Choose Joy
"Though the fig tree does not blossom and there are no grapes on the vines....yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:17a,18 (NIV)
I recently completed my summer teaching session for a women's Sunday School class. We've spent the last seven weeks studying some of the Minor Prophets. Each week the women have read a Minor Prophet book of the Old Testament and we've done an overview of each writer and his message. Not surprisingly, most of us haven't spent a lot of time studying the Minor Prophets. In fact, one author refers to them as the "clean pages" of our Bibles. Probably most of us would agree that it's fine for this section of twelve books to be included in the canon of Scripture, but most of us honestly don't think the Prophets' messages have much to say to us today, some 2400-2800 years after they were written. Surprisingly, however, the Prophets' overall messages of God's sovereignty; our need for a Savior; God's hatred of sin and sure judgment against it; God's amazing love; and His promise of the coming Messiah have much to tell us about how to live in a culture that is rotten to the core.
For our study, we've been using John Blanchard's book Major Points of Minor Prophets. We finished our time together by looking at Nahum and Habakkuk. Our key verse for Nahum was Nahum 1:7 "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble." Our life takeaway from these three short chapters actually came from my good friend Laura Black, a 37 year old Mama to three young children who died five years ago of breast cancer. The last time I saw Laura was on Wednesday the week of her death. She was actually getting a chemo infusion when she reminded me once again, "Donna, no matter what happens, God is always good and I am always loved." Laura's words weren't just words for a catchy bumper sticker; they were words she lived and died by. They were also a great summary for Nahum's book: God is always good and we are always loved.
Habakkuk's key verse is found in Habakkuk 2:4: "the just shall live by faith." This little verse was the key instrument in the birth of the Protestant Reformation some 500 years ago. Those words are so important that they are repeated three times in the New Testament. Our life takeaway for Habakkuk, however, came from the prophet's closing words in chapter 3:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls
yet, I will rejoice in the LORD
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Realize that Israel was an agrarian society and you get the power of Habakkuk's words:
Though there is no food
Though there is no wine
Though we have no energy source
And no harvest with which to earn a living
Though we have no sacrifices with which to worship
And no milk or meat or animals with which to plow
YET, I will rejoice in the Lord.
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
Habakkuk's life application for his "the just shall live by faith" world view is to choose joy. In the midst of his suffering and circumstances, Habakkuk chooses joy. And for those who have experienced God's salvation, we can also choose joy. Joy is ALWAYS a choice. We may not feel like choosing joy, but by faith we can do so.
Fast forward two hours from the end of our Sunday School lesson to washing our lunch dishes. Our phone rang and Bruce answered it. Mama's retirement center (assisted living) was sending Mama by ambulance to a local hospital. During our long wait in the ER and over the next four days of Mama's hospital stay, my mind and heart returned again and again to the lessons I had just taught. God was giving me a chance to experience the reality of these timeless truths, not just with head knowledge, but also with heart knowledge:
God is always good and I am always loved.
The just shall live by faith.
Joy is always a choice.
Throughout this week, again and again, I've returned to Nahum and Habakkuk's words. They aren't just words from Minor Prophets. Indeed, they are God's Words to us today. You can take Habakkuk's own worst case scenario and change the circumstances to fit your own situation. No matter what crisis faces us- an aging parent, special needs child, medical diagnosis, failed marriage, job loss, financial setback- for the one who knows God as his Savior, joy is always possible. Wherever you are today, whatever your circumstances, God is good and you are loved.
Joy is always possible. By faith, choose joy!