Jake Cronenworth is a second baseman/ short stop for the San Diego Padres and a native of St Clair Michigan.....

hitting 302 as the clean up batter in his last 14 games, almost 20 homeruns, made the all star team, and has played second base, now shortstop, and even pitched in a pinch....

San Diego Union Tribune 8/26

People who have never even given second base a second thought are suddenly members of the locally run facebook page that bears his name


Habbakuk is a prophet who cares about the people he serves

Remember his name means to hld close, press to the chest, words like that

His unusual approach as a prophet was to take the people's complaints to the Lord about unrestrained evil

Habbakuk became one of the most popular sources for people to read during what are called the silent years.....the years when God was silent between Malachi and Matthew....about 450 years...

Habbakuk helped people articulate their frustration......

SO the book of Habbakuk is a series of conversations, questions and answers between God and Habbakuk - where Habbakuk has a question and he waits for an answer......

16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
destroying nations without mercy

I will stand at my watch
and station myself on the ramparts;
I will look to see what he will say to me,
and what answer I am to give to this complaint.[a]?

where he is supposed to be

literally he went to his assigned a place to stand guard, protect the city, look for danger

the best position with a vantage point that will help him see what is coming

figuratively - place where prophests go to hear from God, prayer, God's Word,

(Illu. Experiencing God note on page 72)

Waiting for his shift watching from his watch tower or post

he is expecting to hear from God before his shift is over perhaps, but at the very least does not ex[pect to wait very long for God to answer -looks to hear in a timely fashion

in order to ......a delibertate choice of position so he could see the most

place with a good view, high up, free of obstructions

Waiting is not a passive activity

looking

scanning

(Illus. SALUTE expect to see something and when you do, be specific in your description)

seeing

what God will say

(Illus. Let's see what he says....)

The value of the Brown City testimonies....

Wonders what asnwer will I give?

He doesn't know the answer himself - shares their frustration

He is "asking for a friend"

People are looking for answers

Ask God......

Spiritual leaders

Search the Scriptures etc....

Make a choice to seek God for his answer to the problem

I will stand
I will station myself
I will look
I will get an answer

to this complaint

this argumnet against God's faithfulness, power, compassion etc...

a chiding, rebuke, impeachment of God's ability and character.....

And this answer is very personal

personally includes the people he cares about

Personally for himself....

He will say to me....

What question do you have for the Lord?

Alot of questions related to God's character, his patience with those who do evil, his existence....etc...those are some of the questions we ask....

(Illus. Book about the usual questions people ask

1. The Reason for God Tim Keller's book

2. Cru.org - Campus Crusades new name - on the landing page they address suffering and Jesus for example

3. Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion - Rebecca McLaughlin

My Brown City testimony is in front of us today.....the questions people have that we are not addressing head on.....maybe it will be my next sermon series.....or Small group or something......


But what about

Where we hear from God, we can seen, sense, the Holy Spirit

Are you in a position to hear from God?


By "means of grace" I understand outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby he might convey to men, preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.

The chief of these means are prayer, whether in secret or with the great congregation; searching the Scriptures; (which implies reading, hearing, and meditating thereon;) and receiving the Lord's Supper, eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Him: And these we believe to be ordained of God, as the ordinary channels of conveying his grace to the souls of men.

Wesley's sermon on the Means of Grace

1. Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion - Rebecca McLaughlin

2. The Reason for God Tim Keller's book

3. Cru.org - Campus Crusades new name - on the landing page they address suffering and Jesus for example