Summer Reading List | When God Doesn't Make Sense

Devotional

Day 1: Empty Fields and Unedited Prayers

A fig tree without buds. A pen without sheep. Habakkuk’s opening prayer refuses to sanitize despair. This prophet models raw dialogue with God, where “how long?” and “why?” aren’t signs of weak faith but proof of active relationship. True faith brings the mess of unanswered prayers to God’s feet, trusting the relationship can bear the weight of unfiltered grief. [36:33]

“How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you do tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails.”
(Habakkuk 1:2–4, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been editing your prayers to sound more “faithful” instead of honest? What raw cry needs to spill from your lips today?

Day 2: When God’s Answer Deepens the Mystery

Babylonians as divine instruments. A healing that looks like invasion. Habakkuk’s story warns that God’s solutions often amplify our confusion before resolving it. Faith isn’t derailed when heaven’s response seems worse than the problem—it digs in, asking harder questions while staying rooted in what’s known of God’s character. [42:30]

“Are you not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained them as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof. You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and are silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?”
(Habakkuk 1:12–13, ESV)

Reflection: When has God’s response to your prayers initially felt like a betrayal of His character? How did it eventually reshape your understanding of His ways?

Day 3: Stationed on the Wall of Waiting

Habakkuk climbs the ramparts—not to flee, but to watch. Active waiting becomes its own act of faith when prayers seem stuck between “how long?” and “not yet.” This posture rejects both passive resignation and desperate striving, choosing instead expectant vigilance for glimpses of God’s movement. [47:55]

“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? What practical step could help you “station yourself” to see God’s next move?

Day 4: The Defiant Power of “Though” and “Yet”

Bare vines. Empty stalls. Habakkuk’s final confession names devastation while declaring allegiance. Mature faith learns to hold “though” and “yet” in tension—fully acknowledging present pain while clinging to historic faithfulness. This isn’t denial, but defiance against despair’s final word. [53:13]

“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 “though” situation needs naming? What specific “yet” declaration can you pair with it today?

Day 5: Wrestling as a Form of Holding On

Habakkuk’s name means “embrace.” The prophet who grapples with God ultimately clings to Him. Faith isn’t the absence of struggle but the refusal to let go mid-wrestle. When understanding fails, we hold the One who holds us—trusting His grip more than our grasp. [59:33]

“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?”
(Psalm 13:1–2, ESV)

Reflection: Where is your current struggle with God actually keeping you close to Him? How might releasing the demand for answers deepen your grip on His character?

Sermon Summary

Habakkuk begins with the question that rises up whenever life hurts and God seems silent: “How long?” The prophet looks at Judah and sees violence, corruption, exploitation, and justice twisted around backward. Habakkuk brings God the unedited version of his prayer, not the cleaned-up church version. Faith does not require him to hide his anger, confusion, grief, or disappointment.

God answers Habakkuk, but God’s answer creates even more questions. God sees Judah’s evil and will act, yet God will use Babylon, a nation even more brutal and violent, as an instrument of judgment. Habakkuk knows God as holy, just, kind, and good, so Babylon does not fit with what Habakkuk thought God would do. The deepest struggle is not merely, “God, where are you?” but, “God, how does this fit with who I thought you were?”

Habakkuk refuses to walk away. The prophet stations himself on the wall and waits, looking to see what God will say. Waiting is not passive resignation here. Waiting is staying in relationship with God when every prayer has been prayed, every effort has been made, and nothing seems to change.

God does not give Habakkuk a timetable or a neat explanation. God gives him this: “The righteous person will live by faith.” Faith is not certainty, pretending doubt is absent, or calling something good when it is awful. Faith says, “I do not understand what God is doing, but I have not stopped believing in who God is.”

Chapter three changes because Habakkuk begins to remember. The prophet remembers God’s faithfulness, God’s rescue, and God’s way of making a way when there was no way. Remembering turns Habakkuk toward the God who has been faithful long before this particular crisis.

Habakkuk finally reaches the words “though” and “yet.” Though the fig tree does not bud, though the fields fail, though the stalls are empty, yet he will rejoice in God his Savior. “Yet” is faith without an explanation. Jesus makes that faith possible because Christ shows the character of God: God comes close, enters suffering, weeps at graves, and brings life through death. Habakkuk’s journey becomes three simple movements: “God, I don’t understand. God, I’m still here. God, I still trust you.” Holding on to God, even barely, becomes evidence that God is still holding on.

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Key Takeaways

1. Questions can be acts of faith [40:40] Habakkuk brings his real questions directly to God instead of walking away. Faith does not demand polished prayers that hide anger, fear, or disappointment. Honest questions can become a way of staying close to God when easy answers have disappeared. [40:40]
2. God’s answers may deepen mystery [42:30] God’s answer about Babylon does not immediately comfort Habakkuk. God’s ways can feel painfully inconsistent with what suffering people know about his goodness. Habakkuk shows that confusion about God’s actions does not have to become abandonment of God’s character. [42:30]
3. Waiting stays open to God [47:55] Habakkuk stands on the wall expecting God to speak, even after receiving an answer he does not like. Waiting becomes more than doing nothing when it is filled with watchfulness and relationship. Faith remains present before God when circumstances refuse to move. [47:55]
4. “Yet” holds on without explanations [53:49] Habakkuk does not rejoice because the crops suddenly return or the threat disappears. “Yet” names trust that remains after every visible reason for confidence is gone. This kind of faith does not deny loss, but it refuses to let loss have the final word. [53:49]
5. Jesus reveals God in suffering [56:24] Jesus keeps suffering people from having to guess whether God is distant or indifferent. Christ enters human pain, weeps, touches the broken, and cries out from the cross, “Why have you forsaken me?” The cross shows that God meets human anguish from the inside.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[31:30] - When Answers Create More Questions
[33:30] - Habakkuk and God’s Silence
[36:33] - How Long, Lord?
[38:58] - Bringing God the Unedited Prayer
[42:02] - God’s Troubling Answer: Babylon
[44:02] - When God’s Actions Do Not Make Sense
[47:35] - Standing on the Wall and Waiting
[49:59] - The Righteous Will Live by Faith
[51:33] - Remembering God’s Faithfulness
[52:33] - Though and Yet
[56:24] - Jesus Reminds Us Who God Is
[57:41] - I Don’t Understand, I’m Still Here
[59:02] - Holding On to the God Who Holds On

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Habakkuk 1:2–4
“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. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.” [36:33]

Habakkuk 2:1
“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.” [47:35]

Habakkuk 2:4
“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” [49:59]

Habakkuk 3:17
“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,” [52:44]

Habakkuk 3:18
“yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” [52:59]

Observation questions

What specific kinds of suffering and injustice does Habakkuk name in chapter 1, and what do those details reveal about the situation in Judah? [35:34]
In Habakkuk 2:1, what actions show that Habakkuk’s waiting is active rather than simply giving up?
What does Habakkuk lose or lack in 3:17, and what does he still choose to do in 3:18? [53:17]
How does the movement from “How long?” in chapter 1 to “yet I will rejoice” in chapter 3 show a change in Habakkuk, even though his circumstances have not changed? [51:03]

Interpretation questions

Why can Habakkuk’s honest complaints be understood as an act of faith rather than a rejection of God? What is the difference between bringing questions to God and turning away from God? [40:40]
God does not give Habakkuk a simple explanation or timetable. What does “the righteous shall live by faith” mean when someone still has real doubts, grief, and unanswered prayers? [50:03]
Habakkuk remembers God’s past faithfulness before he declares trust in God’s future. Why might remembering be especially important when a person cannot see what God is doing in the present? [51:33]
Habakkuk says “though” before he says “yet.” How does this keep faith from becoming denial or pretending that pain is not painful? [54:17]

Application questions

What is a “How long?” question that you have been carrying—about your own life, someone you love, or the world around you? What might it look like to bring God the honest version of that question this week? [38:22]
Is there an area where you have been tempted to give God a cleaned-up prayer instead of saying what you really feel—anger, fear, disappointment, grief, or confusion? What would an honest prayer sound like?
Are you in a season of waiting after you have already done what you know to do—prayed, sought help, had hard conversations, pursued treatment, apologized, or forgiven? What could it mean for you to “stand on the wall” and remain open to God in that waiting? [48:44]
Think of a time when God provided strength, help, grace, or a faithful person in your life. How could you make a practice of remembering that story when current circumstances feel unclear? [52:04]
When someone else is hurting, are you more likely to offer explanations or to sit with them in their pain? What are some simple, caring words or actions that could help you stay present without explaining away their suffering? [46:49]
What is one “though” you can name honestly right now? Without minimizing it, how might you complete the sentence: “Though this is still hard, yet…”? [53:58]
Jesus enters suffering, weeps with grieving people, and cries out from the cross. How does Jesus’ nearness to suffering shape the way you approach God in your own pain? [56:32]

Sermon Clips

42s

“And maybe yet is one of the most powerful words of faith that we can learn, because yet is faith without an explanation. Yet is what you say when the circumstances haven't changed, but somehow you have decided that you are still going to hold on to God. Yet says, I don't understand this. I don't like this. I didn't choose this. I would not have written the story this way. I still have questions. I am still angry, I am still grieving, I still have doubts, yet, I will trust the God that I have come to know.”

35s

“And here's something that maybe some of us need to hear this morning. Friends, God is not afraid of your questions. God does not need you to protect him from your disappointment. God doesn't need you to pretend that you understand something that you do not understand. God doesn't need you to call something good when it feels absolutely awful. Questioning God is not necessarily the opposite of faith. Sometimes questioning God is an act of faith.”

36s

“Habakkuk asked why, Jesus asked why. The Psalms asked why over and over and over again. Faith was never, has never meant that you don't ask questions. Faith means that you keep talking to God while you ask them. And maybe that's the whole book of Habakkuk. Three chapters, three movements. God, I don't understand. God, I am still here. God, I still trust you. All of those things can be true at the same time.”

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