Habakkuk 3:17-18 reads, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
This is such a fantastic statement. I paraphrase this passage as follows: “Even if there’s no money in the bank, even if friends choose to abandon me, even if health fails and intense trials overtake me, even if everything in my world is falling apart, I still trust in the Lord and His will."
I just recently completed a homework assignment where I gave an outline for the entire book of Habakkuk. This book is relevant for our lives today. I’m not going to take the time to rehash everything I wrote in my assignment here, but I had to relay Habakkuk’s beautiful statement of faith and trust in God.
I have a T-shirt that has a cross in the middle of it, and the inscription “In God I trust.” Along with that, there’s a citation of Proverbs 3:5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Recently, I’ve been going through several trials in my life. I don’t see the point in sharing all the details, but I’ve had to draw on Habakkuk’s words of faith and echo them back to God for myself. I’ve had to quote Proverbs 3:5 to myself, and I’ve said to God countless times, “Come what may, Lord God, I trust You.”
Why am I telling you this? Am I proclaiming how great I am? No, a thousand times no! Please get this: I am not great; the God that I worship is great. Furthermore, this God is worthy of our trust. We may not understand why God is doing what He is doing (incidentally, that’s where Habakkuk found himself for most of his book), but His will and His plan is always superior to ours. If I didn’t believe this, the direction of my life would look very different. But I do believe, with every fiber of my being, that God’s plan is better than my plan.
Kevin
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