Difficult Circumstances

I recently read the book of Habakkuk. It was one of those bittersweet experiences. Bitter because the book is about the stubbornness and hard-heartedness of God's people and His using the Babylonians as a chastening rod against them. Sweet because of the faith the prophet had in the salvation of the Lord. Life was tough for God's people because of their own rebellion. Life for us at times is very hard. Sometimes it may be our rebellion, or maybe not, but certainly because the Lord is sanctifying us and making us more like Him.

I exchanged an email with a dear friend this morning. Esther is very faithful to the Lord, yet she has some difficult circumstances that are surrounding her life. She has had many difficult circumstances over the years. Our family has had many difficult circumstances over the years and many of you know what it is like to go through difficult circumstances. Esther concluded her email talking about God's word bringing her comfort. She said, "He is the stability of our times."

The prophet Habakkuk knew that truth. He was very sorrowful over God's chastisement of His people. He had no idea when this difficult time would end. Many times we do not know how long we will be in difficult circumstances, but we can declare as Habakkuk did, "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls - yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (3: 17, 18).


P.S. I will be traveling for a few weeks and will not post again until Monday, July 12, 2010.
Abide in Him and remember "He is the stability of our times."