WHAT CAN I DO WHEN MY FEELINGS GO FROM DISCOURAGED TO HOPELESS? (HAB. 3:17-19)
IF YOU FEEL HOPELESS, OR HELPLESS, OR POWERLESS-UNABLE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE OR PROBLEMS ON THE VERGE OF EXHAUSTION-TAKE HEART IN THE PROPHET HABAKKUK'S STIRRING CONCLUSION TO HIS SHORT BOOK.
KNOWING THE SAVAGE ARMY OF BABYLONIANS WOULD SOON PLUNDER AND PILLAGE HIS HOMELAND, HABAKKUK RECITED A LITANY OF PROBABLE DESTRUCTION. TIMES WOULD BE HARD. FOOD WOULD BE SCARCE. AN AGRARIAN CULTURE'S SOURCE OF INCOME WOULD SOON DRY UP AND BLOW AWAY (HAB. 3:17).
YET DESPITE THE DISHEARTENING SCENARIO, HABAKKUK PENNED AN AMAZING RESPONSE: "YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL JOY IN THE GOD O0F MY SALVATION. THE LORD GOD IS MY STRENGTH; HE WILL MAKE MY FEET LIKE DEERS FEET, AND HE WILL MAKE ME WALK ON MY HIGH HILLS" (HAB. 3:18, 19).
WHERE DID THE PROPHET FIND SUCH HOPE IN THE FACE OF SUCH TERRIBLE CALAMITY? FOR ONE THING, CLEARLY HE HAD BENN SPENDING TIME IN GOD'S WORD. HIS EXPRESSION OF FAITH CLOSELY ECHOES THE WORD OF DAVID, UTTERED CENTURIES BEFORE: "THE LORD IS MY ROCK, AND MY FORTRESS AND MY DELIVERER; MY GOD, MY STRENGTH, IN WHOM I WILL TRUST; MY SHIELD, AND THE HORN OF MY SALVATION, MY STRONGHOLD. I WILL CALL UPON THE LORD, WHO IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED; SO SHALL I BE SAVED FROM MY ENEMIES" (PS. 18:2, 3).
FOR ANOTHER THING, HABAKKUK HAS BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ALONE WITH GOD. HIS WHOLE BOOK IS A RECORD OF HIS EXTENDED CONVERSATION WITH THE CREATOR ABOUT THE WAY THE LORD DOES THINGS. HABAKKUK DID NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND (OR PARTICULARLY LIKE) WHAT HE HEARD FROM GOD, BUT HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE LORD KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING AND SO HE CHOSE TO PLACE HIS TRUST IN HIM.
WHEN THE OUTLOOK LOOKS GRIM, CHRIST IS YOUR STRENGTH. WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES SEEM VOLATILE, CHRIST IS YOUR STABILITY. WHEN THE FUTURE APPEARS FOREBODING , CHRIST REMAINS YOUR HOPE. THE STRENGTH OF CHRIST IS BOTH INEXHAUSTIBLE AND IMMEASURABLE- AND IT IS YOURS TO RECEIVE.
GOD DELIGHTS IN UPHOLDING THE WEARY AND REVIVING THE FAINTHEARTED (IS. 40:29-31). YOUR RESERVOIR OF EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY MAY FEEL NEARLY DRAINED, BUT GOD'S SUPPLY OF SPIRITUAL STAMINA NEVER RUNS OUT. COME TO HIM AND HIS WORD FOR THE STRENGTH TO CARRY ON, AND HE WILL SUPPLY THE POWER YOU NEED TO TRAVERSE THE ROUGH TERRAIN AHEAD. THAT'S HIS PROMISE, AND GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.
IF YOU FEEL HOPELESS, OR HELPLESS, OR POWERLESS-UNABLE TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE OR PROBLEMS ON THE VERGE OF EXHAUSTION-TAKE HEART IN THE PROPHET HABAKKUK'S STIRRING CONCLUSION TO HIS SHORT BOOK.
KNOWING THE SAVAGE ARMY OF BABYLONIANS WOULD SOON PLUNDER AND PILLAGE HIS HOMELAND, HABAKKUK RECITED A LITANY OF PROBABLE DESTRUCTION. TIMES WOULD BE HARD. FOOD WOULD BE SCARCE. AN AGRARIAN CULTURE'S SOURCE OF INCOME WOULD SOON DRY UP AND BLOW AWAY (HAB. 3:17).
YET DESPITE THE DISHEARTENING SCENARIO, HABAKKUK PENNED AN AMAZING RESPONSE: "YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL JOY IN THE GOD O0F MY SALVATION. THE LORD GOD IS MY STRENGTH; HE WILL MAKE MY FEET LIKE DEERS FEET, AND HE WILL MAKE ME WALK ON MY HIGH HILLS" (HAB. 3:18, 19).
WHERE DID THE PROPHET FIND SUCH HOPE IN THE FACE OF SUCH TERRIBLE CALAMITY? FOR ONE THING, CLEARLY HE HAD BENN SPENDING TIME IN GOD'S WORD. HIS EXPRESSION OF FAITH CLOSELY ECHOES THE WORD OF DAVID, UTTERED CENTURIES BEFORE: "THE LORD IS MY ROCK, AND MY FORTRESS AND MY DELIVERER; MY GOD, MY STRENGTH, IN WHOM I WILL TRUST; MY SHIELD, AND THE HORN OF MY SALVATION, MY STRONGHOLD. I WILL CALL UPON THE LORD, WHO IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED; SO SHALL I BE SAVED FROM MY ENEMIES" (PS. 18:2, 3).
FOR ANOTHER THING, HABAKKUK HAS BEEN SPENDING A LOT OF TIME ALONE WITH GOD. HIS WHOLE BOOK IS A RECORD OF HIS EXTENDED CONVERSATION WITH THE CREATOR ABOUT THE WAY THE LORD DOES THINGS. HABAKKUK DID NOT ALWAYS UNDERSTAND (OR PARTICULARLY LIKE) WHAT HE HEARD FROM GOD, BUT HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE LORD KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING AND SO HE CHOSE TO PLACE HIS TRUST IN HIM.
WHEN THE OUTLOOK LOOKS GRIM, CHRIST IS YOUR STRENGTH. WHEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES SEEM VOLATILE, CHRIST IS YOUR STABILITY. WHEN THE FUTURE APPEARS FOREBODING , CHRIST REMAINS YOUR HOPE. THE STRENGTH OF CHRIST IS BOTH INEXHAUSTIBLE AND IMMEASURABLE- AND IT IS YOURS TO RECEIVE.
GOD DELIGHTS IN UPHOLDING THE WEARY AND REVIVING THE FAINTHEARTED (IS. 40:29-31). YOUR RESERVOIR OF EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY MAY FEEL NEARLY DRAINED, BUT GOD'S SUPPLY OF SPIRITUAL STAMINA NEVER RUNS OUT. COME TO HIM AND HIS WORD FOR THE STRENGTH TO CARRY ON, AND HE WILL SUPPLY THE POWER YOU NEED TO TRAVERSE THE ROUGH TERRAIN AHEAD. THAT'S HIS PROMISE, AND GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.
