Habakkuk

Habakkuk 3:18-19

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Soveriegn Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights."

Some time in the past I had highlighted these verses in a study Bible. I reviewed the small book of Habakkuk. Who was he? A contemporary of Jeremiah and a man of vigorus faith rooted deeply in the religious traditions of Israel, according to my study Bible.

If you just read those versus you think, wow how uplifting, yea I need to rejoice in the Lord and I am blessed, my life is really good. I have a wonderful husband and son, family, a warm house, plenty of food, a job I enjoy, the list goes on.

However the rest of Habakkuk's story is that he had, just before this verse, mentioned his fig trees weren't budding, no grapes on the vine, fields were producing no food and to top it all off there were no sheep or cattle to be found. Hmmm, sounds bad ... and yet there he is rejoicing in the Lord.

Valuable lesson, important lesson SIGH one I hope I never need. Isn't it our human nature to want to be inspired, but not dwell in the sorrow, suffering or loss? That too is part of our life's journey ...

The study Bible also shares that, "Habakkuk has learned the lesson of faith to trust in God's providence regardless of circumstances. He declares that even if God should send suffering and loss, he would still rejoice in his Savior-God. It's one of the strongest affirmations of faith in all Scripture."

Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

Guess that means whatever the circumstances.