If I had to choose between my wife and my putter... well, I’d miss her.
I will be joyful
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17-18There is a song which football supporters in England like to sing to taunt the supporters of the opposition: “you only sing when you’re winning!” Do we only sing when we are “winning?” It has been pointed out how many athletes thank God for a victory but never for a defeat!
Habakkuk is going through a difficult time when the economy is struggling – tell me about it! The situation looked hopeless so how does he respond? By being joyful! He says that he will make a determined effort to rejoice. The repetition is not only poetic but communicative. He rejoices in the LORD, acknowledging who he is and who God is. In the second statement he describes the LORD as the God of my salvation. Not only does he acknowledge who God is but he recognizes God as the solution.
Many of us have struggled this year with the loss of all our plans and the uncertainty even about next year. We can mope and sulk – or we can rejoice. Rejoicing is an emotional response but it starts with an act of will.