Habakkuk chapter number three and verse number one and two. A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet upon Shignioth. Oh Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. Oh Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known. In wrath, remember mercy. You may be seated. I want to preach tonight from these two verses. This is a very pivotal point in the book of Habakkuk. It is at this point that it seems Habakkuk's entire outlook and perhaps even attitude has now changed. You'll know from chapter one and chapter two's study that he has been sorrowful. He has been burdened. In fact, that's how this book opens. The burden of Habakkuk the prophet. Chapter 3, it's the PRAYER of Habakkuk the prophet, and he HAS been in a very difficult way. He's been discouraged. He's been complaining. God has spoken to him and made it even WORSE in his thinking, and he has began to call out to God, and God has answered, and God has pronounced the judgment that He's going to bring upon the Chaldeans even AFTER He deals with Israel. But when you come to chapter 3, Habakkuk's attitude has changed, and in this chapter there's really three phases that's in this chapter the first two verses you see the prophet is praying verse three down to verse number fifteen or actually i'm sorry sixteen verses three to sixteen he's pondering He's pondering. We're not looking at that tonight, but just to kind of get you interested, go read these verses. And really what he does is he begins at the beginning of Israel's history, and he kind of walks down through their history and what God had done, how God had worked, how God had moved, how God had raised up this nation, and how God had proven Himself time and time and time again. So the first two verses he's praying, 3 to 16 he's pondering, and then the last three verses of this Prophecy he's praising, worshiping God, blessing the Lord. As he begins with this prayer, I notice it says a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. That's not a term we find often in the Bible. In fact, it's only one time here. It's the second time in Psalm 7, but it's actually a different word in the English. It's spelled differently than it is here, even though it's the same Hebrew word. Who knows what Shigianov means? That's one of them words that we don't read it often and we're not very familiar with it. In fact, I called an old preacher friend up who does a lot of word studies. He's a great preacher. And I asked him, well, tell me everything you know about it. He said, I've never studied it at all. I said, well, a lot of help you are. what's it mean? well i got to looking at it and uh... it's a word that speaks to the kind of of words that's being spoken or even to a style of writing i'll tell you what i found on it and uh... one writer said it refers to a specific style of psalm or song Meaning a song of impassioned imagination. Wild and enthusiastic. It indicates a musical composition sung with strong emotion. Someone said that's Southern singing. If you ever go to the South, you'll know what I'm talking about. Get in a meeting where the house of God's full, folk get to singing, it's almost like the rafters are just about to lift off. We had some good singing here today. Good participation. Let me just say, singing is not a spectator event. Not in the house of God. It requires participation. Strong emotion. It also can be a style of music involving rapid change of rhythm. Go to a black church in the South and you'll understand what rapid change of rhythm is. See a choir sing. Unrestrained fever used for expressing intense feelings like praise or even lament. And so we find here that this is impassioned singing, a prayer of impassioned intensity, fervency. I'm kind of at a crossroads as to what to title the message. You can help me out. I was thinking about what James said, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. I think that really embodies what Habakkuk is doing here. So I've entitled it the effectual fervent prayer of Habakkuk. But it could be the effectual or even the emotional fervent song of Habakkuk. This is a song. We know that because at the end of this chapter, he says to the chief singer on my stringed instruments, he's saying, this is to be sung. This is to be brought together. Let the choir learn this song and sing it and sing it loud. Sing it with passion. Sing it with fervency. Y'all ever notice in some songs we sing at the top it'll say, sing slowly. One of the songs we sung that night actually I think said that at the top. Sometimes it will say for a solo. So songs are written sometimes to accompany certain styles of singing. And here this song evidently was written to accompany a style of very loud, passionate, fervent singing. I find it amazing because Habakkuk's situation has not changed, has it? But his perspective has. Nothing's any different. God's still going to judge Israel. God's still going to send her into captivity. God's still going to do with her everything He said He's going to do. But Habakkuk's spirits have been lifted. You go back to chapter 2 verse 20, and the last thing he got a glimpse of was God and His holy temple. He got a fresh view of God's sovereignty, of the Lord upon the throne doing as He pleases, and there was something about that encounter, something about that revelation that did his heart so much good that he says, let's sing loudly unto the Lord. Isn't it amazing how sometimes just the simplest glimpse from the Word of God of our Lord and Savior can change our perspective of everything happening in our life? Our world can be falling apart and you get up and open your Bible out of faithfulness and begin to read and maybe your devotion in time of reading the Word of God's been dry as of late, and all of a sudden you land upon a verse unexpectedly. God the Holy Ghost sits down in your heart and begins to fill your soul with some fresh illumination from the Word of God, and it just warms your heart, and all of a sudden your day and your outlook on life is totally different than it was when you sat down and opened up the Word of God. Isn't that amazing? Sometimes it's like that in a service. Sometimes it's like that in fellowship, talking with one another and somebody just brings up something they've been studying and how God's impressed their heart with it and they want to be a blessing and all of a sudden it's the very thing you needed to hear at that very moment in time. Well that's where Habakkuk is. And so we see here the effectual fervent prayer of Habakkuk. The nation of Judah is in trouble by and large. Judah had sinned against the Lord her God, the One who had loved her and blessed her and raised her up and made her to be the center of all nations. All nations was looking to Israel. I say by and large because there was still a small believing remnant that were continuing to follow the Lord and to do right. Let me just remind us tonight, there's always a remnant. God's always got a people, doesn't He? He's always got those that are serving the Lord. I think about even Elijah in the days of Ahab and Jezebel. You'll remember that there was a prophet by the name of Obadiah who had hid a hundred prophets of the Most High God in a cave and was taking care of them. Oh, there was still a remnant. You remember Elijah, he got to feeling pretty low and said, Lord, I'm the only one. God said, Oh no, I've got 7,000 that haven't bowed the knee to Baal. You're not alone in this thing. We find here there was a remnant. But by and large the nation had forsaken God, it had turned to sin, violence, injustice, strife and contention had filled the land. And the Lord had sent His prophets unto His people and warned them time and time again of the judgment that would come if they did not repent and turn back unto Him. But they continued on. They turned a deaf ear to the Word of God. And at this point the Lord has done warning His people Their apostasy has reached the point of no return, and as far as judgment is concerned, God is coming to judge sin in Israel. He's made it clear He's going to use the Babylonians or the Chaldeans, same nation known as different names, to do this. And yet, the Lord revealed to Habakkuk that He would also judge the Chaldeans for their harsh treatment of Judah, because He is a righteous Lord. Having said all that, let me say the United States of America is in trouble tonight. Evil is running rampant in our nation. It's full of violence, corruption, injustice, sin. And we who are believers are to be glorifying Jesus in our lives. But by and large, many quote-unquote Christians have ceased doing that. Now just bear with me, I'm not preaching this necessarily to rebuke you tonight. I don't know that that's even the point of what I'm trying to share with you. I'm trying to set more of the context of where we live. I know many of you are living out the Christian life. If you're not, I pray God does rebuke your heart and you do repent and you do begin to live that Christian life. But I know many of you are, but by and large, accepting the remnants that are pocketed here and there throughout this nation, yeah, even throughout this state, that there are many by and large who quote-unquote claim to be Christians who are not living for the Lord. They're not glorifying the Lord. Their personal lives are in a mess tonight. Many have stepped back from even trying to please the Lord or live a life that's pleasing to the Lord. More and more appear to be stepping back from having faith whatsoever in the Lord. Apostasy is rampant. And know this, that in the last days there's going to be some dark times. There's going to be some evil days. There's going to be some really bad things happening. There's going to be a turning away from the truth. The Apostle Paul warns Timothy, professing believers are going to embrace the things of the world that the Lord is not pleased with. And too many are satisfied in our day and age with a cheap imitation of so-called Christianity, a life that omits the life of Christ. It's a life that has a form of godliness, but it denies the power thereof. They put on their religious cloak and they go to church maybe one or two or three, even three times a week, But when they're out living in the world, it is full-blown anarchy. There is no law of love or light from Jesus that's governing their life. They do as they please, when they please, how they please, and where they please. That's the day we live in in America. Has our nation reached the point of no return? Well, are we there? Are we to the point that God is going to judge America? I think it's very possible. I think it's very possible because the components of what is needed to see the healing in our land are just not there. By and large, professing Christians are not willing to humble themselves. Pride! Pride! It's prevalent in this day and age among quote-unquote believers. They're not willing to pray. Altars are empty. Where there used to be tear stains on the altar, now the altars are dry anymore. We as Christians in a large way have forgot even how to pray. We've forgotten the principles of prayer, that there must be unity in prayer, there must be a measure of faith in prayer, there must be a measure of the whole man, of the whole being, of the whole individual occupying the role and the responsibility of prayer. It takes the whole man to pray, not just say a few words. Many are not willing to seek God's face. And so the Word of God's ignored, the Spirit of God's grieved. And as the Spirit of God's grieved, they turn NOT from their wicked ways. They carry on in the very way they've headed for many, many years. They've become comfortable with the ways of the world, and that's really something that you and I have to guard against as believers is GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH the world. We find in Habakkuk 3.2 that Habakkuk prays in the midst of certain judgment. Listen to his prayer. Oh Lord, I've heard thy speech and was afraid. He said, I was afraid. Fear had gripped his heart. He knew what was coming. And he knew there was no way out of it. You realize what's coming in this nation, there's no way out of it. There's no way to turn back. But he's also encouraged. He says, I'm gonna sing about this passionately, because though we may not get out of it, God will bring us through it. Though we may suffer along with the rest of this nation, God's grace will be sufficient for us. God will keep us going. We see he's railing against the sin of Israel, and it has a great effect upon Habakkuk. I wonder, does the sin of our nation have an effect upon us? Does it still grieve our hearts to think of the condition of our nation and where we stand tonight? Does the knowledge of the truth that God must judge and will judge sin not only in other nations, but in all nations, including our nation, wherever it may be found? Does the thought of vengeance crying from the ground of the blood of unborn babies and the numbers of well over 60 million now not warn us and cause us to fear that God is going to hold us as a nation accountable for the death, for the murder of the innocent? Habakkuk saw a vision of the Lord. He heard his word and he was afraid. Listen to me closely this evening. What makes us think that America is better than Judah? When it comes to how the Lord looks at the sins of our nation. And yet in spite of all of that, look, I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm getting around to encouraging you, I hope. I'm just trying to paint the picture. This is Habakkuk's reality. Really, his reality was more of a reality than even ours is. We know God's going to judge this nation, but we also know that God is merciful and He has a remnant here, and maybe He spares our nation for a little while, and that we're a part of that by preaching the gospel, seeing lives changed, the grassroots movement, revival, God moving and saving and adding and bringing into the kingdom many souls. That can happen. we have a God of all power listen this isn't I know we're in the last days and often times we make statements and I would agree with them that things are worse now than they've ever been but do a little research in history there's been some really really really bad and dark days in the past as well and God sent revival and God moved in power but I'm just trying to get us to understand this is the reality Habakkuk is living in and yet listen to his prayer Lord, revive us again. Lord, make known thyself among your people. Lord, amidst wrath, remember mercy. Oh, we need to be praying for God's mercy upon this land. We need to be praying for God's mercy upon our lost loved ones. uh... that really ought to occupy a lot of our prayer time got lost children i've got lost children i pray for them god have mercy on them because god's the only one that can save them not the preacher not mama not daddy not the church jesus And I know if we're not careful, and yay, we would agree with John, Revelation 22, 20, even so come Lord Jesus. But we're not just to pray even so come Lord Jesus and hunker down behind the four walls of our church or our house and just hold out until Jesus comes. We need to be praying for mercy. We need to be praying for God to move in power, revealing himself. We need to pray for God to send revival among his people. God had told Habakkuk clearly judgment's coming and now it seems that Habakkuk has got it. He understands the message. And as I mentioned, as we get here, as we turn the corner in this book, as we come and approach this pivotal moment in Habakkuk, in the writing of this prophecy, the whole tone of the book begins to change. As I mentioned, nothing's changed on the outside. Judgment's still coming, but now Habakkuk has changed on the inside. And this is a psalm. It is a song of prayer. You see the word Sela three times in this chapter. Verse 3, verse 9, and verse 13, which is used in the psalms as a pause for meditation. It's an idea or a word that's been translated with the idea of what do you think about that? Or even stop and think about that. We've seen Habakkuk found a lot of bad news in the first two chapters, but now he's got some good news in the last. And again, the book ends with a note of prayer and pondering and praise. How did he move from this initial worry and fear to a place of confidence, joy and praise? How did he get there when nothing around him changed? The people are still mocking God. Violence still fills the streets. The Babylonians are still on their way to Jerusalem. Outwardly, everything is just as messed up as it was in the beginning. He got a glimpse of his God. And that settled everything. There's a prayer here, and I want us to notice, first of all, in the face of impending judgment, Habakkuk prayed for revival. He prayed for revival. I know many have expressed to me that you almost feel like we've had a measure of revival here. I know anytime a new pastor comes in, there's excitement around that, and I agree, and that's a blessing, but what about other churches? What about other Christians? What about our state? What about our nation? And the interesting thing I feel like about revival is even though you may experience a measure of revival, you still need more. We still need more of Christ. We can never get enough of Him. And so in the face of impending judgment, Habakkuk prayed for revival. Oh, that God would stir our hearts to pray for revival. I mean, to really make this a matter of our prayer meetings. To really agree upon this. You know, the Bible says if any two people agree as concerning or touching one thing, they shall have it. I believe when we pray, one, we've got to pray in the will of God. Number two, we have to pray for the glory of God. James says you ask, but you have not because you ask amiss, that you heap it upon your own lusts. You know what we ought to be praying? Lord, revive Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. Lord, save sinners at Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. Lord, add to your church at Landmark Missionary Baptist Church. Lord, I pray that you'd grow our church. Let us see growth. Let us see that there's souls coming in that want to hear the truth. And Lord, let us have more influence in society. God, give us more open doors. Expand our borders. Broaden our horizons. But listen, if we're praying for that, just so we can have a bigger church, That's praying to miss. Yeah, if we're just praying that so we got plenty of money in the bank, that's praying to miss. We've got to pray for His glory. Lord, we want to see this happen, not because of any other ulterior motives, but only because you deserve to receive the reward of your suffering. In other words, you deserve to receive all those for whom you died. Calling them unto yourself, and we know you've made it our responsibility to preach the gospel to them. And they won't come unless they hear the gospel. And as much as preaching that gospel is important, praying over those souls is just as equally, maybe perhaps more important. And then praying in faith when we pray for it. How many times can we sometimes pray and we have doubt? I'll tell you something tonight, I don't say this to boast, I say this to glorify God. But when I was at Indian Mission, we were pretty small when we first began as a pastor there, when I began as a pastor. And we went a few years like that, it was pretty discouraging. During that time, the Lord was really working on me, getting me where I needed to be. But we started having prayer meetings. We started really praying. I'm just gonna be honest with you tonight, God put on my heart to pray for 10 families, 10 men that the Lord would add them to the church. And I remember praying for that. I prayed for that regularly, Brother Mike. It didn't dawn on me until about five or six years later, it's just a couple years ago, God had done that. As I looked around and saw what God had done in adding to our church, He answered that prayer. Kind of made me wish I'd have prayed for 20 men. But in praying for that, I wasn't praying for that so some of the load would be off of me. We bore a lot of the load. I was praying for that because I really wanted to see God save sinners. I really wanted to see folk come to the church that we could minister to, that could grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and then in turn become ministers themselves, serving others as they had been served And God let us see that. God did that. Praying in faith. Faith-filled praying will keep praying until the prayer is answered. Sometimes I'm real bad to stop praying about stuff. It doesn't happen on my timetable and I kind of lose heart and I just stop praying. But if you'll be persistent. I'm talking about just trying to help us tonight in this area of prayer. Back here he shows us the effectual fervent prayer that he had as he called upon the name of God. He begged God for revival. Lord, revive us in the midst of the years. Even in the midst of judgment, in the midst of captivity, in the midst of being carried away, in the midst of the destruction of Jerusalem, in the midst of our having to bring up our children under Chaldean and Babylonian rule, revive your people. He did that. God answered the prayer of Habakkuk. When Cyrus let them go back and rebuild the temple, God revived them in the midst of those years of judgment. And if God can do that in that setting, can He not do it in this day and age? Even in the midst of judgment that's already upon us as a nation, can God not revive us in the midst of these years? He prayed for revival. Then He prayed for revelation. He says, in the midst of the years, make known. Make known! Reveal your glory! Show yourself mighty under the heathen nations, even while we're yet in captivity. Oh God, would you make people to know that you're the true and the living God. Did he answer that prayer? Oh yes, he did. Belshazzar, he got a revelation of God, didn't he? The Lord used Daniel and those three, what we call Hebrew children, they were Hebrew men of faith. He used them to influence the political, all the way up to the king of the empire of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Cyrus, every one of them guys, they knew about the true and living God. God used His men in the midst of that kingdom to even help direct it and keep it on course and give revelation to visions that were given so that they knew what was happening. And you know this, by the time it was all said and done, they knew and believed. Whether they had a relationship with Him or not, they knew and believed that the God of Israel was the real deal. well Nebuchadnezzar was put out to pasture, I guarantee you after those long years of eating grass like an animal he even has a great confession of faith I believe thou art the most high God and you do in heaven and earth as you please and I've come to learn that lesson we might even see him in heaven, who knows somebody was saying that this morning, some of you ladies went to that thing last night and you were talking about how you saw someone there and oh I didn't know I'd see you here There are going to be some folk in heaven that we're going to be surprised that they're there. There are probably going to be some folk in heaven surprised that we're there. Prayed for revelation. God answered that prayer. I believe, and I don't say this to toot our horn or to boast, but I believe our church, I believe Carmichael Baptist Church, I believe other churches that are preaching the gospel, the flock faith, and who love the Lord Jesus Christ as an answer to this prayer, who are still proclaiming the revelation, the Word of God in the midst of these years. Listen, it's not just enough to have the proclamation of the Word. We need it to be made known, don't we? So you had the proclamation of the word in my life for years growing up. Until I was 13, God made it known to me. Some of you, you heard the word of God for many years until God made it known to you. What a day it is when God makes it known to you, when it clicks. When the light bulb comes on. Kind of like Road Runner. Y'all remember that cartoon, don't you? Old Wiley getting a good idea and the light bulb would turn on above his head. Never did work out in his favor, but he had some good ideas. Old Acme was always working against him, though. There was a day when the light bulb turned on. And thank God he didn't just wave it in front of my face and pull it away as I reached out in faith. But it let me grab hold of and to believe even unto eternal life. Prayer for revelation. Make known. I want to make Christ known in my life. I want to make Christ known to my wife and to my children. That's my first mission field. My wife is saved. My oldest daughter is saved. But I've got other children that aren't saved. I want them to see Christ in me. I want to make Christ known to my neighbors. Make Christ known to my family, but to those that I run in, I ain't got as many folk around here I know as you, but I want to make Christ known to everybody I meet if I can help it. Prayer for revival, prayer for revelation, and lastly, a prayer for relief. Amidst wrath. Again, judgment. I know we're not getting out of this, Lord. I'm not asking to get us out of it anymore. I understand it's coming, but I'm just asking that you give a little relief. Show mercy. Remember mercy. That's what he's asking for here. Mercy. Lord, remember mercy. Did God answer that prayer? Oh yes, he did. Oh yes, he did. He not only answered that for Israel, he answered that for the entire world. He kept that lineage pure until the fullness of time when Jesus was born into this world of a virgin's womb. Mother and heir to the throne, stepdad and heir to the throne, the king of glory robed in human flesh. Oh, he kept that promise to Israel, but he kept it to the whole world. Because it's through Him coming into the world that you and I can experience mercy, forgiveness of sin. Many of us tonight have experienced that mercy. Answer to prayer. Oh, you talk about effectual fervent praying here that Habakkuk did. His prayer's still being answered. And it's still gonna be answered until Israel is restored. And a thousand-year reign begins. Well, I don't know about you, but I want to do that kind of praying. I want to pray to the point that it not only affects me and it affects mine, but it affects future generations. That there'll be some who come along behind us years down the road and say, thank God for the saints at Landmark Missionary Baptist Church that prayed. And I'm a recipient of God's mercy and grace because they prayed. They sought God even in the darkest of days. Even in California when everybody had thrown up their hands and said, what's the use anymore? They just kept on praying. They kept on proclaiming. They kept on staying with the Word of God and doing what God said to do. And now because of that today, I am a child of God and I have experienced His grace. I'm an answer to their prayers. The effectual fervent prayer of Habakkuk. Oh my God, just stir our hearts tonight to be a people of prayer. Pray the right way and pray until the Lord answers. Ball's in our court tonight, isn't it, church? What are we gonna do? Are we gonna wallow in self-pity in these dark hours and say there's just no use, there's no hope? Are we going to pray? And in the midst of judgment, remain faithful to our Lord and to our God. There's an old Chinese prayer that goes like this, O Lord, change the world. Begin, I pray thee, with me. Or the words of the old spiritual, it's me, it's me, it's me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my sister, but it's me, O Lord, standing Not just in the need of someone else's prayers, but in the need of prayer. We need to be a praying people, don't we? Our greatest challenge is to do what is necessary to change the person that we see in the mirror every morning. And that's where revival must truly begin. May God help us in this area of prayer. It could be said of us, there's been some effectual fervent prayers at Landmark Missionary Baptist Church.