Habakkuk is an often neglected book of the Bible. I’ll confess that before we studied it in the Bible Study Academy, I was unfamiliar with it. All I knew was that it paired well with Job, which we had studied the previous month. I had no idea what I was missing, and if you are in the same boat, I encourage you to study it out!
A Brief Summary of Habakkuk
The book of Habakkuk is three short chapters that begin with the prophet Habakkuk questioning God because the unrighteous Jews in Judah were oppressing the godly Jews. He was appalled by the treatment righteous Jews were receiving: violence, destruction, strife, contention, injustice. He took his concerns to the Lord because he didn’t see God working in their midst. But he didn’t realize he was about to hear what he least wanted to hear: God was going to send the Babylonians to conquer Judah.
In essence, God told Habakkuk, “You think this is bad? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” And He went on to describe the wicked Babylonians as a “bitter and hasty nation”; “dreaded and fearsome”; like leopards, wolves, and eagles; a nation that does whatever it wants with no regard for people or gods.
This leads into the second exchange between Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk was understandably disturbed by the news he heard from God, so he prayed. His fear was that the righteous would be swept up along with the wicked when the invasion occurred. After he brought his concerns to God, he waited for God to answer him.
And God did answer him. He told him that while He would use the Babylonians to judge the Israelites, He would also judge the Babylonians. He described the “five woes” of the Babylonians as an encouragement to Habakkuk that their sins against the Israelites would not go unpunished.
Habakkuk was so encouraged that the third chapter of the book is simply a prayer. He praised God for Who He is and what He has done. He remembered many of God’s mighty acts, and He chose to trust God even if his worst fears came true.
So what can we learn from studying this encounter between a prophet and his God?
God Is Sovereign
When Habakkuk first approached God, it was as if he didn’t think God knew what was going on. He echoed many of the Psalms when he asked “O LORD, how long?” But God not only acknowledged what was happening, He also had a plan for it.
It is important to notice in God’s response that the Babylonians were only able to conquer Judah because God allowed it. No matter how fierce and ruthless they were, the Babylonians were still subject to God’s sovereignty. We may look around and think the just are suffering while the wicked prosper, but we see such a small part of the tapestry that is eternity. God allows evil because it serves His purposes, and in the end, He (and by extension we) are victorious!
We also get a small taste of the doctrine of concurrence in this book because while God used the Babylonians to judge the Israelites, He also judged the Babylonians for their actions. The judgement of the Israelites was a correction, but the judgement of the Babylonians was annihilation.
God raises up nations, and He takes nations down. It is all in His hands.
Habakkuk Teaches Us How to Pray
It is interesting to see the progression of Habakkuk’s prayers through this short book. He prays three times, and each time, his relationship with God deepens.
In the first prayer, Habakkuk simply questions God: “God where are You? Don’t You see what’s going on?” It is a simple, heart-felt prayer, asking God for answers as he watches the injustice among God’s own people. It’s possible he didn’t even expect an answer.
After hearing from God, Habakkuk’s second prayer has more structure. He is still questioning God to make sure the answer He heard is really what God said because it seems unfathomable. But Habakkuk begins his second prayer by stating what he knows to be true about God: He is a covenant-keeping God, He is eternal, He is holy. Then he launches into his concerns about the impending invasion of the Babylonians.
Habakkuk’s third and final prayer in the book is straight worship. He recognizes that God is to be feared more than man. He asks God to bring revival in the in-between, while the Jews wait for their judgment. He lists many of God’s mighty works throughout history:
The plagues in Egypt
Crushing the enemies of Israel
The parting of the waters
The sun standing still for battle
In light of these things, while the coming judgment was scary, Habakkuk chose to trust God and His work. And he ends his prayer by changing his “what ifs?” to “even ifs”: Even if his worst fears come true and the righteous get swept up with the wicked, there is no food left for them to eat, there is no animal left in the stalls, he “will rejoice in the LORD” and “take joy in the God of my salvation.”
These prayers can guide us in our prayers:
Beginning by stating what we know to be true about God puts our requests into perspective.
We can come to Him authentically with our concerns and questions. He knows what they are anyway, so why not?
Remembering His past actions and blessings helps us to see that He is capable of doing anything.
Habakkuk 2:1 is a pivotal verse in the lesson on prayer. Two mistakes we often make when we bring requests before God are 1) we don’t really expect an answer, or 2) we demand an answer (or worse, we demand the answer we want). Habakkuk was willing to wait for God’s timing and God’s way of answering his prayer. We don’t know how long he waited, but he expected it, and he accepted it when it came even though he didn’t like it.
Spending Time with God Changes Us
Comparing the Habakkuk at the beginning of the book to the Habakkuk at the end of the book is a bit shocking! He went from almost accusing God of being absent to trusting God wholeheartedly with his future. What brought about this change in him? Habakkuk spent time with God.
Having grown up in a pastor’s home, I was around the things of God all of the time. We were at church every time the doors were open. I sang in choirs, watched the kids in the nursery, taught junior church, participated in evangelistic campaigns, cleaned the building, you name it. If there was hole that needed plugged, my sisters and I plugged it.
But it has only been in times when I intentionally sought to spend time one-on-one with God that I have grown and matured in the Lord. For most of my life I was an immature Christian. And while I would never claim to have “arrived,” I can honestly say that the more time I spend with God in His Word, the more growth I experience.
When we spend time with God, it changes us. His Word is living and active; it pierces us to the division of soul and spirit; it discerns our thoughts and intentions (Hebrews 4:12); and it shows us what He wants for us. It can take us from trembling in fear of the future to trusting that whatever happens, He’s got it, just like it did with Habakkuk.
The Book of Habakkuk Is for Us Today
You might be wondering how we can take a private exchange between a prophet and God and apply it to our lives today. Yes, it was for the Israelites then, but the Babylonians won’t be conquering anyone anytime soon, so how do we know it is meant for us now?
First, God told Habakkuk to write it down for future posterity. He told Habakkuk to make it plain so it could be understood by anyone and could be shared by anyone. This is an indication that it was not meant only for Habakkuk’s generation or even the ones shortly after his.
Second, some of the verses in this short Old Testament book are quoted in the New Testament by Paul and the author of Hebrews. The early church is removed from Habakkuk’s time by centuries. The culture, the language, and the beliefs were already different. And the promise of an anointed one in Habakkuk was already fulfilled.
Also, when we consider the sins of the Jews for which they were being judged and the wickedness of the Babylonians, which would bring about the “five woes,” we see that their sin is no different than ours. The wicked Jews, the ruthless Babylonians, and modern day sinners have a lot in common: pride, idolatry, injustice, etc. While the players may be different, the situation is the same.
So we can confidently claim the promises and the lessons from the book of Habakkuk for ourselves.
This is just the surface of the things I’ve learned through this short but powerful book! In the Bible Study Academy, we go deeper. We study the historical and literary context, dive into doctrine, do word studies, dissect the “woes,” look at cross-references, and more. If you would like to learn more about the Bible Study Academy, click the button below. We are saving a seat just for you!
If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible, I invite you to download my FREE Bible study workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own, at the button below.
If you’re like I was not that long ago, every time the book of Job comes up in your Bible reading plan, you cringe just a little knowing you are about to read one of the most confusing and depressing books in the Bible. Honestly, it can leave you wondering what the point is of the book. Why did God include Job’s story in the Bible—His love letter to us?
The book can be confusing because it can be difficult to know who is speaking, if we can trust that speaker, and the motivation behind the speech. But as we unpack the layers, we can start to understand the messages we’re meant to receive from the book.
Some of the lessons are pretty clear and some take a bit more effort. Let’s start with the clearer ones.
Suffering Isn’t Always a Result of Personal Sin
I went into this topic in a previous blog post, so I won’t unpack it in detail here, but while suffering overall is a result of sin in the world, your personal suffering is not necessarily a consequence of your personal sin. The book of Job makes it clear that Job’s suffering had nothing at all to do with his personal sin but with the fact that he was so faithful to God that Satan wanted to test him.
There are actually many reasons God allows suffering in our lives. Our suffering can absolutely be the natural result of our sin, but it can also be a means God uses to draw us closer to Him, to help us recognize blessings in our lives, or to show us the power of prayer or faith. Our suffering can be a tool God uses to teach others, or it can be to show us we are not alone.
We tend to quickly jump to the conclusion that if we are suffering, we must have done something wrong, but the book of Job shows us that is not always the case. It also teaches us a lesson about judging those around us who find themselves in a season of suffering. We must be gracious, acknowledging there may be things we don’t know… but God does.
Job Teaches Us Not to Assume We See the Whole Picture
Often when we see someone suffering, we assume we understand the purposes God has for that suffering. But the truth is we don’t see the whole picture. We see a very small piece of the tapestry God is weaving, and we see it from the underside, with all of the tangles and knots.
Because God sees the full masterpiece from the right side, He knows what is best for us and what is going to accomplish His purposes. We can’t, like Job’s friends, assume that we have the whole story. As readers of the story, we are privy to information Job’s friends didn’t have. And as a result, they judged him wrongly.
One of the points the book of Job makes is that we can’t make those judgement because we don’t have all of the information. We don’t see the full picture. The book of Job teaches us to be gracious and humble as we serve those who are suffering.
Trust God in Spite of Your Circumstances
Job’s faith is inspiring! He did not allow his suffering to affect his faith, his worship, or his convictions. In spite of the emotional and physical pain he was experiencing, he made the choice to trust that God knew the truth, and he would be vindicated in the end.
Notice that Job questioned God and this is not seen as a lack of faith. God is big enough to handle our questions, and He longs for us to turn to Him in our suffering. We can’t allow our pain to drive us away from God. We must lean into Him and His strength when we don’t have our own strength to support us.
While the book of Job seems to be an extreme situation, it sets an example for us to follow in the hard times of life. Will we choose to lean in to God, or will we follow Job’s wife’s advice to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9)? God longs to sustain us even in our questions, our anger, and our pain. And because He is God, He knows the end result.
God vs. Satan
One important lesson the book of Job teaches us is the relationship between God and Satan. We often think of them as equal but opposite forces—the age old story of good versus evil. But the book of Job shows us that they are not equals.
Satan must ask God’s permission to attack Job. The book makes it clear that God had been protecting Job from Satan’s attacks, and Satan seems to think this is unfair. It always amazes me that God brags on Job, and Satan uses that as a springboard for his request.
Not only does Satan have to ask permission, but after he afflicts Job with illness, we don’t see him again anywhere in the story. He seems to just slink off as he realizes that Job is going to make a liar out of him. What started out as a story that seemed to be about these two big rivals turns into a story about a faithful man.
The book includes one of the few exchanges between God and Satan recorded for us in Scripture, and it presents a very clear picture of their dynamic: All-powerful master and begrudgingly submissive servant. Little did Satan know he was playing right into God’s plans to overwhelm Job with true joy as a result of these tests!
Job Shows Us that God Is Big Enough
Because I have grown up in church, I have heard well-intentioned people often say, “You can be angry at your situation, but you shouldn’t be angry at God.” I go into this in more detail in my short e-book, Good Grief: Wisdom for Godly Mourning from the Book of Ruth, so I will summarize here. I feel this is a matter of semantics.
God is in control of my circumstances. He could change things if He wanted. So being angry at my circumstances is the same as being angry at God. And the emotion of anger in and of itself is not a sin. So it isn’t a sin to be angry at God.
What matters is what we do with that anger. Do we raise our fists at Him and curse Him for our circumstances? Do we turn our backs on Him and wait to heal before we can speak to Him again? Or do we come to Him in our anger, pour out our hearts to Him, and let Him give us the comfort only He can give even if He never answers our questions?
God is big enough to handle our questions and our anger. Job models that for us, as does Naomi in the book of Ruth. He isn’t afraid of our anger because He knows what we are feeling and He knows why and He knows how to heal it and He knows what the result will be. Don’t be afraid to lay all of your emotions at His feet, BUT don’t turn away from Him in the midst of those emotions.
True Joy Is Found in Knowing God
After Job experienced the tragedies of his children dying, his livestock being stolen, and his crops being destroyed, after he was stricken with physical illness that literally deformed his body so he was barely recognizable, after he sat through his friends judging him and berating him because he wouldn’t acknowledge that he broke God’s law, God spoke to him in a whirlwind. The God of the universe gave Job what he wanted: an audience with Him.
But it wasn’t exactly what he asked for because God didn’t answer his questions. He did better. He revealed to Job Who He truly is. He gave Job just a glimpse of His glory, just enough for Job to realize just how little He knew of God. And as Job’s knowledge of God increased, so did his awe of God. Job realized that even when all of the pleasures of this world disappear, God is enough.
While God’s gifts bring us pleasure and joy in this life, true joy comes from knowing Him. As we get to know Him, we fall deeper in love with Him, and the more we see ourselves through His eyes.
And what a blessing that today He doesn’t have to speak to us through a whirlwind in the chaos of this world because He has written us a beautiful love letter—a letter that is living and active and allows us to go deeper each time we read it. The more time we spend in the Word of God, the more we get to know Him, the deeper we fall in love with Him, and the more we experience deep, honest joy.
If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible, I invite you to download my FREE Bible study workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own, at the button below.
If you would like to join a group of like-minded women who are pursuing godliness together, check out the Bible Study Academy by clicking the button below.
Updated: A version of this post was published on May 13, 2020, under the title How to Be Victorious over Suffering.
When I hear people say the book of Job is their favorite book of the Bible, I will admit it gives me pause. A book about a man who loses everything, including his children, all in one day and then is physically attacked by illness and disease would not be my first choice as a favorite book of the Bible. And yet, there are so many lessons to be learned from Job.
Nothing I have gone through in my life compares to what Job faced, and I hope and pray that won’t change. But we all face suffering in our lives. It takes different forms for different people, but we will all experience it.
As Christians, how do we navigate suffering? Job’s friends did it wrong. They believed only one thing could be true about God: He punishes wickedness. As a result, they couldn’t help Job navigate his suffering because his suffering was based on his sin.
Job, himself, teaches us how to navigate our hardships as Christians. He demonstrates how to suffer yet still trust, how to remain faithful when we don’t understand what God is doing, how to lean in to God rather than pull away from Him when our hearts or bodies are broken. Are you intrigued? Let’s look at Job 23:8-14.
8 Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11 My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
What he desires, that he does.
14 For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.
(ESV)
Seek God in Your Suffering
In verses 8 through 10, we learn that even in his suffering, Job was searching for God. This is a sign of a true child of God. He didn’t allow his suffering to cloud his knowledge; instead, he allowed his knowledge to test his feelings. In spite of Job feeling like God had abandoned him, he clung to the confidence that God knew where he was and was still sovereign.
Job also recognized that God was somehow working through his suffering. While he couldn’t see what God was doing and nothing that was happening made sense to him, Job understood that God can work through our pain, not only in our own lives, but also in the lives of those around us. A we read the rest of the book of Job, we find that God used Job’s suffering to touch Job’s entire community.
Job was determined not to disappoint God. He believed that when this season of his life was over, he would “come out as gold.” God was using his circumstances to refine him, and he was convinced he would succeed. What an incredible testimony to believers who are in a hard and painful season!
Know Him through His Word
How could Job be so confident that God would show up, he would survive, and he would actually be better on the other side of this situation? Verse 11 gives us some insight. Job could cling to this confidence because he knew God. He had prepared ahead of time for this struggle by spending time with God and getting to know Him.
Job was certain he had not sinned in a way that would cause this suffering. He knew what God expected of him, and he lived by those guidelines. He understood that, yes, suffering can be a result of sin, but that wasn’t what was happening. The only way he could know these things was because he had a personal, intimate relationship with God.
While it is never too late to turn to God and His Word, we are better served if we prepare ahead of time, building a foundation that will sustain us in hard times.
Obey God in spite of Your Feelings
Not only did Job know God, but he applied what he knew. He obeyed. He put into action the things he learned about what pleased God.
Verse 12 shows us that Job was invested in doing what God wanted him to do. And if we look back at the beginning of the book, we find that Job would frequently offer sacrifices to God on behalf of his children just in case they had sinned and weren’t repentant. He was dedicated in his service to the Lord.
It wasn’t enough to know God, Job understood he had to obey God, too. That meant obeying God even in the midst of his suffering.
Trust Him When You Don’t Understand
In verses 13 and 14, we see that somehow, in all of his suffering, Job trusted that what was happening was part of the plan God had for completing what He had appointed. Job understood that we cannot make God do anything through manipulation or blackmail. He will fulfill His purpose. This is the hardest step, and it depends on the other three steps.
This is good news because it means we can trust Him to accomplish his will no matter what. Our actions don’t thwart His plans, our suffering isn’t because someone else messed things up, our pain serves a purpose. And in all of it, we can give glory to God!
If we wait until the crisis hits to seek after God, we will not have the foundation we need to withstand the storm. What do you need to do to start seeking Him today? Do you need to make time in your schedule to spend time in the Word? Do you need to apply what you know to do? Or do you need to trust Him instead of relying on your feelings in your current situation?
If you are currently in a season of suffering or mourning, or you know someone who is, I have written a short e-book about mourning in a godly way. When I was struggling through the many facets of grief (some still ongoing), I had more questions than answers. God graciously took me through the book of Ruth during that time, which taught me some lessons about mourning, not as those who have no hope, but full of hope and peace.
To learn more about the e-book, Good Grief: Wisdom for Godly Mourning from the Book of Ruth, click the button below.
If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible, I invite you to download my FREE Bible study workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own, at the button below.
If you would like to join a group of like-minded women who are pursuing godliness together, check out the Bible Study Academy by clicking the button below.
A version of this post was originally published on August 24, 2016 under the title “Is God Bragging on You?”
If we are honest, when it comes to suffering, many of us live this life believing God is waiting for an opportunity to punish us. We think He’s keeping a list of checks and balances, shaking His head and tsk-tsking every time we mess up. When life gets good, we wait for the other shoe to drop, for something to go wrong, thinking we don’t deserve whatever good we get from life. Maybe things are only good because God plans to take it all away.
As I’ve been studying the book of Job with the ladies in the Bible Study Academy, I’ve realized this was the consensus among Job’s friends, too. They believed Job lost everything, his herds, his servants, even his children, because he had stepped out of bounds and offended God. Surely, God wouldn’t punish a righteous man!
But we are told at the beginning of the book that Job was a righteous man. God described Job to Satan as a “blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (Job. 1:8, ESV). As readers, we have information the participants in the story didn’t have. We are privy to a conversation between God and Satan. And God used that opportunity to draw Satan’s attention to Job. God bragged on Job!
What Causes Suffering?
While it is true that we might experience suffering in our lives because of sin we have committed, that is not the only reason we might go through painful circumstances. And the account in Job shows us one reason we might suffer is because of what we are doing right. Because of Job’s faithfulness, Satan attacked him on every front in an effort to make Job turn his back on God.
What if, and stay with me here, this is the rule and not the exception? What if God brags on His children more than we realize? This does not seem so far fetched when we consider that God sees His children through the blood of Christ. Scripture does not reveal many conversations between God and Satan, so maybe the few that are revealed are meant to show us a normal exchange between them.
What if our suffering has more to do with what we are doing right than what we are doing wrong?
My dad passed away in 2017. The last few years of his life were spent battling dementia. I shared details of the disease’s progression and how it affected our family in a post I wrote before he passed. He was a man who had spent his entire life serving the Lord. He was a missionary kid who grew up to go on to Bible college and return to the mission field.
He was a pastor and professor who spent 20 years training college students to go to the mission field once God called him back to the United States. But when he should have been enjoying his retirement, his mind was dramatically impaired. We watched him leave us while he was still on this earth. My dad had spent his life communicating the Gospel to those around him, and God chose to take that ability away.
What if God allowed this suffering to show Satan who the truly faithful are? What if God said to Satan, “Have you considered my servants the Lingo family?” To which Satan replied, “If you take David away, the whole family will crumble.”
I know I have taken some liberties here, but if there is ANY chance that this was a test of my faithfulness, I will not fail! If there is ANY chance that Satan is using this suffering to show God I will not remain faithful, I will prove him wrong! If there is ANY chance that God has bragged on me, I will do Him proud! I shudder to think of the alternative.
Are You Suffering?
What about you, friend? Are you enduring suffering today? Could it be that instead of it being God’s punishment, it is actually a reward? Could it be that God bragged on you like He did Job? We may not like it, and we may not see it as a reward in this moment, but James 1:2-4 reminds us that we are to,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
ESV
There is purpose in the suffering, and there is a glorious reward that will make the sufferings of this world seem insignificant (something we currently can’t even imagine) (Romans 8:18).
I encourage you to stay the course. Run the race you have before you even when it is hard, even when it is heartbreaking. Remain faithful to God because He will prove faithful in the end. One day I wish to stand before Him and have Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
If you are currently in a season of suffering or mourning, or you know someone who is, I have written a short e-book about mourning in a godly way. When I was struggling through the many facets of grief (some still ongoing), I had more questions than answers. God graciously took me through the book of Ruth during that time, which taught me some lessons about mourning, not as those who have no hope, but full of hope and peace.
To learn more about the e-book, Good Grief: Wisdom for Godly Mourning from the Book of Ruth, click the button below.
If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible, I invite you to download my FREE Bible study workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own, at the button below.
If you would like to join a group of like-minded women who are pursuing godliness together, check out the Bible Study Academy by clicking the button below.
One of the biggest battles Paul had to fight as he ministered to the Gentile believers (non-Jewish believers) during the early years of Christianity was the enforcement of the Mosaic law. There are many discussions in the New Testament about circumcision, eating foods sacrificed to idols, and the Sabbath, just to name a few. The Jews had followed these laws since the days of Moses, so even those who believed in Christ struggled to let them go. But more than that, they tried to impose these laws on new Gentile believers.
But, while Paul is clear that we have liberty in Christ and nothing in and of itself is unclean (unholy), he also reminds us that there are limits to our Christian liberty. Our freedom in Christ has boundaries, and he discusses these boundaries in Romans 14.
Boundary #1: It Is a Sin
We must begin this discussion by pointing out that sin is sin. Paul is not saying that we can commit sin under the guise of Christian liberty. The first two chapters of the book of Romans discuss the rebellion against God in detail, and make it clear that we are to have no part in it. Anything the Bible explicitly calls sin is off limits.
This discussion revolves around those things that some would call sin but the Bible doesn’t explicitly call them sin. Paul specifically gives the examples of which foods we eat or which days we believe to be holy days. Believer, do not try to pass off your sin as Christian liberty. It will not end well!
Boundary #2: It Is Doctrine
Paul begins the discussion by introducing it as a difference of opinion (v. 1). These are not quarrels over doctrinal issues. He is clear that false teaching is not to be tolerated within the church. If we look ahead to Romans 16:17-20, we see how Paul tells the church at Rome to deal with false teachers.
And in Galatians 1:8-9 Paul says,
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
It is clear Paul gives no place to false teaching in the church. The disagreements subject to Christian liberty are about opinions or personal convictions. These are what we typically call secondary or tertiary issues. In other words, they have nothing to do with salvation or the Gospel itself.
Boundary #3: God Has Authority
While we may feel strongly about our convictions, and we may feel it is prudent for others to follow our personal convictions, other believers do not answer to us; they answer only to God. Romans 14:4 says,
“Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”
We do not have to agree with someone else’s convictions, we must simply remain true to our own because we will answer to God only for how we live, not how our fellow believer lives.
Can I do it in honor of the Lord?
Boundary #4: Does It Honor God?
Verse 6 really stood out to me in this chapter and caused me to ponder things I have done in the name of Christian liberty. It says,
“The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
First, it is clear that all parties are doing what they believe honors the Lord. Second, this would eliminate anything that we cannot do in honor of the Lord.
One example of Christian liberty I discussed in my previous post on this topic was drinking. Because of my personal convictions, I could not have a glass of wine with dinner and say that I am doing it in honor of the Lord. That doesn’t eliminate wine from everyone’s menu, but if you cannot do it in honor of the Lord, it is no longer an issue of Christian liberty but of sin.
Lately, I have seen Christians using foul language and claiming it as Christian liberty. After all, who even decided which words were curse words? This is only an issue of Christian liberty if it can be done in honor of the Lord.
What about the recent trend of not going to church, calling nature your church, or only participating in a virtual capacity. We know that the Sabbath law no longer applies to New Testament believers (the book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is a better Sabbath), so is it wrong to “forsake the assembly” (Hebrews 10:25)? In order to discover the answer, we have to ask if it can be done in honor of the Lord.
These are all matters of personal conviction for which we will individually answer to God, not to each other (Romans 14:12). If you can drink alcohol, cuss or be crass, or not attend a physical church in honor of the Lord, then Paul says it is a matter of Christian liberty.
BUT the discussion does not end there.
Boundary #5: It Causes Someone Else to Sin
Paul describes everything as clean (Romans 14:14), but he goes on to say that even something that is right can become wrong if it puts the faith of God’s people at risk.
“Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.”
Romans 14:20-21
Paul has painted a clear picture of Christian liberty, but even Christian liberty must be sacrificed for the benefit of others. The passage goes on to say,
“But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
Romans 14:23
If you do something out of Christian liberty that a weaker sister follows even though she has questions about whether or not it is sin, you have caused her to stumble because she is not doing it in faith, believing it is “clean.” So often, whether we like it or not, we have to check our Christian liberty at the door for the sake of the faith of those around us.
Application
So when you come across a situation where you and a friend believe differently about an issue, here are some questions to ask yourself before you claim Christian liberty:
Is this a sin? If the answer is “yes,” don’t do it.
Is this a matter of doctrine? If the answer is “yes,” study it out before you decide.
Can I do this in honor of the Lord? If the answer is “no,” don’t do it.
Will it cause someone else to sin? If the answer is “yes” or “maybe,” don’t do it.
I would love to know your thoughts. Have you come across any situations where you have either caught yourself judging someone else for acting out of Christian liberty or been reprimanded for doing something out of your own Christian liberty? What trends are you observing in culture that fall squarely in the realm of Christian liberty?
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Have you ever caught yourself thinking about something that happened, mulling over what a friend said, or turning the story line of a book or movie over and over in your mind? Believe it or not, you were meditating on those things. Just as God created us to worship, He also created us to meditate.
“It is a distinctively human trait to stop and consider, to chew on something with the teeth of our minds and hearts, to roll some reality around in our thoughts and press it deeply into our feelings, to look from different angles and seek to get a better sense of its significance.”
David Mathis, Habits of Grace
As the Bible Study Academy ladies have been sitting in Psalm 119 during the month of May, the topic of meditation has come up in the reading over and over again. The author of the longest chapter in the Bible understood the importance of meditation and the joy and fulfillment it brought to his life even during times of anxiety, affliction, and sorrow. And the discipline of meditation caused him to fall deeper in love with the Creator.
What Is Biblical Meditation?
God created us to meditate, so of course, the enemy presents us with counterfeit meditation. While this world would have us believe meditation is about emptying our minds and finding answers within ourselves, biblical meditation teaches us to fill our minds with God’s Word and find answers in Him.
When the Bible speaks of meditation, it is describing a discipline we must practice. Yes, it is called a discipline because it is hard, and we have to practice it in order to work those muscles and get better at it. But the effort is worth it! And it isn’t hard because meditation itself is difficult. Rather, it is hard because it takes time, intention, and space, things we don’t like to invest.
With so many distractions at our disposal, it is much simpler to never give ourselves space to simply think. We don’t like to be alone with our thoughts, and this world has made it easy to avoid silence.
Meditation can be compared to savoring a meal. We are presented with the food, we observe it, smell it, chew it slowly, and enjoy the juices, spices, and flavors. The things of this world dull our spiritual taste buds, but the more we practice meditating on God’s Word, the more our tastebuds wake up and savor it—it becomes sweeter than honey, as the Psalmist says.
How Do We Practice It?
In my experience, I cannot meditate on a passage I have only read once. This is one of the reasons we, in the Bible Study Academy, spend an entire month in a book (or passage) of Scripture. We read it and reread it, allowing its words to sink into our minds and give us something to think on.
This doesn’t mean you must spend an entire month in a passage, but you need to take the time to read it more than once, maybe read it in different translations, listen to it in an audio Bible, or read it aloud. Give your brain time to ingest the Word so it has something to chew on. In his book, Habits of Grace, David Mathis says, “Christian meditation begins with our eyes in the Book, or ears open to the word, or a mind stocked with memorized Scripture” (59).
Of course, all of this requires time, so the first step is to schedule it. If you are working through a reading plan on a schedule, you may want to schedule separate time for meditating on God’s Word so you don’t feel rushed. You can choose a passage you read that morning, the passage for your pastor’s upcoming sermon, a portion of the Psalms, or any other passage between the front and back cover of your Bible.
Open your meditation time with prayer. Scripture tells us in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word of God is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword.” It has the power to change us and shape us, but the Bible also says that the things of the Spirit of God are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14), which means we can’t understand them on our own; we need the help of the Holy Spirit.
Then simply think about what you read. You can journal as you mull it over, you can simply process it mentally, you can jot notes in your Bible. However you find it easiest to process your thoughts, do it. Take the time to wrestle through the hard things, those passages that don’t quite make sense or maybe don’t seem quite right.
Don’t rush it, but also don’t think that when your time is up, you have to be done. Take it with you during your day. Allow you mind to drift to it as you go about your daily tasks. Instead of creating noise in your home with your favorite television show or podcast, delight in the silence and use it to meditate.
As you end you allotted time, close in prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring the passage to your mind throughout your day and week. Pray for opportunities to see the teaching in action. Ask that He would make you sensitive to how you can implement or witness the wonder of His Word lived out. You might be surprised how He answers!
A note of caution: the purpose of meditating on Scripture is not to prepare a lesson or find the perfect content for your social media account. This is a separate time from your Bible study time in which you might do word studies or consult outside research. The purpose is your personal growth. It will help you develop a thirst for God’s Word and allow you to fall deeper in love with Him, which in turn will make you want to meditate more. After all, a lover finds it easy to think about, meditate upon, the one he loves.
“He meditated on God’s Word because he loved it, and then loved it the more because he meditated on it.”
Charles Spurgeon
What Are the Results of Biblical Meditation?
While you may not always walk away with all of the right answers, meditating on Scripture will have long-term benefits for your spiritual growth.
Meditating on Scripture:
Results in being able to recall it and speak it in situations when it is needed.
Feeds your prayers, fasting, worship, and other spiritual disciplines.
Clarifies God’s will for your life today and in the future.
Helps you stand on truth when the world is spitting lies.
Makes evident your saturation in Scripture to those around you.
“What we take in by the Word we digest by meditation and let out by prayer.”
Thomas Manson
If you would like to learn more about how to study the Bible, I invite you to download my FREE Bible study workbook, 6 Steps to Study the Bible on Your Own at the button below.
If you would like to join a group of like-minded women who are pursuing godliness together, check out the Bible Study Academy by clicking the button below.
