When all hope seems lost (pt.2)

We can keep our faith in God during times of trouble by praising Him (v.18) <>

What would most people’s reaction be upon hearing troublesome news such as this? Some people may curse God, others may cry out to God, while still others may even be indifferent to the situation and live in a state of shock. Habakkuk’s reaction was very different, however.

The prophet weeps over what will become of his country. He laments at the fact that the fig tree will not blossom anymore, and the fruit will die. He acknowledges that the fields will yield no food and that the livestock will not be present anymore after the day of destruction. But then, Habakkuk makes a decision. Will he consume himself in self-pity? Will he curl up into the fetal position and die? No. Habakkuk says “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” Why? Why would he do this? The answer is in what Habakkuk says next: “I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk has chosen to praise God because he knows that no matter what happens to him, the Lord is his savior.

There was a certain wealthy man who lived a long time ago. In fact, he may have been the wealthiest man in his hometown. He had everything you could want in life. He was “blameless and upright”. He “feared God and shunned evil.” He had seven sons and three daughters. What a blessing from God. He owned most of the property in the area he lived. He was acknowledged as “one of the greatest” men of his era. However, one day he lost all of it. There was a terrible accident. All of his children were dead. All of his possessions were taken. Job was alone. All he had left was a wife who told him to curse God and die! What did Job do? He rejoiced in the Lord. “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In Philippians, Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always! Always? Always! He says to be anxious for nothing, but through prayer let your requests be made known to God. God knows where we hurt and when we hurt. When we cry out to God, Paul says that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The only thing that gets us through these times of tribulations sometimes is the mere fact that God is God. God gave each and every one of us life. He formed us when we were still in the womb. He decided where we would be born and who we would be born to. God alone is the creator and sustainer of life. When we go through times of trouble, we can rejoice in the fact that God is God and that he sent his only son to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life with Him. We can keep our faith in God during times of trouble by simply praising Him for who He is and what He has done..