09/15/2024 Midtown Church Elk Grove

Pray 30: The New Normal
“From Complaints to Confidence: Turning My Complaints into Prayers” 
Pastor Gil Acevedo

Intro: Dialogue Vs. Monologue

Biblical Background: 

Book of Habakkuk – The structure of the book follows a series of dialogues between Habakkuk and God, culminating in the prophet’s prayer of trust and worship.

Point #1: Be Honest

Habakkuk 1:2-4

2 How long, Lord, must I call for help,
but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
but you do not save?

3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and conflict abounds.

4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
so that justice is perverted.

 

Key Thought: It’s okay to bring your complaints to God—He desires honesty, not perfection.

Point #2: Trust God’s Response

Habakkuk 2:2-4

2 Then the Lord replied:

“Write down the revelation
and make it plain on tablets
so that a herald may run with it.

3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time;
it speaks of the end
and will not prove false.
Though it linger, wait for it;
it will certainly come
and will not delay.

4 “See, the enemy is puffed up;
his desires are not upright—
but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness—

 

Key Thought: Trust grows when we learn to accept God’s timing and plans, even when they challenge us.

 

Point #3: Find Confidence in Praise

Habakkuk 3:17-19

¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,

¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

¹⁹ The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

 

Key Thought: Complaints turn into confidence when we shift from focusing on our problems to praising God’s faithfulness. 

 Walk It Out: (Application Steps)

1. Re-lease:Pour Out Your Complaints: Write down the things that have been frustrating you or causing doubt. Bring them honestly to God in prayer this week.

 

2.Re-mind:Shift to Trust: When you feel overwhelmed by your complaints, pause, and remind yourself of a time when God has been faithful. Let this fuel your trust. Don’t just create a space to share frustrations/ complaints, create a space to HEAR from God. Most of us don’t trust God because we don’t HEAR God.

 

3.Re-frame: Start with Praise:Start each day by praising God for who He is. Reframe your thoughts from what’s wrong to what God is doing in your life.

 

4.Roll Out: Prayer Through the Waiting: Turn every moment of waiting into a moment of prayer. Instead of complaining about what’s taking time, ask God to
strengthen your faith in the process.

WE’LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK MIDTOWN!

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