Even Though!

Even Though!

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall 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 KJV

The Context:

Habakkuk had a concern: why would God use people who are more sinful to punish his own children who sin? One of the deep mysteries about God is that He is in charge of the affairs of this world, and He can use anything or anyone to achieve his earthly and eternal purposes. Let it be clear to me today that God punishes sin. He does not condone and will not excuse it. Habakkuk wanted God to punish the nations that He had used to punish Israel, but God made it clear: that's my prerogative. God is saying: However I choose to deal with the nations of the world, that is my business. You just focus on knowing who I am and what I demand from you. 

The Contention:

When you know this God, the presence or absence of anything else does not bother you. The breath of God in us at creation guarantees that we will always seek a higher power in order to make us complete. Some seek after power, position, possessions and other palliatives; none of them can function in the place of God. Habakkuk had come to know this God from a place of personal encounter, so He was not bothered by either the presence or absence of physical comforts. The world will have me define life from the perspective of the physical, but what if the physical fails? Does that in any way stop who God is? Not at all. 2

The Conclusion:

The things mentioned in the verse above are quite fundamental to life. Food is key to life, but God who can fetch water with a basket because He wants to disgrace the bucket can make the usual fail, so that my comfort and confidence can be in Him alone. It is that confidence in God that He rewards, and He is the One who can make all that has failed to come back to life. If He can make an iron axe head float on water, there is really no situation that is beyond His power. My heart rejoices in God, because He is and has all I need for life and Godliness. He can command the earth's resources to come to me. He is the Almighty God. Do you know Him? Does He also know me as His own? God's time of favour is here.