When our prayers are not answered as we Imagined

Read Habakkuk 3.

The prophet wanted to know why God was not responding to the sin in Judah.  God answered by saying that He had prepared the Babylonians to come and mete out His discipline.  That is not what Habakkuk wanted to hear.  He presented his complaints to God and waited.  In chapter two God answered the prophet a second time in clear and no uncertain terms.

God's powerful plan for Judah's captivity by a foreign nation scared Habakkuk (3:1).  His whole body trembled at God's words (3:16).  But, under the inspiration and movement of the Holy Spirit, Habakkuk wrote chapter three as a song of prayer.  It tells us what he learned and of his faith commitments as he faced the future.

1. Prayer Requests (v.2)
Though the title of this chapter is a prayer, there are only two requests:
-He asked that God display a refreshing of His people in the middle of this adversity.
-He asked that God display mercy during this time of discipline.

2. Powerful Reminders (vv.3-15)
-Who God is.  The LORD is God Almighty.  All nature and nations are in His control and do His biding at His command.  As Israel witnessed in the Exodus, God needed no assistance in defeating the entire Egyptian army.  The same would be true of the Babylonians.
-Why God acts.  In verse 13, there are two reasons for His intervention.  First, He is preserving the nation of Israel.  This temporary discipline was part of His long-range plan of fulfilling the unconditional covenant made with Abraham and his descendants.
Second, He is preserving the lineage of the Messiah who will ultimately redeem His people and restore them to world prominence when He rules and reigns from Jerusalem.

3. Praise Commitments (vv.16-19)
Again, the true awesomeness of God shook Habakkuk emotionally and physically.  Spiritually, however, the prophet was refreshed.  He announced two faith-commitments that changed his attitude and his life.
-"Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come..."  He knew what would happen and his commitment was to not to panic or fret.  He could quietly wait because he also knew God was in charge.  His prayer from chapter one was being answered but not in the way he imagined.
-"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD..."  This is not an emotional celebration because it is a happy occasion, but this rejoicing is an act of the will.  It is a choice to trust God through tough times, knowing one is in the center of His will.  As Nehemiah encouraged the people, "And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10b)