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? 3 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.” ESV Habakkuk 1:2-4

Is it easier to pray when things are going along smoothly in our lives or is it easier to pray when it seems that nothing else can go wrong? Most will confess that it is much easier to pray once we have exhausted all other means to bring closure to a particular situation.

Anybody who has ever had a very sick child can relate to what I’m saying. It is difficult as a parent to watch a child suffer with sickness; especially when you feel totally helpless and incapable of diagnosing or remedying the situation. There are many other examples of course, but I know from experience what it’s like to hold a sick child and I know too that prayers flow freely during those times.

Of course God hears the prayers of His children during these anxious times, but it might surprise you to learn that he is interested in hearing your prayers concerning everyday concerns, and not simply prayers of desperation. God is interested in the daily concerns of your heart. What are some of the daily concerns of your heart? Perhaps they include prayers for protection; provision perhaps; healing of course; wisdom; controlling anger perhaps; etc. Our worries and concerns seem to have no bounds and neither should our prayers.

Speaking of bounds, everything I’ve mentioned thus far has one thing in common. Have you caught it? The common thread is self. Yet when you look to the Bible, you’ll be hard pressed to find a self-centered prayer. I think the pressures of our culture incline us towards self-centeredness, but Jesus’ own testimony, in Matthew chapter 20, was that He came to serve, not to be served. And in John, chapter 17, you’ll find Jesus voicing one of the most selfless and beautiful prayers in all of Scripture.

In our text today, note that Habakkuk had a deep burden for his neighbors. Everywhere he looked he saw injustice, destruction, violence and wicked doings. But more importantly, Habakkuk cared; and not just for himself and his loved ones, but for his neighbors. Habakkuk cared about his neighbors and he made those present concerns known to God through prayer on a daily basis; otherwise we wouldn’t see his complaint about delay on God’s part.

Food for thought: Do you care about your neighbors? Do you pray for them? Over the next few weeks we will look at prayer some more and (odd as it may seem) we will be talking about our neighbors. In the mean time, let’s follow the instruction found in James 5:16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

-Ken Askew