Yet I Will Rejoice

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

I read the book of Habakkuk a couple of months ago and was drawn to its message and applicability from when it was written (likely sometime between 609-598 BC) to now. I knew immediately that there was a devotional, and perhaps even a sermon(!) from reading this book; the only thing in question was when?

If you haven’t read Habakkuk, I invite you to read its three chapters. Until then, allow me to boil it down for you: Habakkuk was a minor prophet who questioned God about the presence of evil throughout the land of Judah (his people) and God’s apparent silence and lack of action in response to this evil. In fact, the second verse of the first book reads

“O Lord, how long shall I cry, And You will not hear? Even cry out to You, “Violence!” And You will not save…For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore, the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore, perverse judgment proceeds”

Wicked things are going on all around Habakkuk and he doesn’t understand why the Lord hasn’t done anything about it. When the Lord tells Habakkuk that He would soon send the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to mete out justice upon the wicked in Judah, Habakkuk’s response is one of protest, lamenting that God’s act of judgment upon Judah (the punishment) is worse than the evil acts Judah was partaking in (the crime). God shares with Habakkuk that although He will use the evil Chaldeans, He will eventually destroy them. The Lord gives Habakkuk a vision to share with Judah of the pending judgment and disaster, changing Habakkuk’s outlook from doubt and worry to that of faith and praise. The vision is terrifying but magnifies the glory of the Lord throughout the natural world. It demonstrated that the Lord is in control, and that Habakkuk’s faith, like ours, needed to be placed in the Lord instead of his circumstances.

Habakkuk closes chapter 3 with one of the most comforting, declarative, and inspiring verses, demonstrating that as believers, we can know joy in the midst of desolation and darkness. He declares that he will rejoice in the Lord despite the barren fig trees, lack of food, and empty stall. Circumstances change—our world right now is evidence of it—but God is immutable. He never changes. Habakkuk realized, as so should we, that faith need not be in the circumstances—but in the One who is greater than them all.

In what or whom do you rejoice? In what or whom do you place your faith? The obvious answer, of course, is the Lord, as this is a Christian devotional. But I urge you to examine your heart and be thoughtful about your response. There’s no judgment here, I promise. In times like these, with the unprecedented rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, toilet-paper hoarding and hand-sanitizer stockpiling run rampant, worry about the global economy because of the impacts of travel bans and restaurant closures, it can be difficult to not worry, or even panic, especially when the impact could hit so close to home, either in sickness, loss of employment, impact to one’s investments, and the like. Many times, when things are beyond our understanding and seem to be happening to us, our immediate response is to act on those things that we think we can control, and put our faith in our abilities and material goods (finances and the like). We tend to trust more in ourselves and less in the Lord. It is a natural, human, understandable response.

However…God controls the circumstances. He may let us think that we can impact them, but we know that He is greater than our circumstances. Habakkuk realized this, and praised God. God’s majesty and glory are increased when we acknowledge Him for His sovereignty and power.  

Prayer Requests

·      For comfort and healing for those who are contract the COVID-19 virus

·      For health-care workers in their tireless service

·      For the children in abusive families for whom the now-closed school was a welcome and needed escape

·      For those in society who are most impacted by the suspension of visitations—people in nursing and rest homes, prisons, hospitals

Dear ones, God is still on His throne. Whether you think we are in the end times or in a “this too shall pass” time, He is still in control. Our response is to have faith in Him, and to be obedient to His leading.

 Quotes

“Sometimes God calms the storm. Sometimes He lets the storm rage and He calms His child.”

“Somebody, somewhere is depending on you to do what God has called you to do.”           

P.S. I’ve created a special COVID-19 page on the website where we’ll make updates and share information as things happen. I’m also hoping to have a link to the livestream of our church services as they happen on that page as well. #NotAShamelessPlug J