#habbakuk

[rossodimarte]

An angel transports Habakkuk from Jerusalem to Babylon to bring food to Daniel in the lions' den, France, 15th century

#angel #daniel #habbakuk #prophet #lion's den

[ekechi]

HABBAKUK 3:17-19 ---- A HYMN

    (Verse 1) Even when the fig trees have no blossoms, And the vines bear no grapes, When the olive crop fails, and fields are empty, And our hearts are heavy with trials and mistakes. When the flocks die in the fields, And cattle barns stand empty and bare, We will still find reason to rejoice, For in the Lord, we find strength to bear.   (Chorus) Yet we will rejoice in the…

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#blessedness #blessings #Christ #faith #faithfulness #God #Habbakuk #Hope #hymn #inspirational #inspiring #Meditation #Poem #victory

[biblenewsprophecy]

#Habbakuk #USA in bible prophecy #end time prophecy #USA debt #bible prophecy #news & analysis #debt crisis #bible news #bible news radio #bible prophecy radio #understand bible prophecy #Habbakuk's message #Habakkuk 2

[americangeophysicalunion]

Dive down into the freezing depths of Patricia Lake, in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, and you will find the wreck of the Habbakuk—a sixty-foot model aircraft refueling depot originally constructed of wood and ice. 

 This “berg ship” was the brainchild of the eccentric wartime genius Geoffrey Pyke. In 1943, the Allies were being hard pressed by German U-boats, and British and American leaders was desperate to gain the upper hand in the War of the Atlantic. Pyke’s idea was to construct a fleet of the huge ships, each 1,970 feet long and made from a mixture of ice and wood pulp called Pykrete. He claimed the ships were bulletproof and unsinkable. The project was approved by Winston Churchill himself, and Project Habbakuk was born. 

 Go to thirdpodfromthesun.com or your favorite podcasting app to listen to the first episode of Third Pod’s “Ice” miniseries: The ice ships of Project Habbakuk 

#Project Habbakuk #podcast #scicomm #marine archaeology #scienc #ice #pykrete

[eruvadhril]

An extract from Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany was just getting ready for bed that night when she found a book under her pillow.

The title, in fiery red letters, was Passion’s Plaything by Marjory J. Boddice, and in smaller print were the words: Gods and Men said their love was not to be, but they would not listen!! A tortured tale of a tempestuous romance by the author of Sundered Hearts!!!

The cover showed, up close, a young woman with dark hair and clothes that were a bit on the skimpy side in Tiffany’s opinion, both hair and clothes blowing in the wind. She looked desperately determined, and also a bit chilly. A young man on a horse was watching her some distance away. It appeared that a thunderstorm was blowing up.

Strange. There was a library stamp inside, and Nanny didn’t use the library. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to read a bit before blowing the candle out.

Tiffany turned to page one. And then to page two. When she got to page nineteen she went and fetched the Unexpurgated Dictionary.

She had older sisters and she knew some of this, she told herself. But Marjory J. Boddice had got some things laughably wrong. Girls on the Chalk didn’t often run away from a young man who was rich enough to own his own horse—or not for long and not without giving him a chance to catch up. And Megs, the heroine of the book, clearly didn’t know a thing about farming. No young man would be interested in a woman who couldn’t dose a cow or carry a piglet. What kind of help would she be around the place? Standing around with lips like cherries wouldn’t get the cows milked or the sheep sheared!

And that was another thing. Did Marjory J. Boddice know anything about sheep? This was a sheep farm in the summertime, wasn’t it? So when did they shear the sheep? The second most important occasion in a sheep farm’s year and it wasn’t worth mentioning?

Of course, they might have a breed like Habbakuk Polls or Lowland Cobbleworths that didn’t need shearing, but these were rare and any sensible author would surely have mentioned it.

And the scene in chapter five, where Megs left the sheep to fend for themselves while she went gathering nuts with Roger…well, how stupid was that? They could have wandered anywhere, and they were really stupid to think they’d find nuts in June.

She read on a bit further, and thought: Oh. I see. Hmm. Hah. Not nuts at all, then. On the Chalk, that sort of thing was called “looking for cuckoo nests.”

She stopped there to go downstairs to fetch a fresh candle, got back into bed, let her feet warm up again, and went on reading.

Should Megs marry sulky dark-eyed William, who already owned two and a half cows, or should she be swayed by Roger, who called her “my proud beauty” but was clearly a bad man because he rode a black stallion and had a mustache?

Why did she think she had to marry either of them? Tiffany wondered. Anyway, she spent too much time leaning meaningfully against things and pouting. Wasn’t anyone doing any work? And if she always dressed like that, she’d catch a chill.

#Discworld #Terry Pratchett #GNU Terry Pratchett #autistic aroace icon Tiffany Aching is so fuckin important actually

[theriu]

“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, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior”

—Habbakuk 3:17–18

#bible verses #encouragement #habakkuk

[heavensmortuary]

Something that helped me was reading the first chapter of habbakuk, I do studies with vernon mcgee which makes it easier to understand it too. But, the chapter starts with the prophet crying out at God's seeming indifference to evil acts. And reveals that God was working but it is behind the scenes. It shows judgement is coming and it will be appropriate for the crime commited. Israel was ripped apart for the crimes they commited, and the chaldeans were later ripped apart as well for the crimes they commited to them. But, also, in the study it showed that God is always working and you will never outrun judgement even if it is received on the last day when he returns (tbh you get it now too in a way that sin has negative social and physical impacts). I kind of am babbling but I hope this helps or even makes sense, since I've been struggling with this too. My anger gets so bad some days that I feel sick. When reading the bible I always grab a historical reference cause reading about the old enemies really puts it in perspectives that things haven't changed that much. Just some thoughts though, like I said I'm incoherent at the best of times.

I honestly didn't think about that. man. yeah that makes sense. I think it's one of those things where our only frame of reference for this life is this life and anything outside of it doesn't feel real. don't remember where I read it but something about how the next life will be more real than now, and the judgement then will matter more than the one received now. which is scary on. well. our end as well even if we aren't murderers or rapists or puppy kickers. but at least its there and it's not left uneven, if anything, God has promised some form of fairness. even if I don't have the strength to forgive like He does either. I don't know

having a historical reference rather than looking at the current situation is a great idea, I'll take that into account. thank you so much anon

#anon #asks #krakens croaks

[dungeonmastertyrant]

Cleric (Tempest Domain)

Cleric spells

Cleric level 1: Fog Cloud and Thunderwave

Cleric level 3: Gust of Wind and Shatter

Cleric level 5: Call Lightning and Sleet Storm

Cleric level 7: Control Water and Ice Storm

Cleric level 9: Destructive Wave and Insect Plague

Bonus Proficiency: At 1st level you gain proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor.

Wrath of the Storm: Also at 1st level you can thunderously rebuke attackers. When a creature withing 5 feet of you that you can see hits you with an attack you can use your reaction to cause the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 2d8 lightning or thunder damage (your choice) on a failed saving throw and half as much damage on a successful one. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Channel Divinity: Destructive Wrath: Starting at 2nd level you can use your Channel Divinity to wield the power of the storm with unchecked ferocity. When you roll lightning or thunder damage you can use your Channel Divinity to deal maximum damage instead of rolling.

Thunderbolt Strike: At 6th level when you deal lightning damage to a Large or smaller creature you can also push it up to 10 feet away from you.

Divine Strike: At 8th level you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 thunder damage to the target. When you reach 14th level the extra damage increases to 2d8.

Stormborn: At 18th level you have a flying speed equal to your current walking speed whenever you are not underground or indoors.

Gods in this domain their alignment and their symbol:

Auril NE Six pointed snowflake, Talos CE 3 lightning bolts radiating from a central point, Umberlee CE Wave curling left and right, Kord CG 4 spears and 4 maces radiating out from a central point, Habbakuk NG Blue Bird, Zeboim CE Turtle shell, The Devourer NE Bundle of 5 sharpened bones, Deep Sashelas CG Dolphin, Eadro N Spiral design, Gruumsh CE Unblinking eye, Sekolah LE Shark, Manannan Mac Lir LN Wave of white water on green, Zeus N Fist full of lightning bolts, Hercules CG Lion's head, Poseidon CN Trident, Set CE Coiled cobra, Sobek LE Crocodile head with horns and plumes, Aegir NE Rough ocean waves, Njord NG Gold coin, Thor CG Hammer.

Source: Players Handbook

#dnd class #cleric

[childofchrist1983]

And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. - Habbakuk 2:2-4 KJV

Prophecy is an interesting thing as we have talked about before.

Habakkuk is one of the lesser known prophets who prophesies to the people of Judah, both warning them of the impending doom and telling them that those who are just will not perish. This prophecy seems to look forward to the coming of the Messiah as well. These are turbulent times for Judah, Israel had already fallen and it wouldn't be long before Judah met the same plight and the survivors exiled into Babylon. But Habakkuk lets them know that God will not abandon them, but everything is in God's time. Judah will be overcome by the Babylonians and they will have to wait until Cyrus invades Babylon that the Israelites are allowed to return. The Jewish people will need to wait or more than another six hundred years for the timing to be right for the Messiah to come.

Just as the Israelites had to wait for their return to Judah, and they had to wait for the appointed time for the Messiah to come, we need to wait for the answers to our prayers. Unfortunately, patience is not always one of our virtues. We read in the psalms, "Wait on the LORD and be of good courage" (Psalm 27:14). God's ways are not our ways either (Isaiah 55:8-9), and both of those descriptions of how God acts is problematic to us who want God to answer our prayers in the way that we want them as well as on our timetable. We keep trying to do God's job as well as ours! We ask Him to answer our prayers but often don't like His answers and try to do things ourselves. Even when it doesn't work, we repeat our mistakes. We will receive God's answers in God's timing and the answers will always be the correct ones, even if they are not the ones we wanted or expected. May He gift us with the patience we need to trust Him allow Him to answer us in His perfect timing and in the way He knows is best. For He always knows what is best for us and is always with us. May He help us to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

Everyday, we must remember to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and guilt. May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[cassianus]

The Nativity Fast

The Nativity Fast, in preparation for the feast of the Nativity on December 25, is one of the minor fasts of the Church. This fast of forty days was introduced in the 12th century. Counting back 40 days from the feast of the Nativity, the fast begins on the evening of November 14 - the feast of the holy apostle Phillip. As a result, it is traditionally called Philip's Fast or the Philippian Fast (in Slavonic, Filipovka).

This fast is not penitential, but is rather a fast of preparation, like the pre-Communion fast. By abstaining from certain foods, we are opening up a "space" in our lives through asceticism and obedience, into which God may enter. See also Fasting.

Traditional rules of fasting

Customs vary, but in general the traditional Christmas fast calls for the faithful to observe strict abstinence (no meat, fish, dairy or other animal product, wine or oil) on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, and a lesser abstinence (no meat, fish, dairy or animal products) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fish is allowed on Saturdays and Sundays, but no other animal products.

Several popular feasts fall during the first three weeks of the Christmas Fast: the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple on November 21, the feast of Saint Nicholas on December 6, and the Maternity of Holy Anna (Conception of the Theotokos) on December 8 or 9. As a result, in many places the Christmas Fast either does not begin until December 10, or becomes stricter at that point.

In the Byzantine Catholic Church, this fast may be observed voluntarily, partially or in its entirety.

The final day of fasting before the feast of the Nativity is particularly strict. On this day - either December 24, or the preceding Friday if December 24 falls on a Saturday or Sunday - the Royal Hours are celebrated, and the faithful are encouraged to fast if possible until after Vespers, which may be combined with the Divine Liturgy. After this service, it is traditional in many places to hold a meal called the Holy Supper, which is meatless but festive.

Liturgical preparation for the Nativity

As the fast begins, there is no daily liturgical preparation for the feast of the Nativity. Instead, pre-festive prayers and hymns are added during the course of the fast.

The first announcement of the Nativity

Beginning on November 21 (the feast of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple), the Canon of the Nativity is sung at Matins as katavasia (that is, the irmosy or theme song of the Nativity is sung at the end of each ode of the canon). This is the first liturgical announcement of the Nativity: "Christ is born! Glorify Him!"

On the feast of the holy apostle Andrew (November 30), at Vespers, we hear the first pre-festive hymns:

Isaiah, dance for joy: receive the word of God! Prophesy to the Virgin Mary that the bush burning with fire shall not be consumed by the radiance of our God. Let Bethlehem be prepared! Let the gates of Eden be opened! Let the Magi come forth to see, wrapped in swaddling clothes, in a manger of beasts, the salvation which the star has pointed out from above the cave: the life-giving Lord, who saves us all!

These hymns become more urgent when we come to the feast of the holy archbishop Nicholas the Wonder-worker (December 6):

O cave, prepare yourself to receive the Mother who bears Christ within her womb. O manger, receive the Word who destroyed the sins of all. O shepherds, keep watch and then bear witness to the awesome wonder. O magi, from Persia now come, and bring your gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the King. For the Lord has appeared from a Virgin Mother; yet she bowed to him as a servant and spoke to him in her bosom, saying: "How were you conceived in me? How did you grow in me, my God and Savior?

The Prophets of the Old Testament

During the month of December, we commemorate several of the Old Testament prophets: Nahum (December 1), Habbakuk (December 2), Zephaniah (December 3), and Haggai (December 16). All of these prophets preached repentence, and the coming of the Messiah in great glory.

Daniel, whom we remember on December 17, was also a prophet: an apocalyptic seer who foretold an everlasting Kingdom of God. With him, we commemorate the three young men, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, who were thrown into a fiery furnace on account of their faith in the one God of Israel, and were seen there walking about with a fourth man, "one like a son of God" (Daniel 3:92). The Fathers of the Church saw this fourth man as a prefigurement of Jesus himself, and the faith of Daniel and the three young men as a summation of the best of the saints of the Old Covenant. That is why hymns in honor of Daniel and the three youths are sung not only on their feast day (December 17), but on the two Sundays before Christmas as well.

The Sundays before Christmas

On the Second Sunday before the Nativity (December 11-17), the Sunday of the Forefathers, we recall the holy men and women who lived under the Old Covenant, and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. At the same time, in the Gospel at the Divine Liturgy (Luke 14:16-24), we hear our Lord tell the parable of a feast to which those who were first invited, did not come - and how the master ordered the house to be filled with those who were not at first invited. Thus in the troparion we sing:

By faith, O Christ, you justified the forefathers. Through them, you betrothed yourself to a Church from all nations.

On the Sunday before the Nativity (December 18-24), the Sunday of the Ancestors, the genealogy of Jesus is read at the Divine Liturgy (Matthew 1:1-25); the Epistle, from the Letter to the Hebrews, praises the saints of the Old Testament for their faith, but says that in spite of that faith, they did not receive the promised Messiah. Instead, "God had made a better plan - a plan which included us" (Hebrews 11-40).

The Pre-festive Days of the Nativity

Finally, on December 20, we begin the actual pre-festive days of Christmas:

Bethlehem, make ready, Eden has been opened for all. Ephrathah, prepare yourself, for the Tree of Life has blossomed from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb has become a spiritual paradise in which divinity was planted. If we partake of it, we shall live and not die like Adam. Christ is born to raise up the likeness that had fallen. (December 20)

On each day, we sing hymns of the journey of Mary and Joseph to the cave, as we await the celebration of the birth of the Son of God.

The Royal Hours of Christmas

One final day of strict fasting awaits us. Normally, this would be the Vigil (in Greek, Paramony) of the Nativity, December 24. But Saturday and Sunday are never days of strict fasting in the Byzantine Rite (with the single exception of Great and Holy Saturday). So when December 24 falls on one of these two days, the day of strict fast is anticipated on Friday.

On this day, a special service called the Royal Hours is celebrated. This service consists of the daytime services of the First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour, Ninth Hour, and Typika, celebrated with special psalms and readings for the Nativity. (This service is called royal because, at one time, the Emperor himself always attended the service.) Each part of the service has an Old Testament prophecy, an Epistle reading, and a reading from the Holy Gospel.

More recently, these Hours are sometimes combined into a single Office of Readings, which can be celebrated at any time during the day.

The Vigil of the Nativity

Finally, we have come to the very eve of the Nativity - the Paramony or Vigil of Christmas (December 24). If it is a weekday, it is a day of strict fasting, with the Royal Hours celebrated during the day, and Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil in the evening.

If December 24 is a Saturday or Sunday, the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated in the morning, and we sing the troparion of the Vigil:

At that time, Mary registered in Bethlehem with the elder Joseph, who was of the house of David. She had conceived without seed and was with child; and her time to give birth had come. They found no room in the inn, but the cave became a pleasant palace for the Queen. Christ is born to raise up the likeness that had fallen.

The fast is not quite over; if there is a meal or Holy Supper in the evening of December 24, after Vespers, it is a meatless one. But we have arrived at the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Molebens for the Nativity Fast

In many places, it has become traditional to celebrate a devotional service called a moleben during the pre-Christmas fast. This service is not one of the fixed daily offices, like Vespers or the Divine Liturgy, and so it can be celebrated at any time of the day and on any day of the week, or even several times during the Fast.

Several different versions of this service for the pre-Nativity Fast are presently in use in the Byzantine Catholic Church. All of them emphasize the message of preparation for the Nativity - "Come, Lord Jesus!" - and the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah.

Source: https://mci.archpitt.org/liturgy/Christmas_Fast.html

[in-christalone]

Hey there beloved. I'm concerned that you're allowing overwatch/junker queen to become an idol. An asherah pole, if you will. I know that idols are easy to get into and hard to leave-- I have a couple idols I struggle with too. But I know that God commands we cut down the asherah poles in our lives and flee from temptation. And when we don't, those idols continue to leak into our lives and poison our walks with God. Anyways. I hope you'll pray over it? And hopefully this doesn't come off as someone insensitive just saying things to say them. I want you to cling to God. To rely on Him to get rid of things that may cause you to stumble. Praying for you, lovely.

Hello my friend, I too have realized it’s becoming an idol. What’s funny is just yesterday I checked a comment from my professor on an assignment that got full points on, [I usually don’t get full points on an assignment] 

The assignment was to create a lesson plan from a minor prophet passage, and I chose to do mine on Habakkuk 2:18-20

````````````

“Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman?    Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;    he makes idols that cannot speak.  Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance?    It is covered with gold and silver;    there is no breath in it.”

The Lord is in his holy temple;

   let all the earth be silent before him.

``````````````

I’ll share what I wrote in my assignment that I turned in last week, it may be helpful to someone else out there.

╔═══════════════╗

The title of this lesson is a correction against idolatry to students. The prophet of Habakkuk was likely around the time of Jehoiakim's reign in 609 -598 BC. The most unique fact about the prophet Habakkuk is that this prophet does not always speak to the people, but speaks in dialogue with God.  

In Habakkuk 2:18-20 the prophet illustrates the dangers of idolatry in a poetic form. The Bible commentary mentions that the text opens with a question, vs. 18, " what profit is an idol" it's nothing but a makeshift figure that an individual crafted and then serves as their object of worship.

 Habakkuk is clear in his writing to display the audacity that is of worshiping something that a human has made with their own hands, vs. 19 "Woe to him who says to wood, Come to life! Or to lifeless stone, Wake up". The prophet is clear to indicate the helplessness that the idol displays, being nothing but an inanimate object and unable to offer any real help to the person praying to it. However, Habbakuk doesn't leave his message with only condemnation of idolatry, but with a hope that is set before the people, vs 20 "But the Lord is in His holy temple."

Within the Christian life, we may look at these passages and scoff, "I don't serve any idols, those people were foolish to worship inanimate objects." But woe to us if we think this way. In order to discern what an idol is in our lives, all we have to do is think about what would cause our hearts to stop if we lost it. Oftentimes this is a wallet [money] or a phone [entertainment]. 

Theologian and Reformation leader Martin Luther once said on the topic of idolatry, "Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god, your functional savior. ” We would be fools to believe that the problem of idolatry isn't present in today's Christian lifestyle. An idol is what we give most of our time to, in saying that we don't have time to read our Bibles or for prayers, or for fellowship with another believer, what would this object be in your life? 

An idol is not just a handheld object, it can be a career or a person. Theologian Charles H. Spurgeon encourages his readers to redirect their priorities, “Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 gives the Christian life an encouragement to remain faithful and be open to correction. 

The idols in our lives, if we desire to be close to Christ must be destroyed. The best practice we can take as children of God is to be more in prayer and Bible reading than on our phones or thinking of ourselves in our spending, to limit time on our devices, and go as far as to completely fast from worldly entertainment. The closer you are to Christ, you will then realize that these things are only a distraction to keep you from doing the work God has called you to.

Source:

Ronald Blue, “Habakkuk,”Links to an external site. in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1516."

Martin Luther in Luther’s Large Catechism: God’s Call to Repentance, Faith and Prayer trans. John Nicholas Lenker (Minneapolis: Luther Press, 1908) 44.

Spurgeon, C. H., and Alistair Begg. Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional Based on the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.

╚═══════════════╝

In that moment that I re-read my assignment from just last week, I know it was God reminding me of my commitment to Him. 

As Dr. Sproul once said, “Not only are we sinners because we sin, but we also sin because we are sinners.”

It’s still a temptation, but I’m weaning off as of today. Thank you so much for checking in on me. I can tell just how much you care, and I appreciate your message. 

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

I will keep watch...

I will stand at my guard post And station myself on the watchtower; And I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, And how I may reply when I am reprimanded. — Habbakuk 2:1 | New American Standard Bible (NASB) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Cross References: Psalm 5:3; Psalm 85:8; Isaiah 21:8; Jeremiah 6:17; Ezekiel 3:17; Micah 7:7

#watchtower #guard #reprimand #reply #Habakkuk 2:1 #Book of Habakkuk #Old Testament #NASB #New American Standard Bible #The Lockman Foundation

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Thursday, December 15, 2022

december 15_december 2

THE HOLY PROPHET HABBAKUK (7th c. B.C.)

The Holy Prophet Habakkuk, the eighth of the Twelve Minor Prophets, was descended from the Tribe of Simeon, and he prophesied around 650 B.C.

The Prophet Habakkuk foresaw the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, the Babylonian Captivity and the later return of the captives to their native land. During the war with the Babylonians the prophet withdrew to Arabia, where the following miracle occurred. When he was bringing dinner to the reapers, he met an angel of the Lord, and instantly by the strength of his spirit he was transported to Babylon, where at the time the Prophet Daniel was languishing in prison. The food intended for the reapers assuaged the hunger of the exhausted Prophet Daniel (Dan. 14:33-37).

After the end of the war with the Babylonians, the Prophet Habakkuk returned to his homeland and died at a great old age. His relics were found at the time of Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450), together with the relics of the Prophet Micah (August 14).

The Fourth Ode of the Psalter (“O Lord, I have heard thy report, and was afraid...”) is based on Habakkuk 3:2-19.

THE MONK ATHANASIUS, “THE RESSURECTED” HERMIT OF THE KIEV NEARER CAVES (1176)

Saint Athanasius, hermit of the Near Caves of Kiev, was a contemporary of the archimandrite Saint Polycarp (July 24) of the Kiev Caves. Saint Athanasius was grievously ill for a long time. When he died, the brethren prepared him for burial, and on the third day the igumen came to bury him. However, they all saw the dead man alive. He was sitting up and weeping. To all their questions he replied only: “Seek salvation, obey the igumen in everything, repent each hour and pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, to His All-Pure Mother and to Saints Anthony and Theodosius, to allow you to end your life here. Do not ask me anything else, for I must pray” (There is a similar story of Saint Hesychius [October 3] in THE LADDER of Saint John Climacus, Step 6).

After this he lived for twelve years more in solitude in a cave. During that time he spoke not a word to anyone. He wept day and night, and partook of a little bread and water only every other day. Just before his death, he assembled the brethren, and repeated his earlier words to them, and then he peacefully departed unto the Lord (in about the year 1176).

The monk Babylas, who had suffered illness and an infirmity of the legs for many years, was healed at his relics. “As I lay there,” he told the brethren, “I cried out in pain. Suddenly, Saint Athanasius appeared to me and said, ‘Come to me, and I shall heal you.’ I wanted to ask him how and when he had returned here, but he became invisible. I believed his words and asked to be taken to his relics. And indeed, I have been healed.” Saint Athanasius was buried in the Antoniev Cave. His memory is celebrated also on September 28 and on the second Sunday of Great Lent.

Source: all texts Orthodox Church in America_OCA

LUKE 20:9-18

9 Then He began to tell the people this parable: "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.10 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Probably they will respect him when they see him.' 14 But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.' 15 So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!" 17 Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone'? 18 Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.

1 TIMOTHY 6:17-21

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge- 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen.

#orthodoxy #orthodoxchristianity #easternchristianity #originofchristianity #spirituality #holyscriptures #bible #gospel

[duccnguyen]

The Chigi Chapel was designed by Raphael as a private chapel for his friend and patron, the Sienese banker Agostino Chigi, then completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Le Bernini) more than a century after the death of Raphael in 1520. Bernini's sponsor was Fabio Chigi, who became Pope Alexander VII in 1655. In the movie Angels & Demons, Vittoria and Robert find their first clue and the first dead cardinal. Representing the first element of earth, the cardinal was buried to the waist, and dirt shoved in his mouth. The Bernini sculptures of Habbakuk and the Angel point Robert and Vittoria to the next destination on the Path of Illumination. #IlikeItaly #Italy #Roma #Rome #VisitRome #igersitalia #IgersRoma #RaccontandoRoma #CappellaChigi #ChigiChapel (at Chigi Chapel) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgCxCWYLOhR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#ilikeitaly #italy #roma #rome #visitrome #igersitalia #igersroma #raccontandoroma #cappellachigi #chigichapel

[americangeophysicalunion]

Dive down into the freezing depths of Patricia Lake, in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, and you will find the wreck of the Habbakuk—a sixty-foot model aircraft refueling depot originally constructed of wood and ice.

This “berg ship” was the brainchild of the eccentric wartime genius Geoffrey Pyke. In 1943, the Allies were being hard pressed by German U-boats, and British and American leaders was desperate to gain the upper hand in the War of the Atlantic. Pyke’s idea was to construct a fleet of the huge ships, each 1,970 feet long and made from a mixture of ice and wood pulp called Pykrete. He claimed the ships were bulletproof and unsinkable. The project was approved by Winston Churchill himself, and Project Habbakuk was born.

Go to thirdpodfromthesun.com or your favorite podcasting app to listen to the first episode of Third Pod’s “Ice” miniseries: The ice ships of Project Habbakuk.

#agu #scicomm #marine archaeology #wwii #aircraft carrier #pykrete

[eesirachs]

Thoughts on the book of Habbakuk?

good! i always prefer the minor to the major prophets. habbakuk’s strengths come from its wrestling with yhwh’s imminency as well as what it means to be captured and displaced (theodicy that takes Babylon as mediator of gods choice). selah

#not my fave prophet but so fun to study! great postcolonial insights to be made #such funny timing bc tonight i was reading bel&dragon #im wading through apocrypha #ask