Day 12
Reigniting My Joy
Habakkuk 3:16 (CSB) I heard, and I trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the people invading us.
Habakkuk was having great fear and distress. An enemy was advancing and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.
We are experiencing extreme difficulties with COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, high gasoline prices, increased food costs, and the shortages of many critical items. It seems that there is nothing we can do about our circumstances either! These are taking a toll on the joy of living.
There is a difference between living with joy in stressful times and being silly. Silliness is defined as engaging in "a ludicrous folly", showing a "lack of good sense or judgment", or "the condition of being frivolous, trivial, or superficial". Silly can be making light of a precarious situation. Christians amid the perilous times can have joy without the “silly”!
God said, “…Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10b (CSB)
The strength of a Christian is in the Joy of the Lord! I may not like the situation, but I know God is in control. The situation around me may not be a happy one, but situations will not steal my joy! The smile of a Christian is not a silly disconnect from reality but an absolute assurance that God controls the future and God firmly holds the Christian!
Habakkuk thought, remembered, and was reassured about God’s protection. Look what he said next.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (CSB) Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, 18yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! 19The Lord my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
We can take a moment to think, remember, and be reassured that God is in control and we are safe in his hands. Let us rejoice!
Psalm 16:5 (GNT) You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.
Habakkuk 3:16 (CSB) I heard, and I trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress to come against the people invading us.
Habakkuk was having great fear and distress. An enemy was advancing and there seemed to be nothing he could do about it.
We are experiencing extreme difficulties with COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, high gasoline prices, increased food costs, and the shortages of many critical items. It seems that there is nothing we can do about our circumstances either! These are taking a toll on the joy of living.
There is a difference between living with joy in stressful times and being silly. Silliness is defined as engaging in "a ludicrous folly", showing a "lack of good sense or judgment", or "the condition of being frivolous, trivial, or superficial". Silly can be making light of a precarious situation. Christians amid the perilous times can have joy without the “silly”!
God said, “…Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10b (CSB)
The strength of a Christian is in the Joy of the Lord! I may not like the situation, but I know God is in control. The situation around me may not be a happy one, but situations will not steal my joy! The smile of a Christian is not a silly disconnect from reality but an absolute assurance that God controls the future and God firmly holds the Christian!
Habakkuk thought, remembered, and was reassured about God’s protection. Look what he said next.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 (CSB) Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, 18yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! 19The Lord my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
We can take a moment to think, remember, and be reassured that God is in control and we are safe in his hands. Let us rejoice!
Psalm 16:5 (GNT) You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands.