How To Trust God Even When Everything Around You Is Failing (Daily Devotional 10/04)
Habakkuk 3:17-18
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
We often find ourselves in situations where things seem to be falling apart. Maybe you’re going through financial struggles, a difficult season in relationships, or the loss of a job. Whatever the situation, it’s easy to feel like God is distant when everything around you feels like it's failing.
Habakkuk lived in a time of great turmoil, where destruction was normal and everything around him was falling apart. Despite this, Habakkuk chose to rejoice in the Lord. He didn’t base his joy on what was happening in his life or what he could see. He based it on the God who never changes. It’s easy to praise God when everything is going well, but God wants us to praise him also in times of distress.
The world teaches us to find joy in our successes, possessions, and accomplishments. But what happens when those things fade? The reality is that our circumstances will never stay the same. Abundance comes and goes, but our God remains constant. Habakkuk reminds us that even when the fig tree doesn’t blossom and there’s no fruit on the vine—even when everything feels barren—we can still rejoice in God.
Our joy is not rooted in what we have, but in who God is and what He has done for us through Jesus. There are times in life that feel barren, where it seems like everything we’ve worked for or hoped for has failed. But God is not absent in those moments. He uses these times to draw us closer to Him. He's constantly reminding us that our hope isn’t in this world but in his salvation.
Jesus already did the work on the cross to bring you into eternal relationship with God. This is the ultimate reason for joy, no matter what life throws at you.
I hope we can all rejoice in the word of God and the gospel of our salvation.