11 Habakkuk 1:12-17 The Embrace Of Faith part 11 

Discovering God’s Person Encourages Prayer 

Pressure Creates Prayer v.1-17   

  The Personality Of Faith v.1     ( Faith’s Intricacies )

  The Perplexity Of Faith v.2-11 ( Faith’s Ironies)

  The Perfecting Of Faith v.12    ( Faith’s Inspiration)

Rest In God’s Infinite Purpose               Art thou not from everlasting,

Rest In God’s Involvement Personally O LORD my God,

When we refer to God as an individual, we are honing in on the personality of the Lord.  His personality is God’s set of characteristics.  Of those epitomizing traits that are appealing and attractive, is Our Lord’s disposition of being personally involved with us.

God has created each of us as individuals and He knows us perfectly.

Psalm 139:1 tells us,

“O Lord, Thou Hast Searched Me, and Known Me” 

Jesus pierces through and can see everything about us.  He sees what is flawed and imperfect in us, which unfortunately we freeze in our mind on the negative too much.

He sees the treasure in each of us, the aspects of our talents, gifts and individuality, which He has designed in us.  He sees and cuts through us to His original design for us.  Nothing is hid from His eyes.  God sees us, and we rest in His penetration and in worship, admit, “O LORD my God.”

God observes us and recognizes us perfectly.  As we receive and respect His detection, we feel that we are His and He is ours.

We, at times, can feel we are rejected in ourselves; maybe, through a set of bad adjustments in our relationships, or how we feel another responds to us.  All of these can develop an accumulation of pressure; but, it’s part of a fallen humanity and our imperfections without God.  Our sin can be the all-encompassing identity we allow to take over.

But, we are to allow God to take over.  Let Christ be our all. In Christ we are not rejected; but, chosen before the foundations of the world that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.

Our liberation is to appropriate the exchange of living.  We, in the confident admission of a communicating fellowship, are saying every moment, “O Lord my God,” I am before You in love.  We are trusting in our acceptance in the Beloved.

God’s personality is Love. We know that God has a personality that characterized by love, through Christ. Jesus Christ loved us and gave himself for us.  Not only gave, but gives Himself continuously for us; advocating constantly, interceding relentlessly, filling us persistently by His abiding Spirit living in us.

In all that Jesus is, by God’s grace, He is reaching out to us in grace upon grace.  We live; but, it’s not just us that lives, but Christ lives in us.  The life that we now live, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loves us and gave Himself for us.

Phillips’ rendering of Galatians 2:20 is:

“For under the Law I “died”, and now I am dead to the Law’s demands so that I may live for God. As far as the Law is concerned I may consider that I died on the cross with Christ. And my present life is not that of the old “I”, but the living Christ within me. The bodily life I now live, I live believing in the Son of God, who loved me and sacrificed himself for me. Consequently I refuse to stultify the grace of God by reverting to the Law. For if righteousness were possible under the Law then Christ died for nothing!” 

He gives Himself to us. He stands at our heart’s door, always knocking.  He’s seeking an opening in us, to allow in His presence and personality.

So we:

Rest In God’s Infinite Purpose                Art thou not from everlasting,

Rest In God’s Involvement Personally O LORD my God,

Rest In God’s Intrinsic Perfection        mine Holy One?

Rest In God’s Impeccable Protection   we shall not die.

Rest In God’s Intended Punishment     O LORD, thou hast ordained them for                              judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction

  The Pleading Of Faith v.13-17 ( Faith’s Involvement)

Based On God’s Purity v.13              Thou art of purer eyes

        (they’re wickedness is worse then ours)

 Don’t Allow Disloyalty   than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:

Don’t Allow Deception    wherefore look You upon them that deal, and hold                                                                      Your tongue 

Don’t Allow Destruction when the wicked devours the man that is more                                                                           righteous than he?

      Based On God’s Pity v.14-17

         (they treat us like we’re worthless fish)

They Trap Us Like Fish v.14-15       And make men as the fishes of the sea,

Devalue us like Insects                    as the creeping things,

Degrade us as Insignificant          that have no ruler over them? 

Deceive us with Ingenious Traps  They take up all of them with  the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them In their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.

They Trust In Ludicrous Fortifications v.16 Therefore they sacrifice unto                                                                                 their net, and burn  incense unto their drag;

They Thrive In Luxurious Fulfillments because by them their portion is fat,                                                                                              and their meat plenteous.

They Traffic In Loads Of Fish v.17

(when will you stop them from destroying lives)  Shall they therefore empty                                                                                                               their net,

Turn & Intervene & Obstruct Their Fury  and not spare continually to slay                                                                                                    the nations?