Joe Stewart: Even Though

image_pdfimage_print

Baptists Preaching is a column from the Baptist Standard. It is not an effort to advance any one theology or style but to present what a collection of Baptists considers a word from God. Likewise, Baptists Preaching offers a repository of Baptist preaching for future study and research. To recommend a sermon to be featured in Baptists Preaching, please contact [email protected].

Joe Stewart: Even Though (Habakkuk)

Joe Stewart, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Seminole, asked early in the service, “Is there a better way in the hard times?” 

Stewart led his congregation to repeat his sermon’s theme: “Even if I wonder, even while I wait, through it all I’ll worship.”

Real life is not a sitcom; it has strong headwinds and deep uncertainties. Habakkuk is a book about real life, Stewart said. Habakkuk is a story about questioning God (Habakkuk 1), waiting on God (Habbakuk 2) and continuing to worship God through it all in the midst of difficult times (Habakkuk 3).

Many people “opt out” of relationship with God when life seems to contradict belief. But “you can’t quit,” Stewart exhorted. Even though it seems like there’s no payoff for trusting God, a payoff will come—whether for you or for someone else, he proclaimed.

This sermon was delivered May 22, 2022, for the morning worship service at First Baptist Church in Seminole, which included a celebration of graduating seniors. It is part of a series titled “A Better Way.”

YouVersion notes of this sermon are available here. A sermon outline is available here.


We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.

Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.

More from Baptist Standard