Our devotional thought comes from Habakuk 3:17-18.
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Joy is a choice. That’s the declaration of Habakkuk. He looks around and sees nothing but scarcity—barren fields, empty stalls, fruitless trees. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. And yet, he says, “I will rejoice in the LORD; I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
That’s not denial. That’s not wishful thinking. That’s faith in its purest form. Habakkuk is showing us that joy is not about what we have, but about Who we trust. The world says joy comes from abundance, from success, from everything going the way we planned. But God’s people know a deeper truth—joy isn’t about what’s in our hands; it’s about what’s in our hearts.
Choosing joy doesn’t mean we ignore our problems. It means we refuse to let them define us. It means that even when life disappoints, we can still trust in God’s goodness. When the job is lost, the diagnosis is grim, or the future is uncertain, we can stand with Habakkuk and say, “Yet I will rejoice.”
This kind of joy confounds the world. It’s the kind of joy Paul had when he sang in a prison cell, the kind of joy that carried Job through his loss, the kind of joy that Christ Himself endured the cross for. It’s a joy that chooses God over circumstances.
So today, no matter what you face, make the decision: I will rejoice.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.