QT 02/12/2025 Tue. Habakkuk 1 The tension between deep questions and deep faith. 深刻的疑问与深沉的信仰之间的张力
QT 02/12/2025 Tue. Habakkuk 1 The tension between deep questions and deep faith.
READ http://www.esv.org/habakkuk1
Key Text: Habakkuk 1:2 (ESV)
“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save?”
Reflection
Habakkuk opens with a cry that many believers know far too well: “Lord, how long?” The prophet looks at Judah’s moral collapse—violence, injustice, corruption—and he cannot understand why God seems silent. Habakkuk does not doubt God’s power; he struggles with God’s timing.
This is one of the gifts of Habakkuk 1: Scripture allows us to bring honest questions to God. Faith is not pretending everything makes sense. Faith is bringing confusion directly to the One who reigns.
God answers Habakkuk—but not in the way he expects. The Lord is not ignoring sin; He is preparing judgment. He is raising up the Chaldeans (the Babylonians), a fierce and ruthless people, to discipline Judah.
This answer creates a new crisis for Habakkuk: How can a holy God use an unholy nation?
How can the cure seem worse than the disease?
And yet, through the tension, God is revealing something essential about His character:
God is always working—even when His work confuses us. His justice may not be immediate, but it is inevitable. His plans may not align with our expectations, but they always align with His perfect wisdom.
Habakkuk 1 reminds us that God is not idle, indifferent, or distant. He is actively moving history toward righteousness—even when we cannot see it clearly.
A Word for Us Today
We also live in days of violence, injustice, and confusion. Believers cry out, “Lord, how long?” just as Habakkuk did. The lesson of Habakkuk 1 is not that God will do what we predict, but that God can be trusted when nothing makes sense.
(1) When evil seems to win, God is still sovereign.
(2) When suffering feels overwhelming, God is still wise.
(3) When prayers seem unanswered, God is still hearing.
(4) When discipline comes, God is still good.
(5) Faith is not built on explanations—it is built on the character of God.
Personal Application: Let the questions of Habakkuk lead you into deeper trust:
(1) Where do I feel like I’ve been praying “How long, O Lord?”
(2) Am I willing to trust God’s timing even when His plans confuse me?
(3) Do I believe that God’s justice—though slow in my eyes—is always perfect?
(4) Will I keep praying honestly rather than hiding my questions?
(5) God invites your honesty. He can carry the weight of your questions.
Prayer
Lord, You see what I cannot see. You understand what I cannot understand. Teach me to trust You when Your ways confuse me. Give me faith that rests not on explanations, but on Your unchanging character. Strengthen my heart to pray boldly, honestly, and persistently. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
QT 02/12/2025 星期二. 哈巴谷书 1章 深刻的疑问与深沉的信仰之间的张力
阅读 http://m.bbintl.org/bible/ncv/hab/1/
关键经文：哈巴谷书 1:2
耶和华啊！我恳求，你不垂听，要到几时呢？我向你呼叫“有狂暴的事”，你却不拯救。
默想
哈巴谷书以许多信徒再熟悉不过的呼喊开篇：“主啊，还要多久？”先知目睹犹大的道德崩溃——暴力、不公、腐败——却无法理解上帝为何看似沉默。哈巴谷并非怀疑上帝的能力，而是挣扎于上帝的时机。
哈巴谷书第一章的恩典正在于此：圣经允许我们向神提出真诚的疑问。信心并非假装一切合乎情理，而是将困惑直接呈献给掌权者。
神回应了哈巴谷——却非他所期待的方式。主并非漠视罪恶，祂正在预备审判。祂兴起迦勒底人（巴比伦人）——这群凶悍无情的民族——来管教犹大。
这答案使哈巴谷陷入新的困境：圣洁的神怎能使用不圣洁的国度？医治之法怎会比疾病更可怕？
然而在这张力中，神正显明祂本性的核心特质：神永不停歇——纵使祂的作为令我们困惑。祂的公义或许不即刻显明，却必然成就。祂的计划或许与我们期待相悖，却永远契合祂完美的智慧。
哈巴谷书第一章提醒我们，上帝并非闲置、冷漠或遥不可及。祂正积极推动历史走向公义——即便我们无法清晰看见。
今日的学习
我们同样身处暴力、不公与混乱的时代。信徒们如同哈巴谷般呼求：“主啊，还要多久？”哈巴谷书第一章的启示并非上帝会按我们预言行事，而是当万事皆不可解时，上帝依然值得信赖。
(1) 当邪恶看似得胜，上帝仍掌权。
(2) 当苦难令人窒息，上帝仍智慧。
(3) 当祷告看似未蒙应允，神仍在倾听。
(4) 当管教临到，神仍是良善的。
(5) 信心并非建立在解释之上，而是建立在神的品格之上。
个人应用：让哈巴谷的疑问引领你进入更深的信靠：
(1) 在哪些时刻，我仿佛在祷告“主啊，还要多久？”
(2) 当祂的计划令我困惑时，我是否仍愿信靠祂的时机？
(3) 我是否相信神的公义——纵使在我眼中迟缓——终究完美无瑕？
(4) 我是否愿持续坦诚祷告，而非掩藏疑问？
(5) 神渴慕你的真诚。祂能承载你所有疑问的重担。
祷告
主啊，祢看见我所看不见的，明白我所不能理解的。求祢教导我在困惑时仍信靠祢，赐我信心——这信心不倚靠解释，唯凭祢不变的本性。求祢坚固我的心，使我能大胆、诚实、持守地祷告。奉耶稣的名求。阿们。
