Yet I Will Rejoice in the Lord
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, through 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
On my travels back to Kentucky this past Christmas, I brought along a devotional book on the topic of joy called Champagne for the Soul by Mike Mason. Another priest recommended it to me a couple of years ago after I told him that I felt like I should be feeling more joy. After all, there were so many good things happening in my life. I’ve always been prone to pensiveness and a bit of melancholy. Yet, the Lord has been so good to me. So why doesn’t joy drive away all, or at least more, melancholy?
The Lord has used the devotional book to encourage me greatly. I’m thankful to the priest who recommended it to me. However, I can only recommend it to you with caution. In my opinion, it has too many sections that, probably unintentionally, border on the prosperity gospel. Also, many of the parts of the book that were most moving to me were directly from Scripture itself, and not the book. The most moving section of the book for me was the Biblical quotation of Habakkuk 3:17-18. (I always forget how much I love the short book of Habakkuk.) What a beautiful statement from the prophet. Even though everything is going wrong, and he has every reason to be depressed, he still says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior!”
This stirring verse reminds me of a beautiful song from a little-known band, Page CXVI. They performed in one of my seminary chapel services years ago. The song is titled simply, “Joy”. The singer, Latifah Alattas, takes the lyrics of the happy, upbeat Sunday School kids’ song and puts them into a slow, sad minor key. The focus of the song moves to how very deep down the joy is in her heart during a very difficult stage of her life. She reminded us that sometimes in this fallen world, while we await Jesus’ return, we must experience some very sad moments. It is during those times that the Lord in his faithfulness will sustain that everlasting joy in our broken-but-redeemed-hearts. The joy may at times be way deep down in our hearts, but he will not let it be utterly quenched (Ps 30:5). He is always faithful. This is how Habakkuk could confidently claim, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior!”
Mason’s devotional book reminded me that the joy can’t stay so far down indefinitely though. Joy demands to burst forth! God’s loving faithfulness, shown in our redemption through Jesus, is too wonderful and good to not rejoice. The Holy Spirit will always find a way to move our hearts to rejoice. The Holy Spirit breathed these words into Paul’s heart and onto the pages of Scripture in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Though as our Lord warned us, we will have troubles in this world, he also teaches us to take heart. He has overcome the world (Jn 16:33)!
Mason also encourages us to prayerfully and actively seek joy. He compares joy to exercise. The more we actively seek to rejoice in the Lord, the easier and more natural it can become to us. He writes, “If we wake up in the morning and don’t feel like going to work, still we go. If we want a paycheck, sloughing off isn’t an option. But since nobody pays us to be happy, regularly we call in sick…. We must get over our feeling that joy is impractical, unachievable, or unworthy of our best efforts. People who are chasing money do not view their goal this way. Why should we, who pursue a goal immeasurably more precious (80)?” At the same time Mason reminds us that “Nowhere does the Bible exhort us to do anything in our own strength, but only in the Lord (8).”
I am currently trying more actively, and daily, to practice rejoicing in the Lord. By God’s grace, and in his strength, I long to proclaim confidently and regularly with Habakkuk, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior!” I pray that you will ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and strength to do this as well. Let us pray for each other, and encourage each other, to rejoice and be joyful in the Lord always. Not only can we be confident that our Lord will provide this joy as we seek it from him, but we also know that he is our joy! Mason reminds us, “He has given His word, ‘Surely I am with you always’ (Matthew 28:20), and joy accompanies Him (90).”
Image taken by Jill Taylor.