From Why to Worship
3} Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. 13} Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? Habakkuk 1:3, 13 (NIV)
How do you react in times when things seems to be going crazy around you and in your life? How do you react when people who do not live for God seem to be doing better than the righteous? What do you do when you are experiencing things in your life and you don’t even know why? Sometimes in life when it rains it pours. At times, we just want to ask the Lord, “Why is this happening to me?” We wonder if God really is there for us or has he left us hanging?
The prophet Habakkuk felt the same way. He asked a series of questions to God. He wanted to know why do you put up with wrong, treacherous conditions, and why are you silent? We feel the same way at times. Especially when the wicked prosper at our expense and we suffer. We wonder if God is going to do something about our situation. However, we must continue to believe God is able and continue to worship the Lord even if it seems He is silent concerning our situation.
My Pastor, Bishop Darrell Hairston, use to always say, “Worship is based upon how much God is worth to you.” You see, when life is filled with whys and more questions than answers God is still worthy to be praised. Worship is not based necessarily upon what the Lord is doing in your life, but is based upon who He is. You see, if God does nothing else for you during the remainder of your life, He still deserves our worship because He is God. So, it is safe to say that we praise Him for what He has done and will worship Him for who He is. Worship is so powerful that if you would just worship the Lord Jesus Christ, in the midst of worship, He will begin to reveal to you some of the answers to your questions.
Habakkuk, by Chapter 3, begins to transition from why to worship. His mood begins to shift. The Prophet says, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:18). He basically says, Lord I don’t understand everything that is happening, but I am going to still rejoice in the Lord and will be joyful in God my Savior. We must be the same way and continue to worship the God of our salvation.
Daily Prayer: Lord, help me to go from why to worship. Although I may be experiencing things in life that I do not comprehend, help me to realize that you are still worthy to be worshipped. You are worthy of praise and worship even in my difficult place and I thank You just for being My Savior in Jesus Name, Amen!
Be Blessed,
Pastor J. Millner