"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."
-Habakkuk 3:17-18
This week has been rough. My kids were sick and my husband was gone. Nothing was going right. I was exhausted physically, mentally, and spiritually. To top everything off, I had to rush my son to the ER in the middle of the night because he started having trouble breathing. Praise the Lord, he is ok and my family is all back together safe and sound.
But I remember driving home from the hospital in the dark early morning hours praying, "God, where are You in this? When will this season of difficulty be over?" No sooner had I spoken those words, the song "Blessed Be Your Name" pops into my head.
Part of that song is taken from Job chapter 1. After Job lost nearly everything he had (in very tragic circumstances at that), it says he "fell to the ground in worship and said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.'”
This doesn't mean that Job was naturally joyful or happy about his circumstances. In fact, we see that he experienced all the human emotions of great loss...grief, anger, confusion. Yet even though Job didn't understand what was going on, even though he didn't see God in his circumstances, even though he questioned God...in the midst of his darkest hour...he KNEW that God was still worthy of his praise.
