Our Text for today is Habakkuk 3:17-19
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.
Have there ever been instances in your life when God’s presence seemed to be absent? Even if we try to hold onto our faith when life’s worst happens, it’s simple to doubt God. The Apostle Thomas, because he lost hope, is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas.” Even Jesus on the cross cried out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”
It is not shocking that we sometimes feel that way. When a loved one passes away far too soon, where is He? Where is God in death, illness, and divorce? When battles break out, where is He? Yes, sometimes we are left looking for God in the midst of everything because it appears like the world is heading toward catastrophe.
What are you dealing with right now? Does it seem like everything is going wrong in your life? How are you going to handle it?
Of course, you cannot always choose what you will experience, but you can always choose how you will experience it.
Choose patience and joy and trust that God who can see farther than you can, can see the end of this too.
You can choose to say with Habakkuk, who in the midst of tough times said, “Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord…the God of my salvation.”
Remember, this struggle is temporary.
Lonnie Davis