In the midst of grieving the loss of my grandmother, I’ve come to realize everyone is going through some sort of difficult circumstance. My friends share with me about their struggles, like health problems, the grip that stress has on their well being, and just struggling to get by financially. Even as I was reading the book of Habakkuk, I noticed he was going through some tough times as well. But what encourages me is at the very end of the book:

“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.

God, the Lord, is my strength;

He makes my feet like the deer’s,

He makes me tread on my high places.”

Habakkuk acknowledges during suffering and loss that he can still trust in the Lord and through that trust comes joy and strength. Just like Habakkuk, we can acknowledge that our lives aren’t perfect and we’re struggling and acknowledge that nonetheless, God is the provider of our joy.

I challenge you to take some time to reflect on this passage and make it personal by replacing the phrases to make it relevant to your life. Barren fig trees might not be applicable to our lives, but failing an important exam or being in need of more money may be applicable to us. Write out what you are struggling with and pray about it. I encourage you to choose to rejoice in the Lord.