“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).
TEXT — Habakkuk 3:17-19
Message
For a Christian believer, mere happiness is not a coveted trophy. Joy is his lot. His happiness does not depend on happenings. His joy springs from within and flows out effortlessly in all weather. That is why Maltbie D. Babcock insisted that “The Christian life that is joyless is a discredit to God and a disgrace to itself.” Disappointingly, many Christians appear not to be at home with this truth.
There is a great lesson to be learned from the disposition of Prophet Habakkuk as reflected in the text under consideration. Habakkuk started his prophecy on a note of sadness because of the prevalence of vices among the Israelites of his day. Along the line, he protested God’s dispensing of judgment against the Jews at the hands of the more wicked Chaldeans. At last, he got the complete picture of God’s position in all these and appreciatively, switched from trembling fear to triumphant faith. There and then, he made the most elegant statement of faith that should resonate with every Christian: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk’s words reflected pure joy. This implies that the joy of the Lord that was in him would be tented neither by plenty nor penury. Even if the Chaldeans struck and caused all sources of supply to cease, and all earthly props were withdrawn, he would still rejoice in the Lord. His commitment to the Lord would not wane. This is what the Christian life should be. The Christian should not be a fair-whether follower to the Lord but should, like the Northern Star, be ever constant.
Believers whose commitment is dictated by their fortunes have missed the point. They know nothing about the joy of which we speak today. Their joy and commitment to the Lord are as unsteady as a tide. They rise when things are going well with them. They relapse to a joyless and lukewarm state when the going gets tough. But you can commit to a more stable walk with God this day.
Thought for the day
Are you a fair-weather or an all-weather Christian?
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
