Though the fig tree may not blossom, . . . yet I will rejoice in the Lord.  Habakkuk 3:17-18

            I remember a story about a woman who was very discouraged because of the many problems in her life. As she was walking down the street, she met a fellow believer who asked, “How are you doing today?”

            With a sour look and a bitter shrug she replied, “Oh, not too bad—under the circumstances.”

            The other person quickly countered, “Well, get above the circumstances! That’s where Jesus is.”

            The prophet Habakkuk was of the same mind. He refused to let circumstances dampen his faith or crush his hope. He looked to the future not with pessimistic fears of what else could go wrong, but with faith in God no matter what would happen. Even if he lost all his possessions, Habakkuk proclaimed that he would continue to trust the Lord to meet his needs (vs.17-19).

            Our eyes are to be focused on the Lord, not on our circumstances. We are to live above the shadows of fear and bask in the sunlight of faith. Even though we, like Habakkuk, may have a long list of troubles, faith’s answer to disappointment must always be: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation”. That type of attitude will enable us to live above the circumstances instead of under them.

Although my trees are fruitless,

No grapes are on the vine,

Yet Christ is all my fullness,

And all His sweetness mine.

As you go along life’s weary road, let Jesus lift