{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":300,"width":600,"title":"Habakkuk: When God Seems Silent","description":"Florence begins a new series on Habakkuk, titled \u201cWhere Feet May Fail\u201d, focusing on what happens when God appears silent in the middle of distress, injustice and uncertainty. She introduces Habakkuk as a prophet living in Judah around 600 BC, at a time marked by violence, injustice, conflict and ineffective leadership. Habakkuk cannot understand why God seems not to intervene, and he cries out: \u201cHow long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?\u201d Florence explains that Habakkuk\u2019s response is an example of lament. Lament is not faithless grumbling. It is an honest, heartfelt cry to God about what is wrong, while still trusting him. She compares Habakkuk\u2019s questions with Psalm 13, where David also repeatedly asks, \u201cHow long, Lord?\u201d The fact that both men question God shows that believers do not need to hide their distress. Difficult circumstances are not always resolved quickly, and God does not always answer immediately. Yet Habakkuk and David continue addressing God because they believe he is there, he knows what is happening, and he cares. Florence asks how we respond when faced with personal difficulties or injustice in the wider world. We can look inward and be disappointed, look outward to powerful people and become disillusioned, or look upward to God. Turning to him with our questions begins the process of lament. She also warns against assuming that silence means God does not care. Like Martha asking Jesus, \u201cLord, don\u2019t you care?\u201d, we can become so focused on our circumstances that we wrongly interpret God\u2019s apparent inactivity as indifference. Florence then gives a practical framework using the word LAMENT: L \u2014 Label the problem: identify honestly what is causing distress. A \u2014 Admit your distress to God: cry out directly to him. M \u2014 Mourn the situation: tell God openly how you feel. E \u2014 Entreat God: ask him to intervene and help. N \u2014 Name God\u2019s character: remember his goodness, mercy, compassion, love and past faithfulness. T \u2014 Trust God for the outcome: believe that he remains sovereign and will do what is right. Lament therefore becomes a pathway towards hope. It allows us to give God our raw emotions, reminds us that we are not alone, helps prevent feelings from remaining bottled up, and allows trusted Christian friends to support us. Florence summarises the process with an important statement: \u201cLament is the process that moves us from distress to trust.\u201d Looking back, we may discover that times when God seemed silent were actually times when he was doing deep work in us. Trust sometimes means simply admitting, \u201cI can\u2019t handle this, but you can,\u201d and accepting that God\u2019s will may be different from our own. The sermon closes by pointing to Jesus as God\u2019s ultimate answer to suffering, injustice and evil. Because Christ has come, is with us in dark days, and will come again to make all things new, Christians can continue to trust God even when they do not yet understand what he is doing. 0:00 Introducing Habakkuk: Where Feet May Fail 1:44 Who Was Habakkuk? 3:05 When God Seems Silent 4:34 Habakkuk Cries Out to God 9:05 What Is Biblical Lament? 11:03 How Long, Lord? 14:00 Four Questions About God\u2019s Silence 18:01 Lament Is an Expression of Faith 22:06 How to LAMENT: A Practical Framework 29:26 From Distress to Trust ","author_name":"Sermons from Aberdeen Christian Fellowship","author_url":"http:\/\/www.aberdeencf.com","html":"