For 3½ years my husband was laid
off. Despite the fact we had some income
(thanks to God and the union), for a while it wasn’t enough to cover our bills and
due to medical reasons I couldn’t work.
We couldn’t afford to fix the house or cars, had to watch every dollar
spent, tightened up on food. Clothes
weren’t purchased, food was cut back, wants were ignored. Christmas/ birthday present limits were
laughable, and it made me sad to always have to say ‘no’ to the kids even when
what they wanted only cost a dollar. But
we survived…
I can’t imagine the lives of people who
suffered more loss than us in the economic downturn: homes, families torn
apart, medical crises and no money to pay for healthcare. In other parts of the world there were natural
disasters of great magnitude, lives lost, countries lost infrastructure, contaminated
drinking water, etc. Life is tough. It is weird though how when people here go on
mission trips in some of these devastated countries, they return saying how the
people there are so happy. Perspective
on what’s important I guess…
Though the fig tree shall not blossom, and fruit is
not on the vines; the work of the olive fails, and the fields make no food; the
flock is cut off from the fold, and no herd is
in the stalls, yet I will exult in Jehovah; I will rejoice in the God of my
salvation. Jehovah the Lord is my might,
and He sets my feet like hinds' feet,
and He will make me to walk on my high places. To the chief singer, on my
stringed instruments. Hb. 3:17-19 LITV
Here,
Habakkuk sings a prayer about God. These
verses start out in a way that should make one miserable. Trees not able to produce fruit, no grapes/
wine, no olives or oil, no food in the fields, no flocks or herds… these are
devastating losses to a people, yet Habakkuk doesn’t see just the misery. He rises above it to see His God, and who He
is. ‘Yet I will exult/ jump for joy/
triumph in Jehovah’. ‘I will rejoice/
spin around/ be glad in the God of my salvation/ liberty/ deliverance/ rescue/
victory.’
Seems like
Habakkuk is quite content and full of joy, in the Lord. He sees His God still in control and
powerful (in earlier verses) so he rejoices in God who is able to deliver and
bring victory. Not only is God his might
and strength, but God will make him overcome the challenges affecting him or
worrying him with strength, agility, and success. Is it possible for us to be this way, so
focused on God we overcome at least mentally the same way?
Those people
in devastated countries can attest, but so can I. The longer I am with Christ, the more I learn
about surrender and focus on Him first and the more I keep my eyes on Him. Really, I didn’t worry or fear while going
through the lay off. Only occasionally
was it sad to see my kids go without, but I could also see it build a different
kind of strength in us as well. And
though we should have been in the deep valley, He made us walk in the hills above
the problems, dancing lightly over the troubles of life. There is no better God able to deliver His
people. Blessed be His name!!!