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. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Two notes about this share today:
1) again, “meat” refers to food in general coming off the field. Note the following phrases where livestock are mentioned.
2) If we are left with nothing, can we or will we still choose to take joy in the God of our Salvation? Are we able to rise above our circumstances? With the assistance of the Holy Spirit at our side, we can!
In another prophet’s book of the Old Testament, we read:
Isaiah 40:28-31 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Again we read:
Nehemiah 8:10: Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
In 1 Thessalonians, we discover a Church that had formed under much affliction:
I Thessalonians 1:5-8 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. I Thessalonians 1:6:
And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.
I Thessalonians 2:19: For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
On our own, observing and dealing with life as it is thrown at us these days, there is no joy. Getting up and facing another day of mainstream media/medical/governmental lies, gas-lighting, censoring, etc, can be trying on it’s own. Getting out of the house and figuring out who doesn’t support the culture of death, who didn’t go woke, who didn’t drink the kool-aid, who didn’t succumb to mass psychosis, who held firm against damaging and lethal mandates, etc, can be a devastating chore all by itself before being able to get one’s errands done.
We must look up! When everything is crumbling around us, the only place where we can regain our joy, is in God Himself. What has God done around you lately to put a smile on your face? Did He paint the sunset the other night? Did He send a dragonfly to greet you? Did a bumblebee land on your favourite flower? Did God show you a new use for something that replaces something you currently can’t get at the store?
While I learned about it last year, I just made a batch of Sumac Pepper, to be used just like Lemon Pepper on your food and in your cooking. When you look at the grocery store shelves going bare because of planned disruption of supply chains and distribution methods, turn to God! Ask Him how to replace what you can’t buy now. Be open to the unexpected, the off-the-wall ideas that you never would have thought of on your own. God’s answer may even seem completely unrelated to your initial request, until you obediently follow through and discover at the other end how it tied back to what you’d asked God about. When I was growing up, there was a common phrase in the Church: Expect the Unexpected! This creates a sense of anticipation, a sense of adventure, and a more-readily experienced joy found in the surprises God sends your way. I believe someone even wrote a book: Surprised by Joy.
As believers in Christ, we can find joy when others are about to hit the anti-depressants. Let us ask the Holy Spirit for His guidance in our everyday, seemingly mundane, twists and turns of life as we await Christ’s appearing. Look up! He’s coming soon!
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Whether it was a recent story of an electrical problem causing food to spoil at a local supermarket, or another concurrent story about supply hassles stocking the shelves of the meat section at two local Walmarts, today’s Food in Scripture quote shows how relevant God’s Word is:
We must look up! When everything is crumbling around us, the only place where we can regain our joy, is in God Himself. What has God done around you lately to put a smile on your face? Did He paint the sunset the other night? Did He send a dragonfly to greet you? Did a bumblebee land on your favourite flower? Did God show you a new use for something that replaces something you currently can’t get at the store?
