E-Message Bible/Commentary
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." --- Psalm 119:105
Write The Vision
When God spoke to Habakkuk, He told him to "Write the vision. . . for the vision is yet for an appointed time, but it would surely come (Habakkuk 2:2-3). There really is something special about writing down visions, dreams, goals, etc. The mind will understand and embrace what it sees. If you only think it in your mind, that's exactly where it will stay . . . in your mind. Once you write your goal down, it seems to take wings and the fulfilment of it is sure to happen under the right conditions at the appointed time. People and circumstances begin to gravitate toward you to help your vision become a reality.
Why do you think your boss asks you to write down your goals each year? Why do you think churches and organizations have mission and vision statements? After all, "where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).
If you have immediate, short-term and long-range goals, write them down. Make them plain on your paper, and watch what amazing results you will get!
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord, renew them in our day, in our time make them known, in wrath remember mercy. (Habakkuk 3:2)
When people want to share something with you, they start out with the question, "Have you heard...?" Sometimes the information is gossip. Sometimes the information is good news. Sometimes the information is bad news. And before you can answer the question, the information is thrust upon you whether you want to hear it or not.
Have you heard of the fame of our Creator? Have you heard how sovereign God is? Have you heard that God can be trusted in all circumstances? Have you heard . . .? Just in case you have not heard, know that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. Like Habakkuk, stand in awe of His deeds and the works of His hand. Like Habakkuk, pray that God will renew His deeds in your day as in the days of old. Like Habakkuk, ask God to be merciful to you when you don't deserve mercy.
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Hope in Hopeless Situations
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, though 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)
The
above two verses give a scenario of tough times. There is no food from any of
the usual sources. There is no food from the ground, trees, vines or animals.
Yet in spite of this hopeless situation, the prophet says he will rejoice in the
Lord. He says he will be joyful in God his Savior. Can you say that when your
cupboards are bare and your refrigerator is empty? Can you say that when you
don't know where your next meal is coming from? Can you say that when things
have gone from bad to worst? Can you have hope in a hopeless situation?
God's purpose is not to see us suffer but to help us grow. Our
day-to-day experiences and hardships are sometimes overwhelming unless we can
see God's purpose is to bring about continual growth in us. We need the kind of
hope Jeremiah had when he said, "God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us,
plans to give us hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Having hope in a
hopeless situation is an indication that you understand God's ultimate plan for
your life. What's happening to you TODAY is part of God's bigger plan. The
magnitude of your hopeless situation is paralleled to the manifestation of the
blessing you will receive IF you hold on and be steadfast and unmoveable.
Let's
begin rejoicing now because we live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
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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, though 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)
We, like Habakkuk are asking questions. Like Habakkuk, let's pray: "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. The Sovereign Lord is my strength." (Habakkuk 3:2,19).
You must admit the above scripture portrays a bad situation. All of these calamities had something to do with food. And with no figs, grapes, olives, sheep or cattle people were on their way to starvation.
Habakkuk lets us know that rejoicing has nothing to do with what we have or don't have. He tells us that we should be able to jump for joy at its best when circumstances are at their worst. How could Habakkuk say such a thing?
To jump for joy during disastrous times surely seem ludicrous and totally inappropriate. However, jumping for joy is not denying the reality of the situation. On the other hand, it is illustrating faith in God. It shows that you can look beyond the present situation and see the bigger picture from God's perspective. You are not jumping for joy because of your situation. You are jumping for joy in spite of your situation. You are not rejoicing in the situation. You are rejoicing in the Lord, in God your Savior. And God is God in times of lack as well as in times of plenty.
Like Habakkuk, let's jump for joy. Let's jump for joy even when things are at their worst. Let's jump for joy because we know an all powerful God will restore us.
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Habakkuk 3:17-18 illustrates clearly what "for better or worse" really means: "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in te Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." That's obeying God for better
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List of the Books of the Bible
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