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Devotion If Habakkuk Can Do It... The Bible continually speaks of constant rejoicing and instructs believers to rejoice in the Lord in spite of circumstances. In Habakkuk 3:17, we read, “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive tree 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: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (KJV) According to Webster’s Dictionary, to “rejoice” is to feel joy or great delight and “rejoicing” is the action of one who rejoices. Therefore, in other words, “rejoicing” is the action of feeling joy. Well, that might have been all well and good for Webster. He had a best-selling book on his hands. For the rest of us, when we go through unpleasantness, it is a tad more difficult to maintain our composure and we wouldn’t even think of tossing about trite platitudes with reckless abandon. However, upon closer examination of biblical verses, we generally see the recommendation that we rejoice “in” our circumstances, not “for” them. It is apparent from the quoted passage in Habakkuk that good ol’ Hab was having adversity handed to him on a greasy platter. But we also see that God is not unrealistic. He did not expect Hab to leap into the air, click his heels together, and say, “Whoopee! My crops have failed and my animals are dead! Ain’t this grand?” No, God knew Habakkuk was human and gave him the strength to say, “Yet I will rejoice IN the Lord.” Then God reminds Habakkuk why he should rejoice in the Lord. “I will rejoice in the God of my SALVATION.” Habakkuk got it right. Which may explain why his book appears in the Bible. Even though bad times come to us all and we have a hard time seeing through them, we should rejoice, not necessarily FOR the circumstances, but IN the circumstances, for the God of our salvation is with us, and he has a plan in the apparent chaos of our lives. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (KJV) It doesn’t say all thing “are” good, but it comforts us with the knowledge that God is in control of all things and, in the end, will ties our loose ends together. |
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Craig Alan Hart is deeply involved in the world of Christian literature. He is the founder and owner of