“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17-18
December 30, 2022 – January 1, 2023
It came in with a ferocity that caught us off guard. It was forecast, but we didn’t know its full consequences. It was winter’s introduction to winter with wind and temperatures that overwhelmed everything from heat pumps to human lives. The prophet Habakkuk was given fair warning about the invasion of an army that would wreak havoc on the land and people of Israel. It serves as a vivid reminder that we know not what will be the challenges to our faith in the coming year. The prophet’s lament is a cry of desperation to the Lord, and yet at the same time a resolve to rejoice in God no matter what happens. Will we, in faith, look to God with our fears submitted to resting in His perfect wisdom and love? Take the “even if” test. “Even if the budget is never balanced, even if the stock market crashes, even if food prices skyrocket, even if the agenda of those who call evil good, and good evil sweeps the land, even if my spouse dies in my arms, even if my child never recovers from her illness, even if I lose my job, and even if we lose our home, yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.” Are we braced for the circumstantial storms in the months ahead? Only the courage of faith in our unfailing God can create the needed resolve.
H
“O God of all wisdom and justice, I ask for the grace needed if everything that was normal and predictable collapses, that I will still rejoice.”
(Some of the “even ifs” taken from a quote by Dr. R.C. Sproul)