Message Title: Worshipping God in Troubled Times
Date: January 31, 2021

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Review of Habakkuk
--name means to embrace or to wrestle
--Chapter 1 - Wrestling with God in Troubled Times
--Chapter 2 - Waiting on God in Troubled Times
--Chapter 3 - Worshipping God in Troubled Times

Definition of Worship:
Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God -- this is your true and proper worship.


BIG IDEA: Habakkuk knew the goodness and love of God in spite of life's circumstances.

How do we do that?

1. Remember on what God has done

Where do you anchor your faith when you are in a faith storm?

What is YOUR story of God's faithfulness to you? Who have you shared your story to encourage them?

2. Accept what God is doing
--Acceptance and understanding are 2 different things
----Acceptance is embracing the present in order to shape the future

--Habakkuk's acceptance prayer: verse 16

3. Trust in what God will do
--Habakkuk is an "though...yet" follower instead of an "if...then" follower

--He rejoices in the midst of suffering

--The joy of the Lord is his strength 3:19 (like Nehemiah 8:10)

PCC BENEDICTION
May you jump into the arms of Jesus and may He push out into the world. May you be healed as you participate in the healing of others. Not because you must, but because you may. This is why we were born!

BEYOND SUNDAY
Trust the Lord, no matter what. Easier said than done...especially after living through 2020! Habakkuk’s message for God’s people around the world today is that followers of Jesus can, and must, trust in God no matter how tumultuous circumstances may become. However, trusting God is an ongoing process that involves wrestling, waiting, and worshipping Him. This week we focus on worshiping God.

1. In Bible times we know that names were often chosen after an event, parent or grandparent. We learned that Habakkuk’s name means to embrace or to wrestle. Do you know the meaning behind your name? If you have children, why did you choose your child’s name? Do you think we live into the meaning of our name?

2. Read Habakkuk 3, which ends in a song of worship by Habakkuk. According to this week’s speaker, Pastor Gary Gaddini, Habakkuk isn’t worshipping because God answered his prayers. He is worshipping in spite of terrible circumstances and he is still living in the contradiction between what he sees with his eyes and what he believes in his heart. Think of a time when you experienced hard circumstances. Were you able to worship in the midst of the circumstances or did you wait until the storm passed?

3. See Romans 12:1. According to Pastor Gary worship is more than a song. Worship is:
a. God empowered
b. God surrendered
c. God-oriented living

4. What does worship mean to you? How do we hold on in the midst of a storm, much less worship God? How did Habakkuk do it? First of all, he anchored himself to the faithfulness of God and what He had done in the past (See Hebrews 6:19). The purpose of an anchor is to keep a vessel stabilized and prevent it from drifting away in a storm. If we anchor ourselves to God’s faithfulness, His character, and what He has done in the past, how will this affect our walk with Him? What is it that you are anchored to right now? How has God worked in your past to remind you of His faithfulness?

5. Next we see that Habakkuk accepted God’s plan. See Habakkuk 3:16. According to Pastor Gary, acceptance is critical to thriving in life. Acceptance is embracing the present -- both good and bad -- in order to shape the future. Last week, we learned from Pastor Scott that each one of us will go through a dark time in our lives. If you are in a storm now, is there anything that is standing in the way of your embracing the present? Is it possible to accept God’s plan but not agree with it?

6. See Habakkuk 3:17-19. Finally we see Habakkuk trusting in God unconditionally. What is preventing you from trusting God unconditionally? What is it about God that allows you to trust Him unconditionally?

Prayer: Lord, we acknowledge worship is more than the songs we sing. Help us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you, and may this be our spiritual act of worship. Help us to anchor ourselves to you and remember what you have done in the past, embrace the present, accept your good and perfect plan for our lives, and trust you unconditionally. We acknowledge that this is not easy so we rest in the power of your Holy Spirit. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Other Resources (see links below)
1. Watch a video overview of Habakkuk
2. Need support? - Get a coach, counselor or peer to walk with you
3. Need a group to grow? - Check out all the Winter Experiences 2021

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