Even
Though The Fig Trees Have No Blossoms,
And
There Are No Grapes On The Vines; ...
Yet
I Will Rejoice In The Lord!
Scripture
Habakkuk
3
even
though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even
though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
and the cattle barns are empty,
19 The
Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
able to tread upon the heights.
Observation
God
does not promise us a trouble free life! In fact, Jesus tells us very
plainly that in this world we will have trouble (John 16:33).
Trouble,
trouble, trouble, it comes our way no matter who we are – it seems
to be attracted to all of us like a magnet.
Like
huge waves caused by a storm, troubles in life can be overwhelming.
They can drown us.
If
we are not careful we can spend our entire life overwhelmed by the
fear of “what if”.
What
if my health completely fails? What if I lose my spouse? What if we
don't have enough money to pay our bills? What if my grown kids never
return to the Lord? What if I am never able to have victory over this
addiction?
What
if – what if – what if! Yes, the “what ifs” of life can
overwhelm us!
Can
I make a suggestion? Instead of letting the fear of - what if -
paralyze us, lets do what the prophet Habakkuk did.
When
he prayed for God's help he changed the “what if” with “even
if” and that is exactly what you and I must do if we are going to
live by faith.
So
here is my paraphrase of Habakkuk's prayer to God:
“Even
if the worse thing happens I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be
joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my
strength!”
Psalm
23:1
Because
the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!
Psalm
42:11
Why
am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad? I will put
my hope in God! I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
Job
13:15
Though
he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to
his face.
Application
I
will hold on to all of God's promises as all of life's troubles come
my way!
How
about you?
Romans
8:28
28 And
we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of
those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
Prayer
Heavenly
Father, even if the worst thing happens, I will rejoice in You. I
will be joyful because You are the God of my salvation. You are
Sovereign. You are my Lord. You are my strength!
I
pray for anyone reading this blog today that is dealing with trouble.
Give them strength Lord. Help them to trust You. Help them to be able
to pray “even if”. Don't let them live in fear!
Daily
Bible Reading: Habakkuk 1,2,3; John 8
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