I Will Rejoice!

 There are many people who let every little problem bring them down. The only times they can really have joy and rejoice is when something good is happening at that moment. All the rest of the time they are kind of frustrated because they are dependent on circumstances for their mood. When this is true, it makes it impossible to have the life that the Lord wants them to have. They must change their perspective on things to experience the abundant life God wants for all people.

The prophet Habakkuk lived in very difficult times. There was destruction and suffering all around him. He had serious questions for the Lord about why things were going that way. However, he had the right perspective on everything, at the same time. (Habakkuk 3:17) He said that if the fig tree did not blossom and there was no fruit on the vines, if the labor of the olive tree failed, and the fields yielded no food, if the flock was cut off from the fold, and there was no herd in the stall, still he would rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of his salvation. Wow! That is the perfect outlook for all of us to have each day.

Things are going to go wrong. Jesus told us that while we are in this world, we will have tribulation. It is baked into this world because of the effects of sin. Therefore, we should expect problems. We should allow those things to drive us to our knees and to cry out to the Lord. They should strengthen our faith in God, not make it less. When we do things that way, we see God work through it all, and we have a real appreciation for His power and wisdom.

At the same time, we have to decide that God is worthy of praise all of the time. He is seated in heaven, and He is doing the right things to bring about His will on this earth and in our life. Therefore, we must decide to rejoice in the Lord, no matter what is going on around us or in us. We should joy in the God of our salvation. After all, once we know Christ, and we have eternal life, nothing bad can really happen to us. We have the joy of the Lord in us, and if we die, we go to heaven with Him.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read Zephaniah 1-3.