habakkuk: a midrash [week two]
hey gang - thanks again for your participation on the sermon review team!
i'd like to hear from you how you're processing the series so far, so help me out by responding thoughtfully to these few questions.
#1 where do you feel the major 'movement' was from week 1 to week 2? did you sense a change or a shift in tone? what did chapter 2.1 bring to the conversation of habakkuk's complaint vs. god in this regard?
#2 how did the idea of salvation rhetoric strike you? does it bother you that god seems to be changing his modus operandi with his people? do you feel like god is being unjust? do you feel like perhaps the people deserved it? does anyone? do we?
#3 in what ways can habakkuk be faith-forming for us? what prayer-life is he modeling? what honesty? can we embrace god in the way he seems to be embracing him early on? do you find that helpful?
#4 what would you hope would be brought out in weeks 3 and 4? there is a significant shift in tone in chapter 3 [which we'll deal with in week 4], but i'm more interested in tensions you might be feeling from the text that haven't yet come out in our conversation?
ok - thanks everyone and have a great week!
p.s. don't forget to pray for randy and i as we do our marathon next sunday - we'll need it :)
i'd like to hear from you how you're processing the series so far, so help me out by responding thoughtfully to these few questions.
#1 where do you feel the major 'movement' was from week 1 to week 2? did you sense a change or a shift in tone? what did chapter 2.1 bring to the conversation of habakkuk's complaint vs. god in this regard?
#2 how did the idea of salvation rhetoric strike you? does it bother you that god seems to be changing his modus operandi with his people? do you feel like god is being unjust? do you feel like perhaps the people deserved it? does anyone? do we?
#3 in what ways can habakkuk be faith-forming for us? what prayer-life is he modeling? what honesty? can we embrace god in the way he seems to be embracing him early on? do you find that helpful?
#4 what would you hope would be brought out in weeks 3 and 4? there is a significant shift in tone in chapter 3 [which we'll deal with in week 4], but i'm more interested in tensions you might be feeling from the text that haven't yet come out in our conversation?
ok - thanks everyone and have a great week!
p.s. don't forget to pray for randy and i as we do our marathon next sunday - we'll need it :)
posted by david mcdonald at 6:13 AM
4 Comments:
OK - I'm not sure if I'm going to answer all of the questions, but I wanted to get a few raw ideas out of my head.
#1) The shift in tone that I saw was from "wrestling" to "waiting". Habakkuk starts out in chap 1 saying some pretty harsh things to God and questioning God's character, which gives us permission also to wrestle with God instead of blindly trying to accept all that goes on around us. Then in cahp. 2, Habakkuk ends his slandering and says that he will wait for God answer and God's plan to unfold.
which leads to...
#3) What I am understanding from this series is that God doesn't want blind followers. He wants us to come to him raw, hurt, confused, and honest. That it's ok to question situations and God's plan. However, I also see that we need to give God a chance to answer. We're allowed to yell at God, but we are not allowed to leave it as a one sided argument. We are called, even in our hard times to have faith, to give God a chance to answer, and to realize that the answer may not come in the timeframe we want.
#2) I'm not sure about this one, but leading into...
#4) I'm interested in finding out what happens in the rest of the book. It seems that we've heard Habakkuk's side of the argument during the first two weeks, and in the beginning of chap 2 it seems that he has rested his case. So I guess what I would like to see in the next two weeks is more of God's response and how all this tension is relieved (if it is relieved).
So, I’m not trying to just go along with Kevin, but I have to agree with exactly what he said in response to the questions.
While I was really shocked the first week that Habakkuk was so openly honest with God about how he felt, I also liked it. I think we all go through times when we want to yell at God and question Him about why He lets such bad things happen. But it also makes me feel so happy that I have a God who’s so understanding. He wants me to come to Him with my raw emotions. There is nothing my God can’t handle. What ever I have to say to Him isn’t going to hurt His feelings.
This is so encouraging to me because sometimes I find myself not wanting to pray angry prayers where I just want to yell at God and be like “How could you allow this to happen?” But I remember that, well, this is GOD I’m talking to and He is God and all. He can do whatever He darn well pleases. He made the universe, not me. Who am I to question His reasons? But, Habakkuk shows us how God is secure in who He is and you can go right ahead and yell all you want. God understands.
Greetings... I found the site this week. Thanks for the updated info David
#1 From his outrage to accepting he needs to listen for God. I believe this process is necessary to commune with God. We express our depest anything, we remain oriented for a response and a tension reduces as we wait for a reply (by simply venting to him)/
#2 I did not know that, until the sermon. I take it as divine creativity to express Himself. Yes we always "deserve" it, because this brings as back to redemption through our grasping our utter dependence on him. Our actions matter, but God always provides the next path.
#3 Perhaps Randy's point captured this for me - "unless God disrupts our thinking, we forget how much better He is than us." God wants our sincerity, He invites questioning. The silent listening and waiting is sometimes the difficult part.
#4 Something like: we as children can throw a tantrum, Triune God as Dad tells us the real deal, yet eventually we feel his true love and how much better understanding His view / care for us allows us to sense his closeness, presence. Eventual peace after going thriough the necessary faithful, prayerful communing... my thoughts anyway.
I am glad to be a part of this, hope others are enjoying it too. A mild disclaimer - I respond from the Library - so literally I have only 30 minute till I'm kicked off. So, I tend to let it rip rather than be as thoughtful as I might otherwise be.
hey gang - thanks for your responses
some of our friends were away this week from fusion and haven't responded yet; and, some others may not have yet found the alternate way to get to this blog.
so - if you see anyone else on the team, can you please let them know how else to get here so we can all continue to post?
thanks
p.s. i'll be away this weekend running the marathon with lance and randy, so ben will be taking the lead on the series. we'll still do the review, but i thought i'd give you the "heads up."
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