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Habakkuk’s Prayer Plan

What's Driving Your Life: A 10-Day Turnaround for a Fresh Start

The Daniel Plan Study Guide with Streaming Video

God's Power to Change Your Life

For our churches to become what God wants them to be, we must listen to God. He doesn’t have laryngitis. He still speaks today. You and I need to hear from God on a variety of topics—what we’re going to preach on, how to effectively lead, how to help our people with particular problems, and so on. We need to have the wisdom of God.

In the Old Testament, Habakkuk saw his nation being overtaken by another. He wanted to know why God would allow this. So he did these five things to tune in to what God was up to:

He withdrew. Habakkuk said, “I will stand at my guard post. I will station myself on the wall" (Habakkuk 2:1 GW). Getting alone and avoiding distractions can be tough in today's world. But one reason you don't hear God speak to you more is because you are surrounded by noise. You've always got the TV on, your earbud in your ear, or your cell phone ringing. The world around you is so loud you never hear the still, small voice of God.

Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (NIV). Jesus often made it a habit to get alone by himself. If he needed to do it, we do too. But don't stop there. You can't just withdraw.
He waited. After withdrawing, you need to calm your thoughts and emotions and be still. Habakkuk said, “I will . . . wait” (Habakkuk 2:1 GNT). Habakkuk stayed put so he could hear God. Many of us don't hear God because we're just too busy. Hurry is the death of prayer. If you're going to hear God speak, you shouldn't just get away. You must mentally and emotionally calm yourself down.

How do you do that? Relax your body and wait. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God” (NCV). As you wait, get still and comfortable. Let go of muscle tension. Your body affects your attitudes. If you don't feel well physically, it affects your emotions and your moods. As your body relaxes, so does your mind.

Once your body relaxes, you simply wait. That takes time. It's difficult for most of us to calm down. And you can't force yourself to do it. It takes time for your body and your mind to get those RPMs down. God speaks to people who take the time to listen. If you're in a hurry, you will not hear God speak.
He watched. Next, you let God give you a mental picture. Habakkuk said, “I will watch to see what he will say to me” (Habakkuk 2:1 GW). Pastor, have you noticed that God often speaks visually to us? He often gives us a mental picture of what he wants to say to us. There are hundreds of examples of this in Scripture. God would impress a mental picture on people’s minds as they were praying. You can see this all throughout Scripture—from Abraham in the Old Testament to Paul in the New Testament.

Many of you are naturally visual thinkers. You often think in bright, beautiful pictures. It's very normal for you. Studies have shown that 50 to 75 percent of the population thinks in pictures. If this is you, when you read the Bible, you don't just read the story—you see the story!

When you quiet down and calm yourself, and get all the distractions out of the way, then you can simply say, "Jesus, is there anything you want to show me? Do you want to give me an idea, an impression?"
He wrote. Record the ideas God gives you. Habakkuk did this. He said, “The LORD answered me: ‘Write down the vision’” (Habakkuk 2:2 NCV).

Many people don't like to pray because they end up saying the same thing over and over. They're stuck in a rut. What's the solution? Write out your prayers as you think them. Journaling can help. Almost every great Christian in history has journaled. They wrote what they wanted to say to God and then wrote what God said to them.

This practice keeps you focused, helps you remember what you've said to God, and helps you remember what he has said to you. Then you don't have to learn the same lesson over and over!
He worshiped. The Living Bible paraphrase says, “O Lord, now I have heard your report, and I worship you in awe” (Habakkuk 3:2).When you have received God's loving response to your prayers, it's going to make you want to love the Lord more and draw you closer to him. This turns prayer from a monologue into a dialogue. It becomes a conversation. We should thank God when we hear from him!

Pastor, if you will practice these biblical steps regularly, they will open up a whole new dimension of your Christian life. Prayer will become a great adventure to you instead of a source of boredom or guilt. Of course, this isn't the only way to pray. But this is a key way that God can get your attention so you can listen to him.

Recent Articles

Four Characteristics of God-Pleasing Worship

Pastors know the weight of guiding people in worship each week. But before you can lead others, it’s worth remembering what kind of worship actually pleases God. God doesn’t want just a part of your life—he wants all of you. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. He is not interested in half-hearted commitment, partial obedience, or the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion.A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that those external issues are not the point. Where you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship. There is a right and a wrong way to worship. The Bible says, “Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him” (Hebrews 12:28 GNT).The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:1) God is pleased when our worship is accurate.People often say, “I like to think of God as . . .” and then describe the kind of God they’d like to worship. But we cannot create our own comfortable or culturally acceptable image of God and then worship it. That is idolatry.Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions about God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23 ESV). To “worship . . . in . . . truth” means worshiping God as he is truly revealed in the Bible.For those in ministry, this means keeping worship rooted in Scripture rather than in shifting preferences or trends. Congregations will follow the model set before them—so let them see a pattern shaped by God’s Word.2) God is pleased when our worship is authentic.When Jesus said we must worship “in spirit,” he wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit but to your spirit. Made in God’s image, you are a spirit who resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with him. Worship is your spirit responding to God’s Spirit.When Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Matthew 22:37 NIV), he meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt. It isn’t just saying the right words; you must mean what you say. Heartless praise is no praise at all—it’s an insult to God. “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).Since worship involves delighting in God, it engages your emotions—but they must be genuine, not faked. God hates hypocrisy. We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship him insincerely.For pastors, this is an important reminder. It’s tempting to measure worship by how people seem to respond in a service. But God is looking past appearances and focusing on the heart.3) God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful.Jesus’ command to “love the Lord your God . . . with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NIV) is repeated four times in the New Testament. God is not pleased with thoughtless singing of hymns, perfunctory praying of clichés, or careless exclamations of “Praise the Lord” when we can’t think of anything else to say. If worship is mindless, it is meaningless. Jesus called thoughtless worship “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7 KJV).Even biblical terms can become tired clichés from overuse. That’s why it helps to read Scripture in different translations and paraphrases—to expand your expressions of worship.Ministry leaders can serve their people well by modeling fresh language in prayers and songs, encouraging expressions of worship that are specific, meaningful, and clear.4) God is pleased when our worship is practical.“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1 NIV).Why does God want your body? Because without your body you can’t do anything on this planet. In eternity, you’ll get a new, improved, upgraded body, but while you’re on earth, God says, “Give me what you’ve got!” He’s being practical about worship.In worship we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar—and we often do. But real worship costs. David knew this and said, “I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24 GNT). One thing worship costs us is our self-centeredness. You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time.This is especially important for pastors. Worship is not just what happens on stage or in a service—it’s also in the sacrifices of humility, generosity, and service throughout the week. That’s what teaches a congregation the most.

Stand Still and Watch God Work

Prayer is a conversation, not a monologue. When you pray, don’t do all the talking. As a pastor, it can be easy for you to carry everyone else’s needs to God but forget to pause and let him speak to you. But you can’t build a friendship with God—or lead his people well—without listening to his voice.How does God speak? Through his Word. So much of what he wants to say is already in Scripture. Don’t waste time wishing God would write his will in the sky. He’s already written it in a book—the Bible. Stop looking for a sign, and start looking at Scripture. Stop looking for a vision, and start looking for a verse. God’s will is in God’s Word. The more you immerse yourself in it, the clearer your steps in ministry will become.King Jehoshaphat faced three armies at once. Israel had no chance to win in their own strength. They knew defeat was certain unless God stepped in. So they prayed. This is what God told them:“‘Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . You will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you. . . . Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!’ Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17–18 NLT).Pastor, you may feel today like you’re facing multiple battles—criticism, exhaustion, spiritual opposition, or self-doubt. But the same God who fought for Jehoshaphat fights for you. The battle for your church, your calling, and your heart is not yours to carry alone.Take your position. Keep serving faithfully. But then stand still and watch what God does. Worship while you wait. The results are not up to you—they belong to him.God has so many promises waiting for you. But you’ll only discover them by opening his Word and letting him speak. On this Monday, rest in this truth: It’s God’s battle, not yours.Father, thank you that the battle belongs to you. Today I surrender my church, my ministry, and my own weary heart into your hands. Speak through your Word. Strengthen me to take my position faithfully, but teach me to stand still and watch you move. Guard me from fear and discouragement. Let my leadership flow out of worship and trust in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Walking by Faith When God Feels Distant

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Job 1:21 (NIV)When you are a baby Christian, God gives you a lot of confirming emotions and often answers the most immature, self-centered prayers—so you’ll know he exists. But as you grow in faith, he will wean you of these dependencies.God wants you to sense his presence, but he’s more concerned that you trust him than feel him. The situations that will stretch your faith most will be those times when life falls apart and God seems nowhere to be found. This happened to Job. On a single day he lost everything — his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. Most discouraging for Job was that for 37 chapters of the Bible, God said nothing!How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears? You do what Job did: He fell to the ground in worship and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21 NIV).Tell God exactly how you feel. Pour out your heart to God. Unload every emotion that you’re feeling. Job did this when he said, “I can’t be quiet! I am angry and bitter. I have to speak” (Job 7:11 GNT).He cried out when God seemed distant: “Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house” (Job 29:4 NIV).Learn from Job’s model this week. 

Keep Going—in God’s Power

"We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going." 2 Corinthians 4:9 (TLB)If you’ve ever run a marathon—or even just watched one—you’ve heard people yell, “Keep going!” It’s a simple but powerful reminder. And for those of us in ministry, especially on a Monday morning after a long Sunday, it might be exactly what we need to hear.Keep going, pastor.You may feel emotionally drained and spiritually depleted. Maybe you're wondering if the pushback you faced yesterday was worth it—or if standing firm cost you more than it helped. But the Bible is full of people who pressed forward through opposition—and God used them powerfully.Jesus faced intense resistance from every angle. Religious leaders constantly criticized him. Political leaders threatened him. At one point, people warned him that Herod wanted to kill him. But Jesus replied: “Go tell that fox that I will keep on casting out demons and healing people today and tomorrow; and the third day I will accomplish my purpose” (Luke 13:32-33 NLT).Jesus knew his calling, and no amount of criticism or fear could keep him from it. He kept going.Paul did the same. Ministry was never easy for Paul. He wrote: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed . . . but we don’t give up and quit. . . . We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 TLB).Sound familiar? Pastoring means dealing with pressure from all sides—spiritual warfare, emotional strain, difficult people, unmet expectations. But, friend, you're not alone in this.Paul tells us where his strength came from: “We can only keep on going, after all, by the power of God, who first saved us and then called us to this holy work” (2 Timothy 1:8-9 MSG).God doesn’t ask you to keep going in your own power. He called you—and the one who called you is faithful. He will supply the strength, grace, wisdom, and stamina you need to keep showing up. To preach another sermon. To love another person. To shepherd another soul.So today, pastor, take a deep breath. Rest in God’s power. And keep going.You’re not alone. God’s not done.

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