Title: Obstacles to Answered Prayer
Scripture: Habakkuk 2:3 NIV

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald[a] may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it[b] will certainly come
    and will not delay.

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness[c]
indeed, wine betrays him;
    he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive all the peoples.

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
    How long must this go on?’
Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood;
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,
    setting his nest on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,
    shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
    and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
    Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed[d]!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed human blood;
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;
    there is no breath in it.”

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him.

Message

Before leaving our study on obstacles to answered prayer, let’s be clear about one thing: some of our unanswered prayers have been answered.

The answer is “wait.”

But because we don’t like the answer, we keep hoping God will have a changed heart.

The truth is God won’t change His mind to accommodate us.

So we have two options:

  1. Keep complaining to Him.
  2. Start cooperating with Him.

When the prophet Habakkuk needed an answer to his prayers in order to give direction to Israel, what did God tell him?

Wait!

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it… Though it liner, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3 NIV).

God works according to His own plan and schedule, and He won’t be rushed.

When you try to get ahead of Him you always end up in trouble.

Abraham did that, and the end result was Ishmael.

That’s when Abraham’s troubles began in earnest!

Other times God answers our prayers and says “No.”

He knows what you can handle and when you’ll be ready to handle it, and He won’t give it to you before then.

Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord…But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my powers is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9 NIV).

Instead of delivering Paul from his problem, God used it to develop him.

Without his thorn in the flesh to counterbalance his great talent and potential pride, Paul wouldn’t have been nearly so effective in the service of God.

Think about it!

So, as we further look into the Word of God we find…

Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
    and make it plain on tablets
    so that a herald[a] may run with it.

Reflection: (Habakkuk 2:2) 

This chapter records God’s answers to Habakkuk’s questions:

  1. How long would evil prevail (Habakkuk 1:2-3)?
  2. Why was Babylon chosen to punish Judah (Habakkuk 1:13)?

God said that the judgment, though slow to come, was certain.

Although God used Babylon against Judah, He knew Babylon’s sins and would punish it in due time.

For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
    it speaks of the end
    and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
    it[b] will certainly come
    and will not delay.

Reflection: (Habakkuk 2:3) 

Evil and injustice seem to have the upper hand in the world.

Like Habakkuk, Christians often feel angry and discouraged as they see what goes on.

Habakkuk complained vigorously to God about the situation.

God’s answer to Habakkuk is the same answer He would give us, “If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.

It isn’t easy to be patient, but it helps to remember that God hates sin even more than we do.

Punishment of sin will certainly come.

As God told Habakkuk, “Wait patiently.”

We must trust God even when we don’t understand why events occur as they do.

“See, the enemy is puffed up;
    his desires are not upright—
    but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness[c]

Reflection: (Habakkuk 2:4) 

The wicked Babylonians trusted in themselves and would fall; but the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.

This verse has inspired countless Christians.

Paul quotes it in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11. 

The writer of Hebrews quotes it in Habakkuk 10:38, just before the famous chapter of faith.

And it is helpful to all Christians who must live through difficult times without seeing signs of hope.

Christians must trust that God is directing all things according to His purposes.

indeed, wine betrays him;
    he is arrogant and never at rest.
Because he is as greedy as the grave
    and like death is never satisfied,
he gathers to himself all the nations
    and takes captive all the peoples.

“Will not all of them taunt him with ridicule and scorn, saying,

“‘Woe to him who piles up stolen goods
    and makes himself wealthy by extortion!
    How long must this go on?’
Will not your creditors suddenly arise?
    Will they not wake up and make you tremble?
    Then you will become their prey.
Because you have plundered many nations,
    the peoples who are left will plunder you.
For you have shed human blood;
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

“Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain,
    setting his nest on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin of many peoples,
    shaming your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed
    and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?

Reflection: (Habakkuk 2:9-13) 

Babylon’s riches had come from the misfortunes of others, but these riches would only be fuel for the fire.

The victims and their cities would cry out against Babylon.

 Money is not evil, but God condemns the love of riches and the evil means of acquiring them (1 Timothy 6:10). 

Be careful not to hunger for wealth so much that you lose your appetite for God. 

Do not allow money to take the place of family, friends, or God.

14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame instead of glory.
    Now it is your turn! Drink and let your nakedness be exposed[d]!
The cup from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.
For you have shed human blood;
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.

Reflection: (Habakkuk 2:18) 

Idolatry may seem like a sin that modern people do not commit.

But idolatry is not just bowing down to idols, it is trusting in what one has made and, therefore, in one’s own power as a creator and sustainer.

If was say we worship God but put our trust in bank accounts, homes, businesses, and organizations, then we are idolaters.

Do you trust God more than you trust what your hands have made?

19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;
    there is no breath in it.”

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;
    let all the earth be silent before him.

Reflection: (Habakkuk 2:20) 

Idols have no life, no personhood, no power, they are empty chucks of wood or stone.

Temples built to idols are equally empty; no one lives there.

But the Lord is in His Temple. 

He is real, alive, and powerful. 

He is truly and fully God.

Idolaters command their idols to save them, but we who worship the living God come to Him in silent awe and reverence.

We acknowledge that God is in control and knows what He is doing.

Idols remain silent because they cannot answer.

The living God, by contrast, speaks through His Word. 

Approach God reverently and wait silently to hear what He has to say.