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Habakkuk 3.18 (NIV)
Yet I will rejoice in the
Lord, I will be joyful in God my savior.
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| That which separates us from our other comforts should drive us so much the nearer to God, the fountain of all comfort.* |
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Habakkuk
lists a number of misfortunes that might be about to befall him: fig trees and
grape vines that fail to produce; olive and farm crop failure; no sheep or
cattle in the pens – in other words, total economic collapse - but he declares
that he will rejoice in the Lord, even if life is “stripped of that which gives
natural joy and satisfaction.”*
When a very dear friend received confirmation that her only kidney – a
transplanted one at that – was failing, her attitude at this news echoed Habakkuk’s. She praised God and looked for ways he could be glorified through
her troubles. It is a struggle to find reasons to rejoice when it seems we have
been singled out to suffer.
Habakkuk
(and my friend) isn’t just an example of the power of positive thinking.* His secret: “The focus of his faith.”* His love and faith did not
depend upon God’s fulfillment of his wishes. His source of joy was his faith
that God was the God of salvation.*
God
has many attributes that provide us with hope and comfort but when we face the
loss of all that matters in this world, it is in God the Savior that we can
rejoice.
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| May praise and worship of You be my first response to every circumstance.* |
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