"Though the fig tree should not blossom, no 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 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
From the first day I read this verse, and to the present, I find Habakkuk 3:17-19 a real challenge and difficult to process. In three verses, Habakkuk is saying that even if the entire world fails and things go to pot, despite this, then he will still have joy and rejoice in in the God of his salvation. Despite utter despair, disaster, no livelihood or food, he trusts in the God who is his strength. And let's not forget context. At the time of writing, Habakkuk was surrounded by injustice, violence and evil (Habakkuk 1 v 3, 4 & 17). To rejoice in the LORD at such times would be a challenge in itself, never mind if things continued to worsen through occupation by the Babylonians, surely?!
The same is seen in Job. A successful, affluent happily married man; the picture of what so many of us today aspire to be like and work towards. Yet he loses everything, is deserted by friends and family, and still, still, he still continues to hope in the Lord God his saviour (Job 13 v 15a).
One of the age old questions that I struggle with and sort of dread non-Christians asking me is "why is there suffering?" or "how can God of sense allow suffering?". I think it is because I don't have an answer. Sure, I know I can support people through periods of trial but in the midst of darkness, I don't know how to make sense of it all and I cannot understand-away suffering by wrestling and searching for reasons behind why things happen. The Bible isn't exactly clear on why times of trial occur in people's lives, except we know we live in a sinful and fallen world, and alongside the rest of humanity, Christians are not exempt from the brokenness that afflicts our planet.
So when we find ourselves in situations where we don't know the answer, I think it always a good course of action to go back and ask someone who has already been there and experienced something similar, for life in general. So back to Habakkuk and Job then. What drives these men and causes them to be able to rejoice in the LORD despite their circumstances? What exactly do they mean when they say they are rejoicing 'in GOD'.? Where do they find their joy? I guess I''ll never be completely sure until I meet them face to face and chat to Habakkuk and Job personally about what they were rejoicing and hoping in. But mulling over these verses, certain things sprung to mind which I think might have been along similar lines to what they were thinking....
- Rejoice in a God of love, who is always good.
1 John 4:16 tells us that "God is love"; everything we know about love, define love as, and when we experience love, it all comes from God. He is the source, unconditional, inexhaustible love that knows no boundaries or barriers and is not dependent on circumstance, not matter how bleak the picture may seem. The perfect demonstration of love at the cross; the son of God sacrificed to reconcile a sinful and wretched people so they can be sons and daughters of God himself! And God is also good. Jeremiah 32:38-41 gives us wonderful assurance that not only that God will "never stop doing good" to his people, but actually rejoices in doing good to us. No matter how it may seem in life, God is inherently good, delights to bless us, simply because he loves us more than we can ever imagine. That is a cause to rejoice in.
2. Rejoice in God who is powerful and sovereign
In response to both Habakkuk and Job, God draws them into further understanding of his wisdom and power. With Job, through the illustration of the creation of the earth and nature around us, God challenges him to remember that our understanding is limited but that God is a BIG God; of heaven, sea and sky. Similarly, in Habakkuk, he recounts God's mighty and glorious deeds that demonstrate God's tremendous power. Our God has the powerful to transform whatever circumstances, hearts, minds and lives. Not only powerful, our God is sovereign and even when things seem out of control, we are promised that in our loving relationship with our heavenly Father, he is working things out for our good (Romans 8:28).
3. Rejoice in a God of grace
"Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!". Rejoice in grace freely poured out for us when Jesus died on that cross; that we are saved not by our own works but by grace. Rejoice that even when "sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20). Rejoice that we worship a God of grace, that in his mercy he allows us to question his wisdom when we do not understand why trials occur, and encourages us to be honest in our relationship with him, as in the case of Job.
4. Rejoice in a God of justice
One of the chief complaints of Habakkuk is that in a twisted generation where the wicked seem to prosper by exploiting others, God seems to not be acting. The unjust and the oppressor do not get the punishment that they deserve and the righteous suffer. In his grace, God reveals part of his plan to Habakkuk, and assures him that justice will come, though perhaps not how Habakkuk expects or on the same time-scale. Our God is a just God, one who looks after the fatherless, the poor and the widow. One who ate and talked with outcasts of society and loves those the world despises and deems unlovable. God does deliver justice on earth, but we are ultimately assured that when Jesus returns, he will return also to judge. In his kingdom, there will be no injustice, abuse or oppression "for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4). Which leads onto..
5. Rejoice in a God who is victorious
We worship a God who has won. He is LORD of heaven and earth, and as his children, we share in his victory through what Christ has done for us on the cross. For when Jesus rose again, he defeated death, left sin in the grave and the power of the devil has been shattered. This changes everything! Despite situations where it may seem the devil is triumphing, he cannot touch us, and Jesus is still LORD, enthroned and in control. Therefore, let us remember this in times of trial and our response be "but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:57) for we are truly more than conquerors in Jesus.
6. Rejoice in Jesus and the salvation that he brings
A God who is so loving , for while we were still sinners, it was then Christ died for us. A salvation bought by a saviour who was brutally executed, who has suffered far more than anyone in history when he was abandoned by God as he became sin for us, so that I will never have to go through that even though it's what I deserve. Salvation that brings the freedom, joy and life that is part of a relationship with Christ. A saviour who even being a king, humbled himself to live among those who were his enemies and who understands our struggles and temptations. Jesus, who fulfils our deepest desires that the world cannot satisfy, loves us unconditionally, and we can have a living relationship with him. When we realise more of who Jesus is and the salvation that he brings, then we will exclaim with Paul that "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Philippians 3:8), for even despite suffering, apart from Jesus, nothing else truly matters.
7. Rejoice in hope for future
In the midst of all the awful things happening around Job and to him, he proclaims "I will hope in him." (Job 13:15). And when we look at who God is, our relationship with him through Christ and the gift of salvation, we too have that same hope I think. Our God is not only a God of promises, but a God who fulfils his promises. There are so many promises given to us in the Bible, each and everyone we can trust that God will bring to fruition in his time. But one of my favourites is the well-quoted Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Whether in this life or the next, we have been promised that we do have a future secured even when it seems unclear, and a hope that goes beyond anything that this world can ever try to deliver. The hope we have in Christ and the joy that one day, we will be with him forever in heaven where there will be no more crying, pain, death or suffering. That's something Job and Habakkuk would have hoped in too I think.
These are only 7 reasons why in times of suffering and darkness, we can find a joy that is not dependent on our circumstance; the type of joy that Habakkuk and Job talk about. There are so many things that we can rejoice in and take joy from; and when we take our eyes and our focus from the things that are happening around us, and fix them firmly on Jesus, trusting him completely when we don't understand, then our perspective changes, even when the situations may not. Like Habakkuk and Job, we can take joy in the LORD our God and find our strength in him, regardless of life throws at us. In such times of trial, we may wrestle with reality, but when we continue to trust in Jesus, again, like Jacob, Joseph, Habakkuk, Job, Steven, Paul, Peter and the countless others who have lived and suffered before us, we will know more of Christ and have a close encounter with him that we could have never imagined. And when I realise that actually in knowing Jesus I have gained everything, then in comparison, would I want anything else?
Suffering is a reality whether I have any sort of answer or not and I struggle just as much as anyone else when trying to muddle my way through times of hardship and darkness. But every time we have a choice, just as Habakkuk and Job did. Will I choose to rejoice in Jesus and all that he has done despite situations that I find myself or others in no matter how hard I find it or will I remain fixed in my circumstances? I pray that like Habakkuk and Job, I will choose the first, and that you will too.
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