We are thinking about the wonderful joy that believers possess in Christ. What a grand way to begin our month of September! Some might wonder, “Are you asking me to live in denial pretending all is well when my world is collapsing around me?” The answer is “Of course not!’ But don’t believe it just because I am writing it. Let’s see what the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk said about “his world” collapsing all around him. Remember, he wrote about his beloved country just before the invasion of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

This gives us joy today “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

That was the entire financial stability of his nation. Those six things were essential for survival in their economy. He proclaimed that should all six collapse, he would rejoice, “alaz” (aw-LAZ) which gives the idea of “to exult or triumph” and joy “gil” (gheel) which is used of “exulting, being glad, to delight.” Was Habakkuk happy that Babylon was on the way, going to crush his country and destroy the temple? Of course not. Was he happy that massive waves of captivity were going to take place and people would be ripped from their homes and taken to Babylon to live in captivity? Was he happy about this? Of course not. BUT! Ultimately, even when his literal world was collapsing around him, he knew the Lord. He belonged to the Lord. He trusted the Lord’s plan. He knew that whether in Judah or Babylon, the Lord is still God and could be fully trusted. In this he would rejoice and discover joy in the Lord even though his world was being devastated.

Things (fig trees, fruit in the vines, olives, fields, flocks and herds) are wonderful blessings. But our joy is not built upon them. Our joy is in the person of the Lord. We are honest about our circumstances. We bring our cares to the Lord. We do not become complacent. We focus on Him and trust Him in our circumstances. Think often today of Habakkuk’s testimony, my friends.