Chara, our 6th-month-old English Springer puppy, has become quite the Springer. Of course, most Springers have a tendency to spring, but Chara is leaping into the air with the greatest of ease, but not on a trapeze. She springs from couch to couch as it appears easier than going down to the ground and jumping back up. I sometimes wonder if she’s part gazelle.
Her antics remind me of one of my favorite Bible passages found in 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, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”
Just a bit of a background…. Habakkuk lived during the final decades of Israel’s Southern Kingdom, before Babylon came and exiled the nation. Habakkuk and God are having a real time struggle back and forth. Habakkuk complains about the injustices he sees within Israel and complains about the wickedness of Babylon.
But when we get to chapter three of Habakkuk, we see a change in his attitude. Habakkuk was determined to trust God no matter what! Though all the outward means of support may fail, he still had a firm confidence in the power, goodness and faithfulness of God. (Benson Commentary) He was determined to have joy in God, despite all the potential disasters around him. Habakkuk could rejoice in God amidst the greatest of distresses in his day. The word “I will be joyful” in Hebrew literally means “jump for joy.”
I think most of us find it hard to “jump for joy” in the midst of our challenges. But, let’s not miss who Habakkuk was! He was a man of faith that took God at His Word. God had promised to supply all his needs, and he was gonna trust God through thick and thin.
God’s word is filled with men and women who have gone before us. Men and women who have suffered much, yet still trusted God. Often, we want to look at our circumstances and just melt. It’s so very easy to get discouraged, especially now. But, the reminder today is to look to the Lord. The mindset in this verse changed with the word “yet.” Habakkuk chose to rejoice in God. He thought of the deer running about on the high hills, never losing a step or falling. The deer leaped on the hills, full of joy and life, just like Chara.
If you re-wrote Habakkuk 3:17-19 for your own life, what would your write? What are your struggles these days? How can God make your feet like the feet of a deer? Let’s trust God today, even in the midst of our struggles.
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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