Discussion Group Questions

April 24, 2016

Keeping The Faith When Life Gets Hard Making the Most of the Struggle Habakuk 3

Torrents of water swept by; the deep roared and lifted its waves on high. 11 Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear. 12 In wrath you strode through the earth and in anger you threshed the nations. 13 You came out to deliver your people, to save your anointed one. You crushed the leader of the land of wickedness, you stripped him from head to foot. 14 With his own spear you pierced his head when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though about to devour the wretched who were in hiding. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the great waters. 16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

3 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. On shigionoth. 2 Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. 3 God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. 4 His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden. 5 Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps. 6 He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble. The ancient mountains crumbled and the age-old hills collapsed— but he marches on forever. 7 I saw the tents of Cushan in distress, the dwellings of Midian in anguish. 8 Were you angry with the rivers, Lord? Was your wrath against the streams? Did you rage against the sea when you rode your horses and your chariots to victory? 9 You uncovered your bow, you called for many arrows. You split the earth with rivers; 10 the mountains saw you and writhed. 1 LISTEN AND WATCH

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Discussion Group Questions

April 24, 2016

There is a lot of anxiety in our world today. THe political season has created an unusual amount of nervousness and anxiousness in people. It seems like our country is on edge in a way that I have not seen in a long time.

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

In ancient time the heights was the safest place to be. This book tells us how to deal with evil times. The IT was somewhat dangerous- but it was the best place prophet has learned that the Babylonian empire is going to be because you could see what was coming and you to crush his country. He is talking about starvation level could keep out of danger. It was not always easy to social collapse. And yet Habakuk faces it with poise live up in the highest places, but it was the best place and patience. He says it is possible to face that kind of to be. This passage is saying that when we go through disaster with joy and hope. struggles that we should allow those things to push us to the heights- to move us to the higher places. In 1851 Allen Gardner was a missionary stranded on a remote Island on the tip of South America. In his journal Lesson: Your suffering can either make you better or he cited Psalm 34:10. “Young lions do lack and suffer make you bitter – it is your choice. hunger but they that seek the lord shall not lack any good 2. Focus on the good that comes from the struggle thing.” 16 I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; “I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God” decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Ordinarily people say God is good when things are going Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us well- when fig trees are blossoming and things are going well. But this man found a way to access the goodness 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, of God apart from the circumstances of life. We infer the though the olive crop fails goodness but he came in direct contact with it. and the fields produce no food, How do you do that? though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, What does it mean to make the most of the struggle?: I will be joyful in God my Savior. 1. Determine to rise above your circumstances There is always good that comes from pain and suffering. His last words in the journal were:

2 LISTEN AND WATCH

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Discussion Group Questions

April 24, 2016

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:3-4)

we are bitter and want revenge, we are acting like God. When we think we are smarter than his word we acting like God. Our identity is in ourselves and not where it was always meant to be. In Luke 9: Mount of Transfiguration. Moses and Elijah appeared: “Moses and Jesus were talking about Jesus’ exodus.”

3. Find your identity in Christ 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his exodus, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. (Luke 9:31)

To rejoice means more than emotion- it means to treasure. Habakuk was focusing on the exodus- which was the gospel to him.

What does that mean? The death and resurrection of What are you rejoicing in? The reason for your anxiety Jesus was the better exodus and that is what we are to is that you are rejoicing in the wrong things. The key focus on and where we are to get our identity. to getting through the struggle is to get your identity in Christ. Discussion Questions: In Luke 10 the disciples said to Jesus “even the demons are subject to our name!” Jesus said “rejoice not that the 1. What kinds of calamities is Habakuk writing demons are subject to your name but that your names about in this chapter? are written in heaven.” 2. How does trusting God through our suffering make us better? Jesus is saying don’t look at your accomplishments in the world, instead look to the understanding that you are already accepted in heaven.

3. Why is it important to focus on the good in our struggle?

In the fall, the enemy convinced Adam and Eve that if 4. How does worship help us in our suffering? they ate from the tree they would become “like God”. He 5. How does focusing on the qualities of God help? didn’t mean that the fruit had some god-juice in it, he meant that when you disobey God’s word, you are acting 6. Why is it important to have our identity in Christ as if you know better than God and therefore you are especially in hard times? making yourself “like God”. That is our deepest problemwhen we worry we are acting as if we are like God. When 3 LISTEN AND WATCH

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