'The servants of the Lord are deeply afflicted by seeing ungodliness and violence prevail; especially among those who profess the truth. No man scrupled doing wrong to his neighbour. We should long to remove to the world where holiness and love reign for ever, and no violence shall be before us. God has good reasons for his long-suffering towards bad men, and the rebukes of good men. The day will come when the cry of sin will be heard against those that do wrong, and the cry of prayer for those that suffer wrong. They were to notice what was going forward among the heathen by the Chaldeans, and to consider themselves a nation to be scourged by them. But most men presume on continued prosperity, or that calamities will not come in their days. They are a bitter and hasty nation, fierce, cruel, and bearing down all before them. They shall overcome all that oppose them. But it is a great offence, and the common offence of proud people, to take glory to themselves. The closing words give a glimpse of comfort.'

Matthew Henry Concise Commentary, Habakkuk 1:1-11

Theology, however important it may be to study, becomes an idol if it becomes knowing more about God rather than knowing Him more.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:18-19

There are many professing Christians who know of God's love, but yet there are few who truly know God's love. Test yourself therefore: do you truly know God's love, or is it purely a matter of half-hearted head-knowledge?

'The Christian world is in such a deep sleep; nothing but a loud shout can awaken them out of it.' -- George Whitefield

Just for clarification: Legalism is the teaching that works create, or, at least, contribute to one's salvation. Sanctification is the teaching that salvation creates, or, at least, contributes to one's works via the Holy Spirit.

"Let the day perish on which I was born, 
and the night that said, 
'A man is conceived.' 
Job 3:3
Many, in fact, wrongly say that God refused to put us through more than we can handle. It is often the godliest of all people who face the worst of trials; they are put through far more than they can handle in order that they may depend purely on God, knowing not only that they alone cannot get themselves through the trial, but also that they may depend on God for the rest of their life after. The worst of the trials which God may put on us demonstrate the best of His intentions; if God uses every moment in our life to conform us to His image, then how much more so will He use the worst moments to conform us the most? [Romans 8:28-30] In truth, trials are the ultimate test of faith, and these develop perseverance. If a godly man is put through the most severe trial, then it is quite likely that he is too godly for any lesser trial.

In addition, we should not feel discouraged when Satan puts us through the worst trials as he understands that he has only the least opportunity to torment us. If that is so, then how much, do we think, will he make of such a small opportunity? We must therefore have the glory of God, which we shall soon witness, on our minds to overwhelm the embrace of Satan's trials.

Overall, we must not feel deserted when faced with trials of many kinds, but rather, we must rejoice at the mere thought of such an opportunity. To an unsaved person who desires not to conform to the image of the Son, this message in the Letter of James is possibly the most bizarre, even ridiculous instruction; however, to those who are saved, there is nothing greater. Therefore, we must not consider the current moment when facing trials, but instead focus on the glory of God which may be shown through this trial.

On a final note, the unsaved person sees Romans 8:28-30 as an incentive for worldly desires. In the same way that becoming more like the Son means nothing to him, gaining worldly things means nothing to the saved person, who sees a Christ-like life as more valuable than his own.

I pray that we may use trials to focus on the Lord, not considering the present, but the future which this trial may hold. I also pray that God may discipline the motives of His people and make conforming to the Son their greatest desire. Finally, I pray that the church may be renewed through preaching and a dependency on God and His word, and that the church will be cleansed of any counterfeit spirituality, whether it be experiences, doctrines or any other worldly idol. Father, to whom everything is not enough -- Amen.