[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.
Bible Passages: Habakkuk 3:1-6, 11-13, 16-19
Discussion Questions: What conditions do we place on our faith in God? In what ways do those conditions prevent us from offering genuine worship to God?
Food for Thought:
When we were young, most of us probably offered our parents something in exchange for something else. If they agreed to buy us some candy, we promised not to throw a fit in public. If they made my favorite desert, we’d tell all our friends how nice they were. If they would let us go to the party with Eden, we would not ask for anything else for a month. We may have not said it in these terms, but it was certainly what we communicated.
[2]In a not-so-subtle way, we also communicated that our value of them as a person was based on what they provided us or allowed us to do.
As Habakkuk prayed to God after their conversation about the future of Israel, the prophet made a bold declaration of unconditional faith in God. Habakkuk lived in an agrarian society where survival was dependent upon rain. They could cultivate the land, plant the seeds, and care for the fields, but they could not make it rain. Habakkuk declared that even if God did not provide rain, he would continue to trust God. Habakkuk understood that God was more concerned about redeeming His people than He was about Habakkuk having veggies and meat (Habakkuk 3:17-18).
Too many times, our worship depends upon God providing rain. It may not be actual rain but instead some blessing that we determine shows us that God cares for us. We make these demands as if God’s existence and salvation are not enough. Do we really need more than the promise of His presence and the assurance of His salvation? A mature faith requires no tangible evidence. If we require validation before we act on something we claim to believe, we really didn’t believe in that something in the first place. He is God and can be trusted, come rain or shine.
Explore the Bible
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found at LifeWay.com/ExploreTheBible [3].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool [4].