Famine, near starvation. What could be worse? That makes my problems seem not quite so bad. How about yours? Yes, they don’t go away because someone else’s are worse; they don’t even lessen. But it does help me gain perspective. Poor Habakkuh. His situation could not get any worse, but look at what he did!

When the enemies of Israel had stormed in and destroyed everything in their path, the other people had a great big pity-party. I’ve done that when things were going badly. But righteous Habakkuh did not have a pity-party. Instead he looked to the Lord God Almighty. Read what he says:

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, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. (Habakkuh 3:17-19 NIV).

For some reason these verses have stuck in my mind for years and even their location. Probably because God wants me to keep on remembering them. Anybody can have a pity-party when circumstances are terrible. Notice that tiny three-letter word yet. It says volumes, doesn’t it? Do I say yet when my circumstances turn against me? We must keep our eyes towards God to praise Him during such a time.

I don’t know your situation and none of us knows what’s in the future, but we can know and be sure of our Lord God. I fully believe Habakkuh almost shouted, “YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD.” I know I almost shouted when I got in my car on the way home from being with a very negative person one day. I didn’t say what Habakkuh did, but I did say, “Thank you, Father, that I don’t have to be that negative!” Probably he felt the same way because we can imagine everyone else was complaining and mourning.

Maybe life has you in a place where you need to stop and agree with this Old Testament prophet who wrote a tiny book that’s little known. You don’t need to read all three chapters, just these few verses to see how grim life appeared. Things could not look any blacker, but Habakkuh relied on his God to give him strength. Let’s say with him: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength.”