THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH

What shall we do when everything in life seems to be going wrong? What if we have several problems all at one time, like the situation mentioned in Habakkuk 3:17? “Though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, [though] the product of the olive fails and the fields yield no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls…” Perhaps you are also having problems in any number of areas: your children, your marriage, your finances, your health, your job, your neighbours, or your mind and emotions. If so, I am sure you need to be encouraged. God promises to be your Strength. He is the God of our salvation. That means He delivers us and provides a way out of the troubles in which we find ourselves. It is important to keep rejoicing even in times of trouble. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!” (Habakkuk 3:18). Nehemiah 8:10(b) also declares, “And be not grieved and depres-sed, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.” Depression, discouragement, and despair only weaken us, but being positive and finding something to rejoice about adds energy to our lives. Even if you cannot find something to rejoice about, you can rejoice over your relation-ship with the Lord. HE is your joy, not your circumstances. When we trust in God, He enables us to make spiritual progress even during times of trouble. Through Him we can keep on walking forward. Satan's favourite tool to use against God's children is fear. Fear immobilizes us if we let it, and it prevents us from making progress. But thank God that in Him we can still make progress even in times that are hard to endure. We tend to think that the highest place to be is on the mountain top with no problems and everything going our way, but that is not true according to God’s Word. He says that even on our high places are trouble, suffering, and responsibility, and therefore He promises that He will give us hinds’ feet. A hind is a type of mountain goat that can leap about freely on the rocky, difficult slopes. Hinds climb mountains with seemingly no effort at all because of the way God has made them. Habakkuk 3:19 states that “The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!” Look to God as your Strength, and trust Him to help you make progress during trouble. [The Everyday Life Bible, Commentary by Joyce Meyer, Faith Words, New York, 2006].