Every once and while I listen to a podcast or read scripture that gets me SO. FIRED. UP. about eternity in Heaven. I mean I know I should be fired up about this all the time, but the truth is…I get distracted. I mean, come on.

But this is one of those podcasts. If you are going through a struggle – big or small – you’ve got to listen to this.

Sermon: I Will Stand by Louie Giglio of Passion City Church

The sermon is based on the book of Habakkuk, one that you might not remember from Sunday school. The tone of this book of the Bible is super relevant to how a lot of us are probably feeling today. Basically, everything is going really wrong, there is a lot of unexplained suffering, and Habakkuk is asking God “How long oh Lord must I call for help?”… if you’re like me, this might sounds weirdly familiar to your own prayer life.

The cool thing about this book is that Habakkuk is a prophet, and so he gets a glimpse at the certainty of the future, and then rewinds it for us back to right where we are – in our pain and confusion – to simply remind us that where we are today is NOT where we are going to end up. If that’s not encouraging, I don’t know what is.

What I learned + Big Takeaways

1. At one point in the sermon, Louie Giglio says something like “God guarantees not a stormless life, but that you will be standing in the end.” This was a stop and WOW moment for me. This simple statement is something that I was totally already aware of, but in my day-to-day prayer life, I constantly forget. I’m always confused about why my life isn’t going exactly how I want it to and why things feel so hard. It’s SO comforting to know that even though the storms are here and more are coming, God has promised me that He’ll see me through it.
2. This sermon frames confidence in a way that I love. To have confidence that God really will see me through anything isn’t something that necessarily comes naturally. Giglio references the scripture that says “The sovereign Lord is my strength”. This is a verse I’ve heard a hundred times, but this context really illuminated the depth of its meaning for me. The ONLY thing I have to be confident about is that my strength comes from an inexhaustible, unfailing source. This gives me serious peace.
3. Habakkuk asks the question: “How long?” This is a question I ask God often, about many things. God’s answer to Habakkuk is basically that He’s doing things “you wouldn’t believe even if you were told”. In the context of this book of the Bible, God is about to unleash the Babylonians, who were terrifying, so that God’s people would WAKE UP to Him. He was letting something pretty bad happen so that they would finally come to Him. This got me thinking: Are some of the hard things that I deal with simply tools and vehicles that God is using to draw me closer to Himself? And if so, aren’t those hard, messy things really worth it in the end?
4. Wait For It. Habakkuk wants to know why the heck God is tolerating the Babylonians because of all the havoc and pain they are causing. God answers with a very simple and stern “WAIT FOR IT”. We all sort of hate this answer when it comes to times of pain and hardship, don’t we? While it’s difficult to wait, it is so good to know that in the end, we serve a God who will right every wrong, bring perfect justice, and make all things new. The fulfillment of these promises are going to be so worth the wait in the end.

What About You?

Toward the end of the sermon, Giglio gives a really amazing description of Heaven and how unbelievably powerful God is. He explains that WE will be sitting on the throne with God. Think about that – whatever suffering and pain and heartache you’re experiencing today – you are going to be in it (the throne) forever. It’s not over today. Perfect life in Heaven is the end game.

What were your big takeaways from this podcast?