Micah; Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah: Lesson 153
Habakkuk
Waiting for Answers to Our Sincere Questions
Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.
When the prophet Habakkuk had questions about the wickedness around him, he sought and waited for answers from the Lord. Like Habakkuk, we can turn to the Lord with our questions. This lesson can help you understand how to maintain faith in Jesus Christ when you have questions that seem to go unanswered.
Study the Scriptures
A seminary teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States, shared the following:
When I was 12 I started a jigsaw puzzle that I hoped to glue together and hang on my wall. Several days later I was horrified to discover my 1,000-piece puzzle had just 999 pieces. After looking everywhere, I decided to purchase an identical puzzle to get the final piece. Unfortunately, after checking multiple stores, I could not find one.
Like that puzzle, there may be pieces of the gospel that you struggle to fit into your understanding of life’s larger picture. As you study today, look for ways that you can move forward in faith in Jesus Christ as you strive to receive answers to your questions.
The Lord called Habakkuk to be a prophet to the kingdom of Judah before the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Like other prophets, Habakkuk had questions and sought understanding from the Lord (see Jeremiah 12:1; Doctrine and Covenants 121:1–6).
Read Habakkuk 1:2–4. Make notes next to each verse with the following summaries of Habakkuk’s questions.
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Lord, are you hearing me? (verse 2)
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Why is there so much violence and sin all around me? (verse 3)
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Why do bad people get away with so much evil? (verse 4)
Like Habakkuk, we too might have questions. Write down a difficult question you might have that you feel hasn’t been answered yet.
In response to Habakkuk’s questions about the wickedness in his society, the Lord said that He would “raise up the Chaldeans” (Babylonians) to punish the children of Israel (see Habakkuk 1:6). Habakkuk wondered why the Lord would allow the wicked Babylonians to conquer His people (see Habakkuk 1:12–17).
Read Habakkuk 2:1–4, looking for what Habakkuk chose to do as he struggled with his questions and how the Lord responded.
Answer the following questions in notes next to the verses.
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What do you think it looks like to “watch to see what [God] will say” (Habakkuk 2:1)?
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What does it look like to “live by [our] faith” (Habakkuk 2:4)?
In Habakkuk 3:17–18, Habakkuk described several possible undesirable scenarios. Read the passages and mark how and why Habakkuk responded.
Review the following study options. Complete one or more. Then complete the “Now What?” section at the end of the lesson.
Option A
Is it wrong to have questions about the gospel?
Asking questions is an important part of growing your testimony.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then of the First Presidency, taught:
Inquiry is the birthplace of testimony. Some might feel embarrassed or unworthy because they have searching questions regarding the gospel, but they needn’t feel that way. Asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a precursor of growth.
God commands us to seek answers to our questions and asks only that we seek “with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ” [Moroni 10:4]. When we do so, the truth of all things can be manifested to us “by the power of the Holy Ghost” [Moroni 10:5].
Fear not; ask questions. Be curious, but doubt not! Always hold fast to faith and to the light you have already received. (“The Reflection in the Water” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Nov. 1, 2009], broadcasts.ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
Option B
How do I move forward when I don’t have all the answers?
In this life, God has asked us to live by faith. That means we often won’t have all the answers.
President Russell M. Nelson encouraged:
Choose to believe in Jesus Christ. If you have doubts about God the Father and His Beloved Son or the validity of the Restoration or the veracity of Joseph Smith’s divine calling as a prophet, choose to believe and stay faithful. Take your questions to the Lord and to other faithful sources. Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophet’s life or a discrepancy in the scriptures. Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters. Allow the Lord to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery. (“Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains,” Liahona, May 2021, 103)
If it is available, watch the video “His Grace: Choosing to Believe in God“ (4:07). Look for what you can do to move forward in faith when you have unanswered answers.
Now What?
Remember the puzzle from the introduction? The teacher continued:
I loved that puzzle, so instead of throwing it out, I glued together what I had and put it in my closet, hoping one day I’d find the final piece. Twenty-four years later, I found the dusty puzzle and new technology allowed me to locate an identical one and find the missing piece.
Today the puzzle hangs on my wall, not because of the picture it depicts, but because of what it teaches me about gospel questions. Don’t throw out the whole picture just because you’re missing a piece or two of the puzzle.
Answer the following next to the question you wrote down earlier.
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What can you do to maintain faith in Christ even if you don’t have an answer to your question?
Share Your Thoughts
Lesson Purpose: To help you understand how to maintain faith in Jesus Christ when you have questions that seem to go unanswered.
Share one or more of the following with your teacher or class:
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What you learned about asking questions about the gospel.
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What you learned about how to move forward with faith in Jesus Christ when you have unanswered questions.
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Something specific you did to achieve the purpose of this lesson.
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Any questions this lesson raised for you. How will you try to find answers to your questions?