597, and 586. Three times he carried them into captivity, again and again, and destroyed the whole nation just a few years after this particular time. So it's not a pretty picture. They're bitter, and they're swift, they're terrible, and they're dreadful. They fly as an eagle and swoop down for the kill. That's what they're going to do. That's a storm, Habakkuk. That's a storm coming, and you're in a storm, and yet there's a rainbow at the end of the storm. As far as we're concerned, the Gentiles are going to be saved. In other words, he goes on to describe some things in chapter 3 of what's going to happen. They're going to be put back in their land, they're going to be restored. But today we've got a storm. In other words, there's a storm in our churches. People are preaching, name it and claim it, crowd. You know they're preaching that? In other words, they say there's only two reasons for sickness. In other words, one of them is either you've got sin in your life or you don't have faith. Well, I want to tell you something, that's not true. Amen? Paul, don't tell me that Paul didn't have faith and yet he had a sickness, had an eye problem, I know. Some people think that was the thorn in his flesh, but I don't think so, but just suppose it was and we could apply it like that. You see, he wrote about faith more than anybody. He had faith and yet he had a physical problem. He had the physical sickness, if you please. And there was one time Epaphras was sick nigh unto death, and Paul prayed and prayed, and yet God finally healed Epaphras, but it wasn't... You see, this crowd that tells you it's a sin, that it's because of sin or it's because you don't have faith, they don't know what they're talking about, amen? They don't know. That's a storm, and if you're not careful, if you're looking at the storm, it'll bring worry and confusion will come out of it, amen? You realize something, he had that thorn, and you know what the Bible says about that thorn in 2 Corinthians 12, verse number 7, he said, Notice that word, given to me. Given to me a thorn in the flesh. The messenger of Satan debuffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. Now just suppose it was his eyes. I don't think that was what it was. But suppose it was a health problem. It was given to him. You don't hear the Chrismatics praying for that gift, do you? Amen. They want this gift and that gift, but not the gift of a sickness. Amen. You don't hear that. But you see, some think just because you're saved, you're not going to have sickness. I want to tell you that's not so. Salvation is not a vaccination against suffering. Amen? Saints in the past have been martyred for the cause of Christ. Let me ask you a question. Are we any better than they were? No, not so. You see, we're going to suffer. We're going to have pain. But if a storm comes, if we look at it, it's going to bring confusion. We're going to ask questions. Why, Lord, why did you do it this way? In other words, why don't you answer our prayer? Why don't you get me out of this? Another question I think I could paraphrase, and why do you allow pain, God? Why do you allow pain? Verse 3, look what he said there. He said, Why dost thou show me iniquity and cause me to behold grievance? That grievance involves a pain, suffering of the soul, if nothing else. Psalms 103, verse number 10 said, He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. You better be glad for that. I better be glad for that, amen? If we got what we deserve, we'd all be in hell right now, as Brother Price would say, with our neck broke, amen? In other words, we does not reward according to our iniquity. I'm glad he don't. Psalm 103, verse number 13, he said, Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. The word pitieth basically means loveth them. Now, somebody said, well, if you love them, why would you want to put pain upon them? The Bible says this in the book of Proverbs, chapter number 13, verse number 24, about the regular father, a normal father. He said, He that spareth his rod, hateth his son, but he that loveth him, but chasteneth him betime. He said, If you love your children, you'll discipline, and discipline brings pain. Amen? Anybody remember that? I do. Amen. It was pain. And it may not be for long, but it's pain. And God allows pain because He's chasing us. Even in this situation, He loves us and He allows pain. But yet, He asked the question, basically, why? And then He also said, why don't you act to punish? Verse number 3. Verse number 3 again, let me read that first part. Why don't you act to punish? He said this in verse number 3. Why dost thou show me iniquity? In other words, and then he goes on down to verse 4. Therefore the law is slack, and judgment doth never go forth, for the wicked doth compass about the righteous, therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. In essence, he's saying, why don't you act to punish, Lord? Why don't you act? Why don't you do something? Well, you see, the Bible says this in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah, it says in Isaiah chapter number 55, verse number 8 and 9. I'll find it in a moment, okay? Isaiah 55, verse 8 and 9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways. Your ways, my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. I don't think like you do. I know what's going on. And when I allow a nation like Babylon to come in and overrun the southern kingdom like I'm going to bring them up, raise them up to do, it's I'm going to inflict pain upon them because I'm chastening them. It's because I love them. I love them, but yet he's looking at the storm, and he's worrying, and they're in wondering, and yet it brings confusion. In other words, it's what it amounts to. You see, what we would say is, God, get him, God. Get him, God, or get her, God. She's eaten up with it. Get her, get her. Why don't you take her out? She's been a thorn in my flesh, or he's been a thorn in my flesh. Why don't you do that? and all time, but God says, Romans 2, 4, what did he say? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing the goodness of God leadeth thee to repent? Just what would have happened had Jehoahaz or Jehoiakim in his time, even after they came down and started the captivity, if he had repented and rent his clothes and got on sackcloth and ashes and took the word of God and restored some things back in Israel, you know what? Israel would have lasted longer. Amen? That's God's goodness. Well, he's a lot better than we are. Amen. We won't put up near as much as what he has. And yet he loves us and there comes a time he has to punish. In other words, God says he forbears, he holds back. That's why I'm doing what I'm doing. In other words, so that they might repent. That's why he's doing that. And you know how long he's holding back or forbearing as far as a nation is concerned or as far as an individual is concerned? Until the cup gets full. When America's cup gets full, look out, America, she's going down. When your cup gets full, look out, you're going down. And the cup will get full, and the wrath will fall. But God showed Habakkuk how he would use the Chaldeans to punish. And that only created another question with Habakkuk, in essence. And I'll just paraphrase what he's saying in basically the rest of chapter 1. or in part of chapter one, how can you use such a sinful nation for a holy cause? How could you use such a sinful nation for a holy cause? I'll tell you what, airplanes flying into our tires and things like that, you'd say, well, why, how could he use that? Because we've not heeded what God said in America, amen? And that's exactly why, and it's gonna get worse if we don't look out, amen? But if we keep looking at the storm, all we're gonna have is wondering and worrying, and we're going to have confusion and ask these questions and we're not going to get anywhere. You see, he could not understand why God could use a sinful nation for a holy cause. They're worse off than Judah was. They're more sinful than Judah was and basically said, it's true that we've sinned and we deserve chastening, but the Chaldeans are far worse than we are. If anyone deserves punishment, it's the Chaldeans. So Habakkuk was in the valley. wandering and worrying, looking at the storm, and it brought confusion to him about why God would do such as that. You see, when one looks at the storm, he can't see the rainbow. When you're looking at the storm, you can't see the rainbow. But we find him moving in chapter 2. In other words, out of the valley, up on the watchtower. Now this is an attitude of heart that he's talking about, moving up on a watchtower there. But we find him watching and waiting, looking through the storm. In other words, and that brings confidence because he was looking for a rainbow. He was looking through the storm, looking for a rainbow, looking for the good that's going to come out of the storm. Can we do that? Can we do that in a storm tonight? I believe everyone of us could say I'm in some kind of a storm. I've got this problem and this problem and that problem. We're all in the storm of America, I guarantee you. We're all in that. You may not have even visualized it, may not have even been concerned about it, but there's a storm raging. It's on the horizon. But if we look at the storm and don't look through the storm for the rainbow and look beyond the storm, we're going to get down. We're going to wonder and worry and we're going to get down and ask questions and say, why God, why God, why God? and all we have is confusion, but thank God we can have confidence that if we're anchored right, if we have the right relationship, no matter what the storm is, that God's in control. He said He works it together for good. Let's look beyond the storm. I mean, look through the storm next and find confidence that God's gonna bring us through, and we'll find a rainbow beyond the storm. Amen? The rainbow that'll carry us through. Well, when the storms come, how do you look? Do you look at them? Do you look through them or do you look beyond them? Now we'll go home tonight and sit down and worry, wonder, because we look at the storm. It may be a financial storm. It may be just a sickness storm, some kind of malady up on you. It may be problems that you're having at work. It may be problems you're having here or there, and I don't have to name them for you. But we've all got storms of some kind. Amen? Moses had a bunch of them. He pastored the First Baptist Church in the desert. Amen? He had plenty of storms. You get the point? There's storms. There's storms. And if we're not careful, we'll look at the storm. And we want to find the rainbow, but the rainbow is beyond the storm. Don't look at it and bring confusion. Let's look through it. He brought the children of Hebrews, the boy threw it through, didn't he? Through the fiery furnace. And you'll find help on the other side for His good, our good and His glory. And then when we get down to chapter 3, we're going to look beyond. And we're going to see the victory out there. We're going to see the comfort that we can have to know. And I'm just going, yet I will praise him, he said, no matter what happens and no matter how bad Jehoiachin gets, and I don't know exactly where it's all at, but I'm just looking at it from what we know. He said, I'm just going to praise him anyway. And yet, boy, you see him in the first of the chapter. Chapter 1, he's hanging his foot off the side of a newspaper and swinging his legs. Get the picture, been there, done that. May God help us to look. I'm talking to myself. Boy, I look at the storms a lot of times and wonder and worry. Sin to do it, but we do it. Let's look through it and bring confidence to know there's, and then we look beyond it, there's a rainbow if we're right relationship with him. And maybe a lot of pain in between, but God knows what he's doing because he loves us. And he's forbearing, helping us to have a space of repentance. Father, I don't know whether you can put, I know you can put all this together in hearts and lives, but Lord, help my stammering and stumbling and just some way or another tonight, encourage your people. Encourage your people to know that the storms they're facing, there's a rainbow beyond them, if they'll walk in the right relationship with you, if they get plugged into you, there's a rainbow out there, and they can have victory. They don't have to have just confusion. There may be a confusion for a while, but maybe we climb up on a watchtower. if you please, and an attitude of our heart and get to the place to where we look through the storm and begin to see the rainbow that's over there on the other hillside. And Lord, we can have some victory in our lives as we look beyond and know that you're in control and it'll all work out for your glory and our good. And we'll just keep on by the grace of God, praising you and serving you for your honor and your glory. Help us tonight. Help me tonight. I know it's, Lord, we need you. Help us, Lord. Help us as we go in the storm to not look at the storm, but look through it, and we'll have confidence to know that we can look beyond it and find the rainbow. A rainbow, if we're anchored in you and properly have the proper relationship with you, there'll be a rainbow one day. Thank you for your goodness now. Help us tonight. Let no one quench your spirit, and we'll praise you, for we ask it all in Jesus' name. For his sake, we do pray. Heads bowed, eyes open.