We have been watching as
Habakkuk has wondered about the workings and concern of God. After
determining that there was extensive wickedness among his people,
Habakkuk could not believe that God seemed unconcerned. When God told
him that he was going to use the Chaldeans as His agent for judgment,
as God stated to him, Habakkuk was even more challenged to
understand. Finally, Habakkuk realized that “the just shall live by
his faith”, and when he did not understand, God was still in
control. After realizing and sharing the power and might of Almighty
God, Habakkuk began in chapter three and verse seventeen sharing his
resolve concerning God. We find the final portion of Habakkuk's new
mindset in verse eighteen which says:
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the
God of my salvation.
Habakkuk wrote in verse
seventeen:
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither
[shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail,
and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from
the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls:
In other words, even if
everything tangible in Habakkuk's life disappears, “Yet I will
rejoice in the LORD”. There is not a greater value than the
relationship we may have with God. Nothing compares. Nothing exceeds,
and nothing is more important than our fellowship with the Heavenly
Father. Habakkuk has realized that even when he doesn't understand
God, God has his best interest at heart. So it is with us. We may
rejoice in the LORD even when we have material possessions or
positions that are lost. We may have the confidence that we have not
lost everything because we have God.
Habakkuk continued, “I
will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk was resolved to
find his joy in the God of his salvation. Happiness is contingent
upon circumstances, but joy is a fruit of God's spirit. When we
purpose with our will as Habakkuk did his that our joy will be in the
God of our salvation, nothing on Earth will deter us from this joy.
We find our greatest state of mind is as close as the purpose of our
will to align with the Almighty God and placing full and complete
trust in Him. This is where true rejoicing is found, and this is
where fullness of joy is complete.
So what is our resolve when
things go wrong? Can we take a serious lesson from Habakkuk and learn
to trust our Heavenly Father even when we do not understand? Will we
find ourselves rejoicing or moaning? Will we discover ourselves
complaining or having joy? May the Lord help us all to have the same
resolve as Habakkuk and find ourselves rejoicing in the LORD, and
having joy in the God of our salvation.
Next
time we will discover Habakkuk's new source of strength and we will
end our study in Habakkuk, so read ahead, and we shall join together
then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites,
www.amazon.com
; www.barnesandnobles.com
; download
to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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