Daily devotional · October 8
Joy Without Harvest
“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 imagines the worst: no figs, no grapes, no olives, empty pens and barren fields. In his world that meant real hunger. Yet he decides to rejoice in the Lord, and his joy does not depend on circumstances improving. This is not denial; earlier in the book he complains and asks hard questions. Faith and honesty travel together. He ends by saying God is his strength, making his feet steady like a deer on rocky heights. What is your empty field right now? A job that has not come, a diagnosis, a prayer unanswered? Today, write down one thing you cannot control and one thing God has already given you. Thank Him for the second while you bring the first. Joy can grow in the same place as sorrow.
Prayer
Lord, even when my hands are empty, be my joy and my strength. Amen.