昨天的討論，讓我們明白了一件事，就是我們對自己所說的話，無論是有意識或沒意識，都會大大的影響我們的感受。先知哈巴谷的生命和經驗，便清楚的說明了這一點，讓我們現在來看看。今天的經文主要是回想神過去的拯救。一口氣來把整段經文讀完是有好處的，因為這樣能夠讓我們捕捉先知思想的全貌和力量。

首先，他是有意識地將注意力集中在神是大能和全能（3-7節）上。他說：「他的輝煌如同日光；從他手裡射出光線，在其中藏著他的能力……他站立，使地震動，觀看，趕散萬民。」接著，他集中在以色列在埃及得拯救的事實上（8-15節）：「你以江河分開大地。山嶺見你，無不戰懼……深淵發聲……日月都在本宮停住……你發憤恨通行大地……你乘馬踐踏紅海……」

你看到哈巴谷在這裡做甚麼嗎？他令人回想神在過去怎樣幫助祂的百姓；當他專注仰望神的信實和能力的時候，剩下的疑惑雲霧便被驅散了。這就是處理恐懼和疑惑的屬靈方法──有意識地思念神過去拯救的事實。當先知這樣做時，他開始感到好了一點。為甚麼呢？因為對神的正面想法會帶來對神的正面感受，屢試不爽。

Now we have established the idea that what we tell ourselves, consciously or unconsciously, greatly influences how we feel, we look at how this is illustrated in the prophet Habakkuk's life and experience. The section before us today is dominated by remembrances of God's deliverances in the past. It is helpful to take in the whole section at one time so that we catch the sweep and force of the prophet's thinking.

First, he consciously focuses on the thought that God is mighty and all-powerful (vv.3-7). He says: "His splendour was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden...He stood, and shook the earth; he looked, and made the nations tremble." Next, he concentrates on the facts which surrounded Israel's deliverance from Egypt (vv.8-15): "You split the earth with rivers; the mountains saw you and writhed...the deep roared...Sun and moon stood still...you strode through the earth...in anger...You trampled the sea with your horses...".

Can you see what Habakkuk is doing here? He is calling to mind the way in which God has come to the aid of His people in times past, and the more he focuses on God's faithfulness and power, the more the remaining mists of fog and confusion are dispelled. This, then, is the divinely provided way of handling all fear and confusion - consciously to focus on the facts of God's deliverances in the past. When the prophet did this, he began to feel better. And why? Because positive thoughts about God led to positive feelings about God. They always do.