Today's Devotional

November 7, 2002

Subject:  How Bad Can It Get?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 - "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:  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

Running rampant today is the ill-conceived belief that things simply "have to" go right for me when I follow God.  This is often the basis for people "believing" in God.  I have a problem or I have this need and I want this problem to be fixed or I want this need to be met.  God of course is into that business and He definitely meets all of our needs.  However, His plan is altogether different than the one that says that all of your problems will be erased if you simply follow Him.  No, the truth of the matter is that often, following Christ brings on additional burdens and issues that we could not have imagined.

Consider the example of someone at work who had been "one of the boys" and then suddenly gets convicted about his sin.  He turns his life over to Christ and now, because he no longer joins in with the immoral lifestyle of coworkers, is fired by the boss.  He's got a family to support and now he's got to deal with life on these terms.  In some cases, these events cause believers to doubt God's ability to provide, but this is just where the passage above comes in handy.  It pretty much summarizes the sentiment of Job as he faced his trials and at the end of them said, "though He slay me, yet will I trust Him."

So today, how bad can it get before you stop praising and thanking God for His goodness?  What will it take for you to turn your back on God?  It's something to think about when you're in the pits of life.  I pray that like the prophet Habakkuk, you continually rejoice in the Lord, regardless of the circumstances.

Carlen