Times Are Harder, Faith Is Stronger

          "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

          I read this verse the other day, it really hit me to say the least. I wondered why I hadn't heard it earlier in my life with its challenging statement. I really envy this guy, I really do envy a person like him or Job who, despite all the hard times and challenges of life, can rejoice in the Lord and praise God. I've struggled with depression in my life and usually I've been able to stay stable and faithful in hard times, but there have been low points in my life where I just wanted to give up. Points in life where I forget that God is right there by my side. This challenged me to remember from now on, if and when I hit a snag in life, to just be joyful in God my Savior. After all, "if God is for us, who can be against us"? 

         

          I'm taking up this verse as a challenge to myself and yet another "life verse" to live by. When I feel like things are getting rough, just rejoice in the Lord. I think I can relate this to Matthew 11:28 in which it says "Come to me, all you weary and burdened, and I will give you rest". So in summary I feel like this, to me, is God saying "When life isn't going the way you planned, when life is throwing you curveballs, rejoice in me, be joyful for I am your Savior, come to me and put your burdens on me, for I will give you rest". God is always by my side. This is the mindset I want to have. I've seen this very change in my mom the last few years, after years of being a worrier and stressing, she's surrendered and gave God complete control and she's had a huge burden lifted ever since. This is my challenge to myself. 

          

          I read a passage in a book I've been reading lately which had a great analogy. The book is is called "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life" by Hannah Whithall Smith, which was written in 1883. In it she writes "Most Christians are like a man who was toiling along the road, bending under a heavy burden, when a wagon overtook him, and the driver kindly offered to help him on his journey. He joyfully accepted the offer, but when seated continued to bend beneath his burden, which he still kept on his shoulders. 'Why do you not lay down your burden?' asked the kind-hearted driver. 'Oh!' replied the man, 'I feel that it is almost too much to ask you to carry me, and I could not think of letting you carry my burden too.'" 

         

          It's crazy how much people in the 1800s have the same questions and burdens we have now, though they may be different in some ways. This analogy really made a lot of sense to me. Jesus picked me up off the broken road, He's already giving me a ride, could he not handle my baggage as well? Every time I feel like the burden is getting to be too much I sulk away and lock myself up. I changed that, I'm still stuck in a rut right now but I decided to stand my ground and make the Lord my strength and despite nothing changing in the last year or so for me, I'm feeling great. I gave up the burden. When I'm down on my luck I'm going to praise God for I know He loves me and is by my side. It really is quite amazing the journey I've had in this relationship with Christ and how much it matures. 

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

He makes my feel like the feet of a deer,

He enables me to go on the heights"

Habakkuk 3:19