HABAKKUK 3:17-19 – “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments”.

THEME OF THE DAY: WHY WE PRAISE DESPITE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.   Today’s scripture is part of the amazing prayer of the prophet Habakkuk.  The entirety of chapter three of his book is his prayer.   Often the prayer is referred to by just today’s scripture.  And when it is emphasized, the lesson is that despite circumstances, we are to rejoice in the Lord.  A good and powerful lesson it is but without reading the whole prayer, we never get to the point where Habakkuk did – why he could pray with such resolve to be submissive to and praise God in difficult circumstances in his life.  If all our focus on Habakkuk’s prayer is his conclusion, it is easy to be discouraged because in the strength of ourselves, we cannot follow his example.

So, how is Habakkuk strengthened to pray such a God-centered prayer during overwhelming and dark circumstances?  Take time to read the entirety of his prayer.  It contains the “how” behind the prophet’s prayer. From it, we see three things acknowledged by Habakkuk that fueled his prayer and will be so for us.

First, he feared the Lord – “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. O LORD, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O LORD, do I fear. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:1-2). The late Scottish theologian John  Murray stated, “The fear of God is the soul of godliness.”   He was and is right.  Fearing God is the dominant theme in the Bible, not the love of God.  Don’t misunderstand me.  Where the true fear of God exists (in awe of Him), the love of God will also.  This fear shows us who God is, humbling us, and moving us to greater dependency on such an awesome God.  Get the fear of God lodged in our hearts, and our prayer lives will reflect it.

Second, the prophet proclaimed the glorious beauty of God – “God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His splendor covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from his hand; and there he veiled his power” (Habakkuk 3:3-4).  When God reveals Himself to us, we encounter brilliant and beautiful holiness.  In doing so, we cannot help but submit to Him, and do so in confidence in His wonderful Person.  As we see the Lord through scripture in the splendor of His holiness, our prayer lives will take on this God-centeredness leading us to praise.

Finally, Habakkuk prays with praise in difficult circumstances because he affirmed the sovereign power of God and in doing so, he acknowledged God is worthy to always be praised, in all situations. Notice how often the prophet writes “You” pointing to this display of God’s power – “You marched through the earth in fury; you threshed the nations in anger. You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah – You pierced with his own arrows the heads of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter me, rejoicing as if to devour the poor in secret. You trampled the sea with your horses, the surging of mighty waters.  I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us” (Habakkuk 3:12-16).

We can and must lace our prayers with praise as did Habakkuk. The reason? We know the sovereign God who is worthy of such in all circumstances in life especially the hard ones!

PRAYER:  Father, help me praise You in all circumstances of life because You order my circumstances in life.

REFLECTION: Praise is a chief means to overcome fear and worry for it puts our attention on the Lord, not us.