I will continually face adversity in my life. I will not have the easy time of it, at least most of the time. As a Christ follower, I will have persecutors and detractors and those that will simply turn away due to the truth that will flow in the name of the LORD. But, that it is that adversity and in those times of being persecuted that I should rise up and know that I will have the joy of the LORD, even though the world may be against me.
“17Though 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,
18yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
— Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV)
Habakkuk experienced even worse than I can even imagine. Without stores to survive, he still turned to the joy of the LORD. I may only experience adversity in the actions I am taking for the LORD, I will still likely have all that I need. I will likely not experience the lack of food or provisions as the LORD will care for me in that when I place my trust in Him. Yet, adversity I will experience and have the chance to simply rejoice in the joy of the LORD, just as Habakkuk.
I see that I am living in a world where there is a lack of reliance in the LORD. I see that the world is struggling as to where to turn in times of adversity. I see that when the difficulty in life arises, they natural tendency of society is to blame someone and look to those in authority to “fix” it for them so that the adversity and difficulty will just go away and there is again the ability to skate through with everything being just as wanted.
The thing is that the world will not be the way I want it. The world is being corrupted by the evil one. The evil one is creating the difficulty and the adversity and I cannot continue to cry foul and is not taking the chance to seek the joy of the LORD and do something about it. I have to seek the joy of the LORD and know that I can and will overcome with His help. I know that the joy of the LORD is greater than anything and as Habakkuk says in verse 19 below, “God, the Lord, is my strength”.
“19GOD, 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.”
— Habakkuk 3:19 (ESV)
Where are you looking for joy? Are you experiencing adversity and difficulty and seeking someone to take care of it for you? What if you approached everything with the knowing that “God, the Lord, is my strength” and you can overcome that adversity as a result of the joy of the LORD?
Trevor's Thoughts 