Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:17-18
What is the worst scenario you can imagine? You may have entered into this exercise before. It goes something like this… If I don’t do ________ then _________ will happen. Oh no!
Habakkuk spends nearly three chapters in lament over the worst possible thing he can imagine, the dismantling of his homeland. Our verses come at the very end of his book. It is Habakkuk’s final words to his lament. Only it’s not lament; it’s worship.
Habakkuk considers the worst possible thing he can imagine (besides not having a country to call his own). There’s no longer any fruit and vegetables, oil, meat or dairy. Every single way that people made a life for themselves - gone. Life as he knows it is completely destroyed. And what is his response to this? “I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” No use crying over spilled milk because God is still here and He has saved me. Habakkuk can worship because God is greater than the worst tragedy he can imagine. Life as he knows it may end, but God will continue.
How can that encouragement carry over into your life? What concerns you most right now? No matter what happens - God will be there. You can count on it. So worship Him.