Daily devotional · January 14
Joy When the Fields Are Empty
“Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls, yet I will exult in the LORD; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights!For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.”
Habakkuk ends his short book with one of the most honest declarations of faith in the Bible. He pictures fig trees without blossoms, vines without grapes, olive groves that fail, fields without food, and sheep pens empty. In an agrarian world that is not a bad week; it is famine. And yet he says he will rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in the God of his salvation. His joy is not rooted in the harvest. It is rooted in who God is, the source of strength who makes his feet like a deer's on high places. This is not pretending. Earlier the prophet had complained loudly to God, and God allowed it. Bring your real losses to Him today without polishing them. Then, in one honest sentence, tell Him one thing about Himself for which you can still give thanks, even now.
Prayer
Lord, even when my fields are empty, You are my strength. Teach me to rejoice in You. Amen.