I will choose to rejoice
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.. Habakkuk 3:17-19 God’s ways are not our ways. There are times that we have questions and are seeking understanding when things in life are in disarray. Endeavors we tried hard to invest time and effort seemed to be collapsing. People to whom we are providing help will someday respond and improve their situation are continually disappointing us. The business or career we worked hard to build seemed to be crumbling. All these difficulties could lead us to doubt God’s working. Yet they could be opportunities for us to stop and examine what is truly important in our lives. From the text, Habakkuk had seen the destruction of most of what mattered to the Israelites. But he knew why these things are happening. This was God’s way of calling back the people to Him for He will not tolerate sin to continue to prevail. “O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery?” (Habakkuk 1:12-13). Through the loss, failure, and disappointment, Habakkuk was able to distinguish between what was precious to him and what was temporary and empty. Sometimes God uses unfathomable means as He works out his purposes. Inevitably, we will seek out understanding when times of trials come. Let us not suppressed such questions instead bring them to the light of His revelation found in His Word. He will surely help us when we sincerely seek Him during times of testing. This was why Habakkuk could still sincerely say that even if everything around him fails, he would still rejoice in God for He never fails. Though the fig tree bore no fruit; the vine will not produce grape and the flocks and herds stopped reproducing, he would still praise God for in Him alone He could find strength. Trusting God might not come easily as we watched everything fall short of our expectations but just like Habakkuk we could find that in God alone is strength that will help us endure times of trials. We do not have a hold on what will happen tomorrow or the future for we do not have control over these things but we could still be of good cheer because we have resources in the Lord that are sufficient whatever the circumstance. Our confidence in God does grow because everything is working well in our lives. Nor it is dependent on the success of our endeavors. We choose to rejoice even in difficult circumstances because of God’s love and faithfulness to us. Just as Habakkuk said, God “makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.”
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
