LIVING BY FAITH IN A CRAZY WORLD, PASTOR DAN PRUS

Habakkuk 2:4 NKJ  Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

Faith is what holds us together when we would otherwise fall apart.

• Habakkuk 1:2-4  O Lord, how long shall I cry,
  And You will not hear?
  Even cry out to You, “Violence!”
  And You will not save.
  ³ Why do You show me iniquity,
  And cause me to see ^[a]trouble?
  For plundering and violence are before me;
  There is strife, and contention arises.
  ⁴ Therefore the law is powerless,
  And justice never goes forth.
  For the wicked surround the righteous;
  Therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
• Habakkuk 3:17-19  Though the fig tree may not blossom,
  Nor fruit be on the vines;
  Though the labor of the olive may fail,
  And the fields yield no food;
  Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
  And there be no herd in the stalls—
  ¹⁸ Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
  I will joy in the God of my salvation.

¹⁹The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Faith is discovered and cultivated in the hard places.

• James 1:1-4  James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith producespatience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Faith fills in the blanks.

• Psalm 73:1-3   Truly God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
• Psalm 73:16-26  When I thought how to understand this, It was too painful for me – Until I went into the sanctuary of God;Then I understood their end.  Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. Oh, how they arebrought to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.  As a dream when one awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, And I was ^[b]vexed in my mind. I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the ^[c]strength of my heart and my portion forever.