HABAKKUK’S HYMN OF FAITH

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail,
and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18

 REFERENCE
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Life is not just about the destination, it is a journey and the story of any travel is in the experience of the journey. So, while you may not yet have arrived at the destination you want in life, you may as well enjoy the journey. Earlier this week, we talked about the in-between place, a place between where you are and where you desire to be. The in-between place would mean different things to different people; however, the experience of ‘waiting’ (sometimes, as though endlessly) to actually see the manifestation of the desire is the same for everyone.

The main aim of the devil during this inevitable season of life is to dampen your spirit, to eliminate faith and to make you distrust God and give up. Remember Job. Through his wife, the devil ‘prompted’ him to curse God and die (Job 2:9). It is therefore a great asset to master how to handle the psychological warfare the devil throws at you in the ‘in-between’ seasons of your life.

God told Habakkuk that it is a proud, self-centered spirit that quits waiting on God, but the just shall live by faith. Habakkuk thus learned that, in order to live through the painful setbacks he was experiencing without quitting, he had to ‘dig deep within’ to rejoice in God by singing a hymn of faith to Him. Habakkuk decided to right-size the problem and put his focus rather on exalting God.

What will your decision be as you continue to wait to see the manifestation of God’s goodness in your life? Today, you can make the same choice that Habakkuk made – to make melody and rejoice in the God of your salvation regardless of what has happened and what is yet to happen in your life. This won’t be easy to do, but it is the way to go; it is the biblical way to go! Try looking for things to rejoice about, and you will find plenty in your life. Remember, what you focus on gets bigger.

When you chose to rejoice in God during the tough waiting seasons of your life, it lifts your spirit and makes the wait less tedious. It is an expression of faith, which pleases God, and it encourages others around – yes, they feed off your faith and confidence, and they learn how to handle delays. Furthermore, it plays reverse psychology on the devil (when he is responsible for the delay) because you are giving him a response contrary to what he expected.

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “A bird does not sing because he has an answer. He sings because he has a song.” You may not know how or when you will get to your desired destination but rejoice nonetheless. The joy of the Lord will strengthen you to keep going until you get there in Jesus’ name.

SCRIPTURE PHOTO

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Psalm 42:5, Nehemiah 8:10, & Romans 8:28

TO DO

Take time out to deliberately thank God for bringing you to this point in time; and for all His many blessings in your life even if they may seem insignificant.

Do something creative to rejoice in God – play a danceable song and dance to the Lord; compose a song of praise, sing a hymn of faith, shout, etc.