March 22

Habakkuk’s Prayer

            Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

            Habakkuk has stated his complaint.  The Lord has responded.  Justice is coming.  Those who profited from the suffering of others will be paid in full.  Those who groaned under the weight of their oppressors will find relief.  The day is coming, but is not yet here, when there will be a reckoning as God holds the fullness of time in His hands.  Habakkuk is invited, and we are invited, to live in the certainty of that promise…to live in faith.

            The prophet hears these words and is humbled and filled with thanksgiving and ends his book with a short prayer.  Regardless of our circumstances, God is good and He will carry and sustain both us and our children until that promised day.

“Though my child does not speak, and my bank account has run dry;

Though they fall with terrible seizures, and my friends don’t know what to say;

Though my child has gone to Jesus, and there’s nothing to fill the void,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a dall sheep,

And makes me tread upon the heights.”

A moment to reflect:

God is our strength.  We can be thanks-filled and joy-filled even in the darkest seasons. Sit with this prayer for a little while.