1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your Daily Prayer, 2 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: a podcast dedicated to helping you find the words you 3 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: need to connect with your Father in Heaven. No matter 4 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: what is going on in your life today, you can 5 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: trust that God wants to hear from you. Right after 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: this short word from our sponsor, we will pray you 7 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: today's prayer when we are wrestling with God. Together at prayer, 8 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,560 Speaker 1: when we are wrestling with God, Written by Laura Bailey, 9 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:02,360 Speaker 1: read by Kerrie Eichberger. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. 10 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: I will be joyful in God, my Savior, Habaccic three, 11 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:12,479 Speaker 1: verse eighteen, Mom, are you okay? Who were you yelling 12 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:16,480 Speaker 1: at in the pasture? My eldest daughter asked, what do 13 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: you mean? I wasn't yelling at anyone. I was just 14 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: walking and praying, I answered, confused. I would hate to 15 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: see how you pray when you're upset, she gently teased. 16 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: For some my no holding back approach to prayer is unconventional. 17 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: For many years, I felt ashamed from being upset with God. 18 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: I avoided sharing my true feelings with him, instead offering 19 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 1: sweet latitudes and prayers that I thought God wanted to hear. 20 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,760 Speaker 1: And then I read the Book of Habaccac, and never 21 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: had I felt so seen. If you aren't familiar with Habaccak, 22 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: he is a prophet from God commands to tell the 23 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: Israelites that they are about to enter into captivity. Going 24 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: into exile has tough news to digest. It's even more 25 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: challenging to hear that your enemy, and one of the 26 00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: most wicked and violent empires, the Babylonians, is going to 27 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: be your captor. Talk about a guy who had a 28 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 1: tough job. Tobakak loved the Israelites and he desperately didn't 29 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: want them to experience destruction and devastation, and so he 30 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: pleads with God for their deliverance. Abachack boldly cries out 31 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: to the Lord, questioning if perhaps some Lord has completely 32 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: abandoned his people. Habachic isn't shy about airing his grievances 33 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: with God. He disagrees that the Israelites are deserving of 34 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: this punishment. He demands an explanation of why God would 35 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 1: use such a morally corrupt nation to distribute God's wrath 36 00:02:49,639 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: upon his chosen people. Twie, we see a Backic unapologetically 37 00:02:55,240 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: question God's plan, and then God responds. In we see 38 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: that while God allow us a back to bring forth 39 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: his frustrations, he doesn't explain or justify his actions. But 40 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 1: through the back and forth, Abackic deepens his appreciation of 41 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,919 Speaker 1: God's sovereignty and renews and strengthens his faith, even though 42 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: his question goes unanswered. In the last few verses, we 43 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 1: find our key verse, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. 44 00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: I will be joyful in God, my savior. A bakk 45 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: doesn't understand or necessarily like God's plan, but he chooses 46 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: not only to trust, but to rejoice in God. I 47 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: shared with my daughter that earlier I had been wrestling 48 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: with God. The interaction she overheard was my attempt to 49 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 1: negotiate with the creator of the universe. I know, silly. 50 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: I had my tantrum, But then the Holy Spirit spoke 51 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,120 Speaker 1: to my heart ever so gently, and I responded, Okay, God, 52 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:02,080 Speaker 1: I may not like it, but I will trust in you, 53 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: and I will choose to rejoice because you are my savior. 54 00:04:06,880 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: God can't handle our wrestling, and he desires to hear 55 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,640 Speaker 1: from his children. So go to him openly and honestly 56 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: and cast your fears upon him. Let's pray, Heavenly Father, 57 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: we are grateful that you are God who desires to 58 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: hear from your children like a back. Give us the 59 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 1: strength to boldly and openly go before you in prayer. 60 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: You know our every thought. The number appears on our head, 61 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: and before the beginning of time, you created us for 62 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,640 Speaker 1: a purpose. Lord. There will be many times in our 63 00:04:43,680 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: lives when we are struggling to understand your ways, but 64 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,840 Speaker 1: we know that your ways are not our ways, and 65 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,680 Speaker 1: we rejoice even when we don't understand or like your plan. 66 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: May the desires of our hearts be your desires, and 67 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 1: know you can handle our wrestling. Maybe be ultimately put 68 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: our full trust and faith in you in Jesus' name. Amen. 69 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: Your Daily Prayer is a production of Life Audio and 70 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,559 Speaker 1: Sale Media. If you haven't already, be sure to follow 71 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: the show in your favorite podcast app so you never 72 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: missed an episode. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit 73 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: us at lifeaudio dot com.