Returning in the Word of God to the Book of Habakkuk, the prophecy of Habakkuk in chapter three. Habakkuk chapter three. A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth, O Lord, I have heard thy speech and was afraid. O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years make known. In wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran, Selah. His glory covered the heavens. And the earth was full of his praise, and his brightness was as the light. He had horns coming out of his hand, and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet. He stood and measured the earth. He beheld and drove asunder the nations. and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow. His ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction, and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? Was thine anger against the rivers? Was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked according to the oaths of the tribes. Even thy word, Selah, thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled. The overflowing of the water passed by. The deep uttered his voice and lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation. At the light of thine arrows they went. and at the shining of thy glittering spear, thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger, thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed. Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked by discovering the foundation unto the neck, Selah, Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages. They came out as a whirlwind to scatter me. Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters. When I heard, my belly trembled, my lips quivered at my voice. Rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself that I might rest in the day of trouble. When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail. And the fields shall yield no meat, the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places to the chief singer, on my stringed instruments. May God bless His Word and give us understanding. Let us pray. Our Father, we ask help and wisdom and direction to be given to us as we approach Thy holy Word. We thank Thee for the One who is our Teacher, the blessed, blessed Spirit of God, He abides in us. He works through us. And praise God, He speaks to us as we come to the Word. Spirit of God, be our teacher now, our counsellor and our guide. May we feel the burden of thy Word. We pray that thou wilt speak with a voice that wakes the dead and make thy people hear. Help us, by Thy grace, to give our hearts to Thee for this time. We pray that our mind will be brought in this objection. We pray for the captivating of every thought, that we might think upon Thee, that we might meditate upon Thy Word. O God, give us that attentiveness of mind and heart today. And may we leave blessed of Thee, having heard from Thee, for Jesus' sake. Amen. We've read together Habakkuk chapter 3, which of course is the song of Habakkuk. Very little is known about this prophet. We know his name. We know that he was a prophet of God. We know that possibly he was a chorister, though that has never been proven. And probably he prophesied around the time of Manasseh, Josiah, or Jehoiakim. But there is a considerable difference of opinion as to the exact timing when this prophet lived and prophesied. Habakkuk has been called the grandfather of the Reformation. That is because in his writings, in this book, we have that great Reformation text. It is Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 4, that just shall live by faith. This verse outlines to us in a simple statement the great doctrine of justification by faith. You can say that under God, Paul learned this truth from Habakkuk. And Martin Luther learned this truth from Paul. Habakkuk chapter 3 is both a prayer and a hymn. It is certainly a prayer because it is so called a prayer in verse 1 of Habakkuk, the prophet upon Shiginos. Prophets were praying then. And Habakkuk is no exception to that. He makes intercession for the people here in this chapter. These words also form a hymn to be used in singing, because it was given to the chief singer. That's where the whole prophecy ends, in verse 19 of chapter 3, to the chief singer on my stringed instruments. It may be that Habakkuk was not only a prophet, therefore, but, as we said, a chorister, though not proven. Certainly this chapter, the prayer of Habakkuk, is like one of David's Psalms. The song recorded was thus to be set to musical instruments. It is a prayer offered to God or a song to be sung unto God by the Jews, especially in their captivity, while they waited for the deliverance that was promised to them in the previous chapter. And a song that would be sung by the Jews in time to come and used in public worship. But it is also a prayer that can be uttered by the church today, for there is much application and meaning for all of God's believing people. This prayer came as a result of hearing God. Look at what we read there in the opening phrase of verse 2. The prophet, as he begins his prayer, he says, O Lord, I have heard thy speech. and was afraid. And hearing from God, which he did in the previous chapter, brings him now to pray before God. And you know, that's always a good practice. I'm not saying that it should be always the case, but it's good to hear from God and listen to what God is saying to us and then pray, then seek Him. I think it helps us to pray better. That's why we have chosen for many years to read a psalm on the Sabbath morning here in public worship. We hear from God in his word and then we pray. And my own personal practice at home is to read first of all and then to pray afterwards. I like to hear from God first and then that excites me to pray and it gives me things to pray about in the word that I have read. If a man is going to order his future right before God, he must carefully hear what God has to say to him. The message of the Lord struck the prophet with fear, and from a heart filled with godly reverence and respect, he utters the words of chapter 3. Now, if we can look at this book as a whole, we will see the circumstances leading up to the utterance of this supplication. It is agreed by most commentators that the key word to this book, this prophecy, is chapter 1 and verse 3. Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me, and there are that rise up strife and contention. That's the key verse. You understand that verse, you're going to understand what follows. And the key word is in the verse. It's the word, why? This question that is being asked by the prophet, why? The book begins with the prophet confused and perplexed. There were two main things that troubled him, which incidentally still trouble the people of God today. The first one is that it seemed that the Lord had neglected to answer his prayer. Look at chapter 1 and verse 2. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not see it." Why is God not answering my prayer? How long do I have to pray? And it seems as if my prayers are going unheeded. That was the first thing that troubled his heart. The second thing is in verse 4. The prophet could see violence on every hand, and yet no punishment was being visited upon the evildoers. He says, Therefore the law is slack, and judgment doth never go forth, for the wicked doth compass about the righteous, therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Now that disturbed the prophet too. All this trouble in the nation, all this sin, all this violence, and nothing seemed to be done about it. There didn't seem to be the punishing of sin. Well, God answers him. By telling the prophet that he was about to send judgment, he was going to do something, in fact, that was incredible in verse 5 of this opening chapter. God says, Behold ye among the heathen and regard and wonder marvellously for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe though it be told you. I'm going to do something that is incredible, something that is absolutely amazing. I'm going to step into the situation and I'm going to come in such a fashion that there will be no doubt about it whatsoever. That's what the Lord is saying here. In his sovereign purposes, he was going to use the Chaldeans as a swift and a terrible instrument of judgment upon Israel because of their sin. Verse 6 tells us that God says, For lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadths of the land to possess the dwelling places that are not theirs. Now the Lord's reply, though it solved one difficulty, raised another. How could a pure God chastise Israel by a nation that was far, far worse than themselves? The prophet just couldn't understand this or reconcile it to his limited thinking. How could a holy God use the heathen to destroy a people that were more righteous than they. And you continue to read in this opening chapter from verse 12 to 17, and you will see that brought out. Habakkuk receives an answer from God. And that's what we have in the second chapter. And he is told that the purpose of God was going to be fulfilled soon. And he was encouraged to wait for it. The Lord was not unmindful of the wickedness of the Chaldeans and would ultimately punish them very sorely. In fact, five woes are pronounced against the Chaldeans, against their dishonesty, their covetousness, their violence, their debauchery and their idolatry. This answer given by the Lord causes the prophet to utter a prayer or a psalm of praise. elevating the majesty and the glory of the Lord and declaring his unwavering trust in the divine plan. Though he could not square his belief in his own mind, his belief in a good and a righteous God with what he was observing around him, yet he was willing to leave matters with this all-knowing, all-powerful, all-sovereign God, who works things out in accordance to His own divine purpose, according to the counsels of His will. In this the prophet was well named, because the name Habakkuk means to embrace or to cling. He's going to embrace the plan of God, even though he didn't understand what was happening. And he was going to cling on to this great God of glory, even though he couldn't reconcile things to his own human and finite mind. He clung to God, and pouring out his difficulties to Him in prayer, he waited patiently for the divine explanation. Thus finding all his difficulties solved and God's hush taking possession of his soul, he pours out his whole being in this wonderful prayer, praise and confidence in God. In his song, he prays for revival, he sings of the majesty of the Lord and he confides implicitly in an omnipotent, sovereign God. And I want to single out these three great things uttered by the prophet in this wonderful chapter. I want to think about his prayer for revival. I want to think about him singing about the majesty of the Lord. And then think about him confiding implicitly in his sovereign God. Look with me at chapter 3, verse 2. He prays for a revival in God's purpose. O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years make known. In wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk saw the impending ruin that was going to come upon his beloved nation, and it caused him to weep. It caused him to intercede for his countrymen. His cry is an earnest desire for God to come and relieve and succour his afflicted people. He humbly and fervently cries for revival. Judgment was looming over the nation. It was a day of violence. It was a day of darkness. There was deadness, decay, worldliness and infidelity abounding all around him. Men had forgotten God. His house was forsaken. And the one thing that the nation stood in need of more than anything else was revival. And Habakkuk prays for revival. The cry for revival was often offered in a period of trouble, was offered in a period of trouble and need. Do you notice the little phrase that he uses here in the midst of the years? He wanted God to intervene, not at the end of the years, probably referring to the seventy years of captivity, when Israel would be taken into bondage and into captivity by Babylon, by the Chaldeans. But he's asking God to send revival in the midst of the years. He's saying, Lord, do something for thy people during these years of distress and trouble and need. Though deliverance hasn't come. Though our enemies have not been destroyed, Lord, do not forsake us. Do not cast us off, but step in, even in the midst of these troubled times. He prays for a revival of God's work. God's people were afflicted. God's cause was low. And the country needed a mighty moving and manifestation of the presence and the power of God. He asks God to show mercy. in a time of wrath. Sin had abounded. Sin had brought the just anger of God upon the nation. They deserve to be punished. But with God there is mercy. And the prophet knew this. God has not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. He is a merciful God. And therefore Habakkuk is pleading upon the grounds of the great mercy of God. Yes, our sins deserve punishment. We deserve the wrath of God. But Lord, in the midst of wrath, remember mercy. Thou art a merciful God. how much we are in need of revival today. If we look around us in this land of ours, wider afield into the nation itself, and there is an appalling deadness, formality, lack of zeal, few conversions and great trouble, we should be longing and praying and wrestling with God for a mighty intervention of God. We should be praying this prayer. Sometimes it is a prayer that you will hear in our public prayer meetings. I would encourage you to do that. I would encourage you to take this prayer and pray over it at home. Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years. In the midst of the years, make known in wrath, remember mercy. In the midst of the years, You know, my friends, God has His designated times of revival. In His great and His sovereign purposes, there are times that are set aside by the Almighty for the reviving of His Church, for His mighty interventions. The Bible talks about the set time, referring on that occasion to Zion, the set time to favor Zion. And that's the time that God is appointed. And no doubt there are appointments for the revival of God's work in this land, in this church. I long for it. But maybe until that day comes, We ought to be praying, Lord, send revival now, a little reviving in the midst of the years, even before the set time, even before the great deliverance, before the great outpouring of the Spirit. O God, send the kindlings of revival to the church of Jesus Christ now. Pray this prayer, a revival in God's purpose. We have from verse 3 to 15, I'll not take time to read the verses again, In this prayer of Habakkuk, we have a rejoicing in God's power. Now, if you read down those verses, he speaks about the Holy One, he talks about the glory of God, he talks about the earth full of God's praise, he talks about His brightness and the horns coming out of His hand, referring to God's power, burning coals, driving asunder nations, mountains being scattered, hills being bowed low, The ways of God being everlasting. He talks about the horses and the chariots of God. All this language is majestic language. Language that is all expressing the great glory of God and the wonder and the power of God in all that He's done and all that He's accomplished. The cleaving of the rivers, the mountains that tremble, the sun and the moon and the arrows and the sphere and God marching through the land. All these things declaring the great glory of God and what He's done. In order to stimulate hope and comfort, the prophet calls to mind the experiences which Israel had in the past when God graciously intervened and appeared on their behalf, bringing them out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into Canaan. And there, on many occasions, bringing about wonderful deliverances on their behalf. In a time of need, In a time of adversity, when things are against you, there is nothing like a contemplation of the sovereignty of God in His power and glory and might to encourage the weary soul. When we are looking for God to intervene in the distressing circumstances of His Church, rise up for His own great glory in deliverance and revive His people, One of the ways to foster hope and courage and confidence is to meditate upon God's gracious dealings with His people in former years. It has been the practice of God's people, when faced with adversity and when they were in the midst of despair, to comfort themselves by recollecting what God did in history. Consider the days of old and the years of ancient times, the Bible exhorts us. And this is exactly what Habakkuk is doing. The prophet looks back. He recounts the days when God first formed Israel into a people, when they were brought by miracles out of Egypt and into Canaan. This was accomplished through much difficulty. And God who had demonstrated his power then could do the same now. That's the thought that's in this man's mind. He who by his hand of might delivered them from the bondage of evil could bring them out of Babylon no matter what difficulties were in the way. Habakkuk recalls how God appeared in his glory when he gave the law on Mount Sinai. He recalls how God sent plagues on Egypt for the humbling of pride Pharaoh. He recalls how the Lord gave Israel the land of Canaan and expelled the heathen. He recalls how the Lord divided the sea in Jordan when they stood in the way of Israel's advancement. He recalls how God arrested the sun and the moon at the prayer of Joshua and how God wrought victories for His people over the nations of Canaan. There is no reason for despondency in our own case. if we think of the mighty acts of God in former days. I think of times when the Church was at a low ebb, the fire had almost been extinguished, lukewarmness and whirliness had crept in, and the lives of God's people were characterized by barrenness and indifference. But it was right in the midst of such times that God rose up in power and he came in revival to this faltering Church. You read Church history and you will find that to be so. I think of the gracious outpouring of the Spirit here in Ulster in 1859. Spiritual life was in a low condition. The Presbyterian Church, having been purged from Unitarian influences largely through Dr. Henry Cook, was orthodox, but it was without zeal and power and fire. It had a name to live, but was dead. And this was true of other evangelical churches. Three eminent ministers of that time testified to the spiritual state of their congregation before the awakening. Heather, too, says one of them, our condition was deplorable. The congregation seemed dead to God, formal, cold, prayerless, worldly, and stingy in religious things. Twice I tried a prayer meeting of my elders, but failed, for after the fifth or sixth night I was left alone. A second reported, there seemed great coldness and deadness. So deeply did I feel this, that on the Sabbath preceding the revival, I preached from Lamentations 5, verses 20 and 21, and I said that I had preached the gospel faithfully, earnestly and plainly for eleven years, yet it was not known to me that a single individual had been converted. The congregation, says the third, was in a most unsatisfactory state. In fact, altogether they owe the same. He speaks of how year after year passed, yet still no fruit, no outpouring of the Spirit. But my friends, it was in that day that revival came. A day of barrenness, of fruitlessness. Nothing was happening. You couldn't even get people to pray. You couldn't even get elders to pray. But suddenly, God stepped into this country. And we all know what happened in the 1859 revival. And the church was revived, and the people of God got right with God. And as a result, there were tens of thousands converted to Christ. Doesn't it give you a hunger for such things again today? But notice thirdly and finally, in the last, well, almost the last part of the chapter, verses 17 and 18, As this man prays, there is a resignation to God's providence. Look at what he says, verse 17 and 18. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labour of the olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat. The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy. in the God of my salvation, no matter what God permitted, what God allowed, should all things fail, all comforts and enjoyments and supports be removed, and famine and want arise, yet Habakkuk is determined to rely upon the Lord, to rejoice in God. The prophet contemplates famine, failure and death. He imagines here that the fig tree without blossom, the vine without fruit, the olive destitute of oil, the fields barren, the flocks smitten, the stalls empty, the worst kind of devastation and want that you could imagine. But should all this come to pass, he says, I'm going to rejoice in the Lord's faith with triumph. and be victorious. He resolves to delight in God, for when all is gone, God is still there. This is the principal ground for our joy. The God of our salvation, the Redeemer of our souls, abides with us. When we meet with the greatest losses and we bear the heaviest crosses, we can look up to the Lord and we can find joy in Him. in the worst circumstances of life, in every adversity, whether bodily or mental or circumstantial, in physical pain or distress, in family trials or business disappointments or painful bereavements, we can expect the fulfillment of the promise, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. There's a worthwhile study, I would commend it to you. We haven't time even to look at the verses that I wanted to look at. But there's a worthwhile study to look at the yets of the Bible. The yets of the Bible. That's what's mentioned here in between the verses. Although all these calamities are going to happen, verse 18, yet I will rejoice in the Lord Job 13, 15, the Psalm 40, verse 17, Isaiah 49, verse 15, Jonah 2 and 4 and Matthew 15 and 27 are some of the verses that I would like to have turned up with you where we have yet mentioned. Many a time we look around us and in all honesty we must admit, I don't understand what's going on. God generally gives to us good things. We enjoy them every day. Never forget that. His provision is usually there. Our health, our food, our clothing, our friends, employment, contentment, a host of other temporal blessings. But what if they were removed? What if they were all taken away? We cannot expect freedom from trouble. It may be health trouble. Some of the loveliest Christians that I have ever known have been called upon in the plan and the providence of God to suffer. And I confess, I don't understand it. And I don't know any other person who understands it. I could take you to one of the finest young women that I've ever met, a lovely girl. who a number of years ago was diagnosed with multiple cirrhosis. She was only 26 years of age. An awful disease. A young woman that shone out for the Lord. A brightness in her character, her testimony. And yet that lovely young person was stricken down with such a disease. It may be family trouble. when our children haven't turned out the way that we desired. And maybe they've rebelled and they've gone far away from the Lord. And you can say today, they're away from God and they're away there in the world. And they're a disappointment and they've broken my heart. Trouble will come. It may even be church trouble. And one of the saddest things to come to any church, to any people, are problems and divisions in the body of Jesus Christ. But I want you to see what Habakkuk is saying. And I want you to learn this lesson before we leave the house of God today. No matter what, Lord, I am going to rejoice in Thee. Come what may, I will look up. That's what the prophet is declaring. This is the attitude for us all to have. I will joy in the God of my salvation. He's the God of my redemption. He has purchased my salvation at a costly price. My sins have been washed away. My soul has been delivered from destruction and hell. And I am saved today by the grace of God. What more could I ask for? And thus I ought to be encouraged by God, by His Word. And let this be the song of my heart. Lord, no matter what, Whatever comes my way, whatever my luck might be, whatever circumstances might be difficult for me to bear, yet I'm going to join God, I'm going to look up to the Lord, and I'm going to find comfort in the One who is my Saviour and my Redeemer, my blessed Lord and my King. May this ever be the attitude of our hearts when trouble arises. What a song! this is. What a prayer this is, as Habakkuk prays for revival, a revival in God's purpose, as he rejoices in God's power and he resigns himself to God's providence. May we do likewise for Jesus' sake. Let us pray.