{"id":18113,"date":"2026-03-15T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/?post_type=ctc_sermon&#038;p=18113"},"modified":"2026-03-17T13:23:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T17:23:25","slug":"when-gods-ways-are-confusing","status":"publish","type":"ctc_sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/sermons\/when-gods-ways-are-confusing\/","title":{"rendered":"When God\u2019s Ways Are Confusing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-gdm-google-drive-embedder-viewer\"><iframe width='100%' height='100' frameborder='0' scrolling='yes' src='https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1Mj0QTQk4jmGKgbfGDczxOp3aYXjbMKxZ\/preview?usp=drivesdk' allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n<h6 class=\"p1\"><b>R<\/b><b>E<\/b><b>A<\/b><span class=\"s2\"><b>D<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/h6>\n<p class=\"p3\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Habakkuk 2:1-4<\/p>\n<h6 class=\"p1\"><b>C<\/b><b>O<\/b><b>N<\/b><b>S<\/b><b>I<\/b><b>D<\/b><b>E<\/b><span class=\"s2\"><b>R<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/h6>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">This week and next week, we will journey together through the Book of Habakkuk, one of the most reflective and philosophical books in the Old Testament. In this short book, the prophet wrestles honestly with God, asking why God seems silent when injustice fills the land and why He appears distant when His people need Him most.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The book is set during a very turbulent period in the history of the Kingdom of Judah, near the end of the seventh century BC. After the death of the reforming King Josiah in 609 BC, the nation quickly declined. The spiritual reforms that Josiah had led began to fade, and under later kings such as Jehoiakim, corruption and injustice returned to the land.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">It was during this time that Habakkuk ministered. He stood at the edge of national disaster, as the rising power of Babylon would soon invade Judah. In the midst of this uncertainty, Habakkuk brought his questions before God. Yet the message of the book ultimately points us to a deeper truth: even when the world seems chaotic and God\u2019s ways are difficult to understand, the people of God are called to live by faith.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">When we fast forward to today, the questions of Habakkuk may not feel so distant from our own. At times we may also feel that God is silent when we need Him most. At times we may struggle when His ways seem confusing or hidden from us.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">As we explore this book together, may the Lord open our hearts and give us wisdom. May He teach us not only to ask honest questions, but also to trust Him more deeply, even when we cannot fully see or understand His ways.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px; text-align: right;\">Pastor Julian Wong<\/p>\n<h6 class=\"p1\"><b>P<\/b><b>R<\/b><b>A<\/b><span class=\"s2\"><b>Y<\/b><\/span><\/h6>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Our sovereign and gracious God, when our hearts are troubled and life seems confusing, grant us Your wisdom and peace. When we cannot understand why injustice happens around us or within our own lives, guide us by Your Holy Spirit so that we may walk faithfully and trust in Your ways.\u00a0 We thank You, Father, for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, who bore the weight and consequences of our sins on the cross, so that we might be forgiven and made righteous in Your sight.\u00a0 Lord Jesus, Your grace is beyond measure. You endured suffering and injustice so that we might receive mercy and life. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, strengthen our hearts to persevere and deepen our faith to trust in You.\u00a0 Help us to rest in Your sovereignty, knowing that You are just, faithful, and good.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name we pray, Amen.<\/p>\n<h6 class=\"p1\"><b>D<\/b><b>I<\/b><b>V<\/b><b>I<\/b><b>N<\/b><span class=\"s2\"><b>G<\/b><\/span> <b>D<\/b><b>E<\/b><b>E<\/b><b>P<\/b><b>E<\/b><span class=\"s2\"><b>R<\/b><\/span><\/h6>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Have you ever faced situations that felt unfair or unjust in your life? How did this week\u2019s sermon speak to you in light of those experiences?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The sermon talked about trusting God\u2019s timing because He never delays. How does that sit with you?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Is it easy or hard for you to trust God\u2019s timing, and why?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Habakkuk 2:1-4<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":18038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","ctc_sermon_topic":[],"ctc_sermon_book":[145],"ctc_sermon_series":[597],"ctc_sermon_speaker":[520],"ctc_sermon_tag":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/18113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ctc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18113"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/18113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18137,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon\/18113\/revisions\/18137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_topic?post=18113"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_book?post=18113"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_series?post=18113"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_speaker?post=18113"},{"taxonomy":"ctc_sermon_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scbc.com\/em\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ctc_sermon_tag?post=18113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}