How Do You Respond?

The Lord is my strength, he enables me to "go on". Habakkuk (3:19).

Are things in your life falling apart? Your finances look uncertain, the career you worked to build is floundering, your health is failing, the people you trusted have let you down. Nobody enjoys such times, but if you live long enough you'll go through them. And they have a way of making you re-examine your responses.

When the things the prophet Habakkuk counted on started to crumble, he was forced to discern between what's truly important and what's merely temporal. It's a re-evaluation we all have to make at some point. Here's what Habakkuk said: 'Though the fig tree does not bud', there are no grapes on the vines, the olive crop fails, the fields produce no food, there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. The Sovereign Lord is my strength. He enables me to go on, (17-19). Habakkuk realised he had no control over certain things. So he chose to control his response by rejoicing in the Lord regardless of what happened, and drawing from God the strength to 'go on'.

What can you learn from this man? That you have a choice! That you can decide to praise God regardless of the hand life deals you. God doesn't promise to take you out of your situation; He promises to bring you through it. So change your response and begin to praise God for His faithfulness, for your salvation, for your health, for your friends and family, and all the other blessings He's given you. If you look for reasons to rejoice, you'll find them!