EXPAND TO READ: HABAKKUK 1 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 2): I have asked this same question many times throughout my life since coming to faith, Father. Many times I have lived in doubt of You or questioned You in my prayer life. Please forgive me for this doubt, Father. Forgive me for often questioning You and Your ways instead of embracing them. Help me to understand that Your ways are greater than my own and that Your vision of things in my life are vaster than my own narrow vision. Thank You for always knowing what’s best for me even if I have trouble accepting it in the moment, Father.
PROMISE (verse 5b): You make a promise here that kind of shows us how narrow our vision is compared to Yours. We often live and thrive in the moment and wonder why things are a certain way. We wonder why You allow certain things to happen to Your people and not happen to those who oppose You. In this verse, however, You show us how vast Your vision is compared to ours because You say that something is going to take place that we will not believe until we hear it. This means that all those things we see as “wrong” in our eyes are actually a part of Your greater plan and vision. Thank You for always knowing what’s best for me, Father, even if I can’t always see it in the moment.
ATTITUDE (verse 4): Forgive me for my narrow-minded and selfish attitude towards the things that I witness in my life, Father. Help me to have an attitude that is not only accepting of what Your plans are for my life, but also one that appreciates the long-term vision You have for it, even if in the moment I cannot see it. Looking back on my life, I can definitely see where some of what I believed to be hardships in the moment were actually changes You were wanting me to make in my life or lessons You were wanting to teach me. Although I grumbled in the moment, looking back on it I can appreciate the great works You have done and continue to do in my life. Thank You, Father, for always knowing how to correct me. I pray that I am consistent in the acceptance of Your instruction, counsel, and correction in my life so that I no longer live in a frustrated attitude of the things I witness.
COMMAND (verse 5a): Here, You tell us to look at the nations and observe; to be utterly astounded. I often harp on the negatives of our world instead of seeing the great things You are doing all over. Help me to be better at following this command, Father. Help me to be better at looking at our world and being astounded at the great things You are doing through the various nations. Help me to no longer dwell on the negative and instead praise the positive things that are always happening all around me.
EXAMPLE (verses 12-13): Habakkuk gives an example of how our prayer life can often be if we are not fully trusting in You. He recognizes Your greatness through his prayer life, but also displays his Spiritual immaturity through it. He recognizes the great power You have, yet at the same time shows his doubt in the reasoning behind why You do not always hold those living against You accountable for their actions. I feel this is because he is not able to see the bigger picture of events like You are able to see, so he lives in a bit of doubt due to his want to be in control of things and do things his own way. I struggle with this as well, Father. Help me to live less like Habakkuk in these prayers, Father. Help me to live my life in a way that I relinquish control of things to You. Help me to continue to pray to You about my worries and concerns, but not in a way that I show doubt or distrust towards You like Habakkuk does in these prayers.
*DAILY NOTE: This chapter and the way that Habakkuk prayed to You is eerily similar to how I have prayed quite often in my life, Father. It mirrors the many doubts I have prayed about to You for various things in my life and in the world as a whole. Thank You for showing me this amazing example from Habakkuk. Thank You for showing me that I am not the only one that has prayers like this, because it reminds me that even thousands of years ago, Your believers still struggled and that it’s okay to struggle here and there. My faith in You is growing stronger every day, which slowly but surely has led me down the road of less doubting and less distrust. Thank You so much for being patient with me, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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