Our Source Of Joy - Habakkuk

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Habakkuk 3:17-18

In his classic 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking, author Norman Vincent Peale insists that maintaining a positive attitude is the key to a happy, successful life. Many Christian leaders denounced aspects of Peale’s still-popular book, but its premise has undeniable, biblical truth. What we think about and focus on really does affect our attitude, especially when things go wrong.

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk lamented the deteriorating spiritual condition of his people and the consequences of that malaise—namely, the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity that would follow. Habakkuk grieved over this situation, but he didn’t sink into despair or allow his circumstances to rob him of his joy in serving and loving God. To him, joy in God was a choice, Babylonians or no Babylonians.

“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD!” he cried. “I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”

To maintain his joy, Habakkuk counted on a couple of basic truths:

• His difficult times wouldn’t last forever, and
• his source of joy lay in the God who loved him, not in his outward circumstances.

Habakkuk focused on the positive, not on the deplorable situation around him. His loving God was the one constant in his life.

Face it—life isn’t always easy. When God allows times of difficulty into your life, you can always rest in and rely on his constant love and provision. How can you best focus on God’s gifts rather than the challenges that threaten to overwhelm you?