The situation was abysmal. God’s judgment had come upon Judah, for they had become morally and spiritually corrupt. As a result, they were under Assyrian rule, and Babylon seemed poised to become a dominant force that would continue to subjugate them.
Habakkuk was aware of all of this, and it would have been easy for him to slip into despair. Yet, in the midst of all that was wrong, he chose to focus on the blessing of knowing God.
“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. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)
These verses help us to capture what was in Habakkuk’s heart. Joy! And how did it get there? It happened when he looked up and considered the God of heaven!
Habakkuk made a series of deliberate choices:
• I will not focus on the lack of provision from the trees, vines, and fields.
• I will not focus on the lack of herd in the stalls.
• I will focus on God and rejoice in Him.
• I will praise God for my salvation.
• I will acknowledge with hands raised to heaven that God is my strength and hope for the days ahead.
We have similar choices to make. Each day will come with difficulty, for our Lord said “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34 NIV.) Given this, we will have to choose each day if our focus will be on our troubles, or our blessings. I choose the word “focus” to communicate the idea of what we set our eye (and hearts) upon. With whatever we choose to focus on, we bring it into clear view, study it, and block out a lot of what surrounds it. Doing so with our troubles yields sadness, hopelessness, and worry. But if our focus is on God and how He can help us, we can have joy, hope, and rest, as we trust in Him.
Habakkuk had the type of troubles that many of us cannot relate to. He was surrounded by foreigners who were ruling over his people. He was surrounded by his people, who seemed to have lost any appetite for God and His ways. And He was surrounded by a lack of provision for some of the most basic necessities of life. Yet, He looked to God, and found joy in Him.
May we look up and do the same,
Pastor Rob
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:2)