Lord, I have
heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known… 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. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on
the heights. Habakkuk 3:2, 17-19
There
are times in life that are hard—illness, loss of a job, death of a loved one,
the list goes on and on. Hope fades to a faint glow, which threatens to go out
at the slightest breeze. Just making it through the day is a challenge.
Habakkuk wrote his prophecy in the time of Jeremiah and Zephaniah, prophesying about the same events,
the time of the Chaldeans and their ruin of Jerusalem. In spite of the terrible prophesies, Habakkuk speaks of God delivering His people and saving His anointed one. Here is great spiritual truth: even in the
darkest night, when everything seems lost, God never leaves His people without
hope.
When
struggle dominates our days and pain consumes our nights, it is difficult to
see anything promising on the horizon. Yet time and again, scripture reveals
God’s promise of better things to come. Noah and his family entrusted their
lives to the Lord when He sent them into the ark. Abraham looked forward when
he left his home in Ur and headed for a place he knew nothing about. When it
seemed his suffering had no end, Job proclaimed his certainty of seeing God. Paul
and Silas believed when they sang songs of praise in a Philippian jail. Martyrs
have died in hope through two thousand years of Christianity.
Hebrews
11 gives us a glorious history of God’s faithful who did not receive the
promise in their lifetime, but died believing and Paul writes that we are
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.
In
times of struggle, it is good to have a prayer journal of God’s answers
throughout our lives and notes in our Bible margins recording the dates when
God fulfilled His promises. We are never told to expect that all our prayers
will be answered within our lifetimes, but we are promised God’s strength and
the power to endure hardship through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
When
caught in life’s trials, I remember the goodness of God as evidenced in His
word; His love and the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. I have all the power
that raised Christ from the dead within me. How can I not have hope?
© Copyright by
Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, November 7, 2015
About the author:
Norma
Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in April 2014. She has led weekly
women’s Bible studies for 20 years. Her devotionals and poetry have appeared at
ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She
is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, Romance
Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. Norma is a former
RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 39 years. They
have two adult children.
Connect with
Norma:
Book Links:
Beautiful devotional, Norma. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Linda!
DeleteThis is a powerful reminder that through it all, our God stands with us. Thank you for a beautiful way to start my Monday.
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
You're welcome, Connie! I am glad it was meaningful for you!
DeleteNeeded this lovely reminder to start my week, Norma. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome, Shirley! God bless your week!
Delete