Strength
Do you ever feel perpetually weak? Sometimes every task seems insurmountable! Everything around you seems to be falling apart. Truly you can’t see an end to your suffering. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
Habakkuk 3:16 “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us.”
Today we are going to talk about a little known prophet of Judah named Habakkuk. He constantly lived in fear of invasion by the Babylonians. His prayers to God for help seemed to be answered with, “Wait“. This made for a terrible time for Habakkuk. How do you feel when you are going through suffering and God seems to be answering your prayers with “Wait“? Does it seem as if God is distant? Do you sometimes wonder why God is allowing your suffering? Perhaps, you are not sure you will make it through. Do you ever get mad with God?
Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
Despite how we struggle, God loves us, and He has a plan! The hard part is, sometimes, it is the struggle that is also our answer. It is when we go through the hard times that we learn to truly trust God completely. When we can handle things without God, trusting Him doesn’t seem necessary. The reality is, that apart from God you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Unfortunately, it is the struggle that teaches us how to be strong in Christ.
Habakkuk 3:19 “The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places…”
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet. Hinds’ feet are what sheep develop in order to climb up the steep hills. If they never attempt the difficult climb, then they don’t develop their hinds’ feet, or leg strength. It is the difficult, steep hills that cause us to strengthen our walk with God, and allow us to get to the high places. Because God knows what will strengthen us, we can rejoice even in our struggles.
He is the God of Salvation!
