Raw and Real 3

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Heroes Fall: Wrestling with Shattered Expectations

When spiritual mentors stumble or life unravels in ways that defy understanding, doubt becomes a companion. This tension isn’t failure but an invitation to engage God with raw honesty. Habakkuk modeled this when he confronted God about violence and injustice, refusing to sanitize his confusion. True faith isn’t threatened by questions but deepened through them. [36:31]

“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?” (Habakkuk 1:2–3, ESV)

Reflection: When has the failure of a spiritual leader or unanswered prayer shaken your trust in God’s goodness? How might naming that disappointment aloud today become a step toward deeper faith?

Day 2: Dead Cats Under the Rug: The Cost of Unspoken Doubts

Ignored doubts fester like hidden decay, poisoning faith from within. The sermon’s vivid metaphor of rotting cats under rugs warns against spiritual pretense. Just as David found relief only when confessing hidden sins, doubt loses its power when brought into the light. God’s shoulders are broad enough for our angriest “why?” [37:55]

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:3–5, ESV)

Reflection: What doubt have you been “stuffing under the rug” this season? What practical step could you take this week to bring it honestly before God?

Day 3: The Watchtower Stance: Waiting Without Answers

Habakkuk climbed his watchtower, determined to stay present with God despite confusion. This posture of active waiting—neither fleeing nor demanding immediate answers—builds spiritual endurance. Like Kelly praying for healing month after month, our watchtower seasons teach us to trust the unseen work of God’s hands. [49:25]

“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.” (Habakkuk 2:1, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to abandon your “watchpost” of prayer or community because answers feel delayed? How might staying put strengthen your spiritual resolve?

Day 4: Shigionoth Praise: Worship That Defies Circumstances

Habakkuk’s final prayer bursts with “crazy praise”—not because his famine ended, but because his perspective shifted. This “shigionoth” worship (Hebrew for erratic, passionate music) chooses gratitude for what God has done over bitterness for what He hasn’t yet fixed. It’s the cancer patient raising hands, the betrayed believer still singing. [55:17]

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17–18, ESV)

Reflection: What current hardship makes praise feel irrational? What one specific blessing from God’s past faithfulness can you thank Him for today?

Day 5: Scars and Certainty: Jesus Meets Us in Disbelief

Thomas didn’t lose his doubts by arguing but by encountering the risen Christ. Jesus didn’t scold his skepticism—He offered His wounds as proof. Our doubts become holy ground when they drive us to gather with God’s people, where the living Christ still shows up through His Spirit and community. [01:01:11]

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:27–28, ESV)

Reflection: What tangible evidence of God’s presence (in Scripture, creation, or community) might you be overlooking as you focus on your doubts?

Sermon Summary

Doubt gets raw and real because doubt is not some strange thing that only weak people battle. Doubt is that feeling of uncertainty, that lack of conviction, that moment when life gets so heavy that faith feels less like solid ground and more like shifting sand. The question is not whether doubt will ever show up, but what a person will do with it. Pretending there are no doubts just stuffs another dead cat under the rug until the whole house starts stinking. Letting doubt destroy faith sends a person back to what God brought them out of. Bringing doubt honestly to God keeps the heart seeking, because doubts do not scare God.

Honest questions brought to God can lead to a deeper faith. Habakkuk shows that a person can love God and still ask, “How long?” and “Why?” His name means to wrestle and embrace, and that is exactly where faith often lives. Faith can embrace God and wrestle with truth at the same time. God is still good, even when what is happening does not look good.

Habakkuk moves from wondering in chapter one to waiting in chapter two. The watchtower becomes the place where complaint goes up to God instead of spilling sideways onto people. Faith is not pretending to have all the answers. Faith is refusing to leave the watchtower. Waiting may feel like a doctor’s office, slow and frustrating, but sometimes when a person is waiting, God is working.

Habakkuk then moves into worship in chapter three. Shigenoth praise is praise with rapid emotional shifts, praise that does not make sense, praise with punctuation and exclamation points. The fig tree may not blossom, the stalls may be empty, the body may tremble, and yet Habakkuk says he will rejoice in the Lord. Worship does not always change the circumstance first, but worship changes perspective.

Thomas shows the same mercy from another angle. Thomas says he will never believe unless he sees the wounds, but eight days later he is still with the disciples. Doubt did not drive him out of the room. Jesus still shows up behind locked doors and speaks peace. God still shows up for those who doubt, especially when doubt keeps seeking instead of quitting. Feelings may get jacked up, but faith puts obedience before emotion and keeps coming to the house of God.

Key Takeaways

1. Doubt belongs before God Doubt becomes dangerous when it is hidden, denied, or allowed to rot under the rug. Honest doubt brought to God becomes a doorway into deeper faith, because God can handle questions that religious pretending cannot handle. A person does not have to choose between loving God and asking hard questions. [40:44]
2. Faith stays in the watchtower Habakkuk does not lock himself away in despair, but stations himself where he can wait for God to speak. The watchtower is not a place of easy answers, but it is a place of holy refusal to walk away. Faith is not always certainty, but it is staying positioned toward God when the answer has not come yet. [49:25]
3. Worship can outrun understanding Shigenoth praise does not wait for life to make sense before it lifts its hands. Habakkuk trembles, sees loss, expects trouble, and still says, “Yet I will rejoice.” Worship becomes a protest against despair, not because pain is small, but because God is still worthy when the stalls are empty. [54:40]
4. Jesus shows up for doubters Thomas speaks hard unbelief, but he still stays close to the disciples. Jesus does not shame him from a distance, but comes into the locked room and speaks peace. Doubt that keeps showing up can still meet the wounds of Christ and find mercy standing right there. [64:12]
5. Feelings cannot drive faith Feelings can feel right and still lead a person wrong, just like food that tastes good and comes back with vengeance. Faith must learn to move in obedience when emotion is broken, tired, or confused. Habakkuk and Thomas both show that trust can stand before feelings catch up. [66:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[35:25] - Getting Raw About Doubt
[37:55] - The Dead Cat Under The Rug
[38:54] - Three Choices With Doubt
[40:44] - Honest Questions Deepen Faith
[42:28] - Habakkuk Wrestles And Embraces
[48:22] - From Wondering To Waiting
[51:57] - Refusing To Leave The Watchtower
[54:07] - Shigenoth Praise Explained
[57:25] - Yet I Will Rejoice
[60:41] - Jesus Shows Up When Doubt Comes
[62:18] - Thomas Still Stayed In The Room
[66:51] - Faith Before Feelings
[69:23] - Praise With Room To Move
[72:59] - Salvation Prayer And Invitation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Habakkuk 1:2-3 (ESV)
“O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you ‘Violence!’ and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise.”

Habakkuk 2:1 (ESV)
“I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.”

Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV)
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

John 20:24-29 (ESV)
(Includes Thomas’ doubt and Jesus’ response: “Put your finger here, and see my hands…”)

Observation questions

What specific questions did Habakkuk bring to God in Habakkuk 1:2-3? How did he express his confusion about God’s actions?
In Habakkuk 2:1, where did Habakkuk position himself to wait for God’s answer? What does the “watchtower” symbolize in this context? [49:25]
How did Thomas respond to the other disciples’ claim that they had seen Jesus, and what condition did he set for believing (John 20:25)?

Interpretation questions

Why do you think God allowed Habakkuk to voice his complaints openly instead of rebuking him for doubt? What does this reveal about God’s character?
Habakkuk 3:17-18 describes a total lack of provision, yet Habakkuk chooses to rejoice. How can worship coexist with unresolved pain or loss? [57:25]
Jesus showed Thomas His wounds instead of dismissing his doubt. Why is physical, tangible evidence of God’s faithfulness significant for those struggling with uncertainty?

Application questions

When have you felt like hiding your doubts instead of bringing them to God? What practical step could you take this week to honestly talk to Him about one struggle or question?
The “watchtower” represents staying positioned toward God even when answers are delayed. What does “waiting in the watchtower” look like in your current season of life? [52:57]
Habakkuk praised God before his circumstances changed. How could you practice “Shigionoth praise” (raw, emotional worship) in a situation that feels hopeless or confusing?
Thomas stayed with the disciples despite his doubt. How can staying connected to a faith community help you navigate seasons of uncertainty? [01:02:18]
The sermon emphasized that “feelings cannot drive faith.” When have your emotions misled you spiritually? How can you prioritize obedience over feelings in a specific area this week? [01:06:51]

Sermon Clips

36s

#BringDoubtsToGod

“``Thomas said, I won't believe, but I'll be in the house of God. Habakkuk said, I can't stand what you're doing, God, yet I will rejoice. Yet there'll be no there's no food, there's no ox in the stall, there's no animals, there's no grain because there'd been famine, yet I will praise God. When we talk about doubting, doubting doesn't scare me because I'm telling you, I believe this with all my heart, your doubts will not hurt you unless you don't bring them before an all sufficient God. Bring your doubts to God, keep seeking, keep waiting, keep worshiping.”

48s

#PraiseDespitePain

“``When we get shigan off praise and we get raised to praise and we can push through our doubts, then I believe God responds and shows up in a way that's special to people. I don't understand how someone can destroy their life with drugs and alcohol for forty, fifty years, and it seems like he dumps out all the blessing on them, but that's the God that we serve, and I don't have to understand it. And I don't understand how come someone can serve God all their life, and at 50 years old, get leukemia or get cancer, ended up dying. And I don't understand why kids die in accidents, and I don't understand why people have mental illness and they can't overcome it. I don't understand those things, but yet I will still give him praise for who he is, not what I want him to be. That's what praise is.”

53s

#ShigunothPraise

“``But what this Shigunoth means, the understanding of Shigunoth is, it's a multi part piece containing a multiple rapid emotional shifts. So it's it's weird music. and this this is where he this is his prayer is from this place of weird music if you will. It's it's bipolar. He said, well, you no. No. It's it's it's it's praise that doesn't make sense. How's that? It's praise that doesn't look it doesn't make sense for someone to be battling cancer and then still raise their hands in church. It doesn't make sense for someone to be going through the toughest time in their life, but they still give praise to God. This is Shigenoff. This is a place that he's getting ready to pray and he says, you know, I'm gonna worship you anyway. This is praise with punctuation.”

56s

#WrestleAndEmbraceFaith

“``This is what Habakkuk said. These are valid questions. These are valid doubts. These are things that all of us have thought, you know, why do bad things happen to good people? why don't bad things happen to bad people? And these are valid concerns that people want answers to and and and they're you know, how come people die young and and how come he allowed that to happen to that family? And and this is what Habakkuk sees. He's not he's not understanding. Habakkuk's name means to wrestle and embrace. So see, we we serve a God that understands that we can embrace him and still wrestle with truths. Is this helping anybody today? We are so one dimensional. We see things like we it's either black or it's white. There's no no. We can embrace God and wrestle with truths at the same time.”

47s

#SeekDontStagnate

“``I am telling you today that God will show up. I tell you today, some people walk out of here. They might walk out the same way they came in. They don't know God, but I encourage you, of God, keep coming to church. Keep waiting for God to show up. Keep wondering, but you keep seeking at the same time you're wondering. Wondering is paralyzing, but seeking is a place to where God can move. He says, seek and you'll find me. When you seek me with all of your heart.”

41s

#WorshipWhileWaiting

“``So many times people can I just say trash can their faith? They backslide. They they go back to what they used to because they're not they're not willing to to be in this waiting room. I hate waiting. I hate waiting on Kellogg. I hate waiting in the doctor's office. I know it's shocking. I seem so patient to you, but I'm just saying, like, I hate waiting. I hate it with a passion. But what I found is sometimes when I'm waiting, God is working. When I'm waiting, God's doing something. But not only that. And then chapter three, he's worshiping. You see, while you're waiting, you just as well worship.”

47s

#BringDoubtsHonestly

“``And it's the same way with our doubts. We can act like they're not there, but they're but you'll see them in your life. And you'll see because the decisions you make so number one, you can pretend you don't have doubts. Number two, you can let them destroy your faith. Obviously, you you you think it let me go ahead and bring in an old fashioned word. It's called backslidden. If people backslide and return back to what they come from because they have doubts, so they let it destroy their faith. And they say, you know what? This god thing's too hard to figure out. I can't understand it. Do you know that the Bible says that his ways are higher than our ways? And then so so we we're never gonna understand exactly why God does things he does or allows the things he does so you can let it destroy your faith. You can pretend you don't have them. Let it destroy your faith. Or you can bring them honestly to God and then keep seeking.”

80s

#StayWithTheCommunity

“``So what he said, one of his disciples. One that knew that they'd whipped him. One of them knew that they they had ripped chunks of flesh out his body, and he's and he would've known on the cross. He said, father, forgive them for they know not what they do. One that followed him and knew him and doubting Thomas says this, I will never he was so discouraged because he didn't come and kill all the bad guys and and restore everything like he should. You see, Thomas' problem was is his logic didn't line up with how he believed God was supposed to respond. And Thomas says this, I'll never believe, but it says eight days later. It wasn't a day later. He said eight days later. Like, this is a backache like eight days in the watchtower. This is you eight months waiting on a different diagnosis. This is you eight months when your family's being torn apart and there's nothing God's doing. But eight days later, his disciples were inside again. Do you hear what it said? You you you don't if you don't care if you'll miss it. I won't believe. Then it says, but his disciples are inside. See, that's the problem with doubting is some of us withdrawal. But Thomas cared enough to still go with the disciples.”

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Raw and Real 3

Devotional

Day 1: When Heroes Fall: Wrestling with Shattered Expectations

Day 2: Dead Cats Under the Rug: The Cost of Unspoken Doubts

Day 3: The Watchtower Stance: Waiting Without Answers

Day 4: Shigionoth Praise: Worship That Defies Circumstances

Day 5: Scars and Certainty: Jesus Meets Us in Disbelief

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Raw and Real 3

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