Habakkuk 3:17-19 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Sometimes in life, things don’t look good and it can feel like God is ignoring you or maybe testing you. Maybe you struggle with feeling like you deserve it when life isn’t great. In the story of Job, after he loses everything, he has friends who show up and accuse him of doing some sort of sin to deserve what happened, but he didn’t. Sometimes I think we can do that to ourselves. We beat ourselves up like we cause all our problems. But I love the way Habakkuk views hard times. He just changes his focus instead of concerning himself with every problem. Habakkuk focuses on who God is instead. It doesn't mean that you ignore every issue. It means you put trust in God's character. I love that he calls the Lord the Sovereign Lord. God is in control. Sometimes we just need to admit there is nothing we can do and just trust in God. Habakkuk could not fix the harvest. But ultimately Habakkuk did not serve God because of what God could give him. Rather, he served the LORD because he knew God and knew God’s truly good nature. In the same way we ought to trust that God is control. He is the author of our lives, and he wants the best for us. When things look tough, trust that God will work it for his glory and just be willing to participate.

Pastor Brenan Hindermann