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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! Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT)
During the Prophet Habakkuk’s ministry to Israel ominous times loomed on the horizon. A new enemy was arising, the Babylonian Empire, and threatened its borders. The Babylonians were a ruthless enemy. They didn’t believe in God, they didn’t care about the people they killed. They had no conscience whatsoever.
In the meantime, the people of Israel completely disregarded their covenant with God. They continued to live Godless lives in the face of imminent danger. Habakkuk’s message of repentance fell on deaf ears.
Habakkuk was a frustrated man. He prayed and prayed to the God of Heaven but got no results. At one point he says, “If you are a God that hates evil then why don’t you do something to change all of this?” Another time he says, “Why won’t you listen to me? Why do you make me look at all this sin and filth and do absolutely nothing about it?”
The tiny book of Habakkuk ends with a prayer in Chapter 3. Habakkuk once more begs God to look at his situation and change it. He reminds God of all the great things He has done in the past. He worships God for the many times He has rescued Israel and for His love.
As He continues to think of all that God has done something interesting happens near the end of his prayer in verses 17 & 18. Habakkuk states that no matter what happens he will rejoice in God’s salvation. For example, if fig trees don’t blossom, not only will year’s crop fail, but next years as well. This is not only present tragedy but future crisis as well.
When you look around you and see the danger of a lurking enemy or you get frustrated by the way you are treated or the way people have turned from God. When the shadows of your past or the weight of your present pull you down, take a lesson from the pages of Habakkuk. Focus your attention on what God has done in your past and what He has done for other people and at other times.
God has never gone back on a promise. He has never forgotten His people. Even though He seems silent at times, His will is accomplished. We can trust Him even when hidden enemies loom on the horizon and our society rejects Him. He never changes.
PRAYER: Father God, I have to confess to you that I get really angry when I see the injustice around me. It seems like people who are completely against you flourish while I struggle as I try to live for you. I’m ashamed of my past, worry about my present, and fear for my. Help me to remember all you have done in the past. Help me to praise you in the midst of my struggle. Amen.
You are my portion, O LORD; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. Psalm 119:57-58
No doubt as a young man alone in the fields, David had seen prey divided among the victors and heard their joy as they claimed their part of the spoil. Perhaps he’d watched his own men celebrate joyously as they divided the plunder from fallen enemies. The joy is in the ‘portion’, that part of the treasure which is all yours.
As he reflected on the blessings he’d received from Jehovah God, he rejoiced in the one true treasure that would last him far beyond gold, silver or any earthly object. David’s ‘portion’ was the salivation and shield that Jehovah God provided. Elsewhere he praised Jehovah for being his salvation and shield, his power to overcome and his protection from attack.
It is because of the love and protection David received that he gladly treasured the Words of his God deep within his heart. They were the well spring of guidance and wisdom. They were the source of all that made him who he was. Obedience to God’s commands wasn’t a hardship for David for he saw obedience as the least he could do in return for the blessings Jehovah God provided.
David’s joy seems to spill over into prayer. He seeks the ‘face of the Lord’ with every ounce of his strength, for through heartfelt, honest, persistent conversation with his God he was able to rest in the promises of God’s unending love, grace and mercy.
Don’t miss the significance of David’s words. These words came from a man guilty of adultery, murder, poor parenting and a whole list of other failings in life. David had a criminal record that rivals the most heinous of criminals. Yet he was considered a ‘man after God’s own heart’, not because of his own righteousness. David knew full well that his salvation came as a result of Gods working in him and not because of anything that David could do.
Our motivation to go on, to pursue our dreams, to live lives that are full of the joy of Christ have nothing to do with the circumstances and struggles of our lives. We can base everything we have the unending grace of God, who wants to bless us beyond all measure because of Jesus. Like David, we can rejoice in a living, loving all-powerful God, our eternal portion.
PRAYER: Jehovah God, I thank you for the many blessings you desire to lavish upon me. I confess to you that too often I seek worldly pleasures and riches over the eternal riches of a relationship with you. Help me to seek after you, to pursue you through your word and prayer. Empower me to want to obey and to have victory over the things I’m struggling with today. Empower me to today to believe that you want your very best in my life. Help me to believe in myself as I earnestly seek your direction. Amen.
When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our God said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough. It is time to break camp and move on…Look, I am giving all this land to you! Go in and occupy it…” Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (NLT)
The Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land! After years of captivity they were going to finally receive the land that God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Joseph. It wasn’t an easy journey. The people grew tired of setting up and taking down camp. They missed the comfort of Egypt, even though they forgot about the abusive pain that they endured while there.
Soon they came to Mount Sinai and things got better. They had food provided to them daily, the Lord kept them in the shade of His cloud by day and they had the pillar of fire to keep them warm on the cool desert evenings. For two years, although they were surrounded by wilderness, they lived in comfort on the mountain.
Soon the word of the Lord came to them. You’ve stayed here long enough. This mountain-top experience has to end so that you can receive the real promise, the ultimate blessing of the land I have prepared for you. Pull up stakes. Head into the Wilderness so that you can receive something much better than you have now.
The message is much the same for us today. We have dreams. We have things we’d like to do. But we grow comfortable in our surroundings and don’t want to venture out. After all, who’d choose to be in a wilderness when we can enjoy the mountains.
If we want to receive all that God has for us it is impossible to stay in our comfort zone. But often it is easier to stay where we are. We don’t like hardship. We want to be comfortable and experience all the good things of life and God. But growing doesn’t come when we are comfortable. Growth, true Spiritual Growth, comes during those wilderness experiences when God teaches us to trust in Him.
Our Heavenly Father uses the hard times of life to teach us lessons we must learn to glorify Him. His goal is, and always will be, to give us the things we desire, to show us His good and perfect will. Until we are ready to leave our comfort zone and venture into the wilderness we will never experience the promises God has for us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I confess to you that I far rather prefer comfort and mountain top experiences than I do the hardship of the wilderness. I know that I need to travel through the wilderness in order to receive all you have for me. Please give me the courage to step out, to get off my mountain and follow you. Strengthen me as I go through the wilderness and help me trust in You. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 