When All Is Stripped Away

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:17-19 (New American Standard Bible)

In a time and place when agricultural supply was a necessity this passage shows the bleakest of circumstances. Without the number of stores and safety nets we have available to us today, a famine or crop failure was devastating. No fruit, no yield, no flocks, and no cattle, meant no sustenance, source, or security. It would be the picture of the Great Depression in Biblical times. Some who are reading this devotional may at this time be without a job or facing the prospect of losing the job they have. It is one thing to know all is well when a paycheck is being drawn each week and there is money in the bank for needed expenses. It is another thing to have all stripped away and no relief in sight.

God’s answer to Israel through Habakkuk is His answer to us as well. Rejoice in Him. See Him as our salvation and strength. See Him as the One who will help us walk above and beyond our circumstances. He is not weakened or limited by what is going on around us. Many times, when all is well, we can easily take our eyes off God and rest in a false sense of security. We can forget who He really is and all that He can do in our life. When what or who we trust in apart from God is removed (temporarily or permanently) we are forced to see what our opinion of God really is.

I will admit, I have never been financially destitute. I have never been given a devastating medical report. I have never been in dire straights morally. I have never been stripped of honor and dignity. But I have been emotionally bankrupt and wondered if the darkness would ever leave or even diminish. At that time, I had to reevaluate my dependency, trust, and view of God. I had to stay in His Word and see His unchanging nature. I had to view my situation through the grid of His truth and presence. I had to see that at all times I was still in His hands and under His care. In order to rejoice in Him and in His promises, I had to pull in closer to Him. Whether the situation is in the area of the physical, spiritual, social, mental, or emotional, seeing that He is still God and still in control is the only means of survival and abundant living.

Father, though the things and people around me change, You do not. You are my Source. You are my Security. You are my Provider. You are my God and I praise You and rejoice in You. Amen.

You're Still God - Kathy Troccoli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvclzwpAMxg

Holiness is a furnace that transforms the men and women who enter it. - Eugene H.Peterson