I’ve written before about the interesting year it’s been so far. Not exactly one I want to repeat because of this and this and this and let’s just say the hits keep coming. There are things I’d definitely do differently if I had the chance to turn back time. And now I’m just prepping for 2026 to be better. This is where we start today’s post. It’s pretty much in line with the Martin Luther King, Jr. “But if not” sermon. In a nutshell, it references the 3 men thrown in the fire. They said God could save them, but if not they’ll serve him anyway. Of course, I wasn’t really in that mindset as I thought about the hurdles this year has brought. And then I read something in the book of Habakkuk.
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.
This section of Habakkuk is a great reminder that even in the valleys, I can rejoice. When nothing is going how I’d like it to, I can still be joyful. OK, so I don’t know the step-by-step process of rejoicing, except to think about choosing to be glad about God when negative thoughts almost overtake me. There is still good to be thankful for. The last verse is pretty cool, too.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
It’s not just poetic. It’s power. Not mine, of course. God enables us to have feet like deer, to tread on the heights. Which I think means to not dwell on what’s going sideways in my life, but to focus on Him, to rejoice in Him. There are a lot of things I don’t have. But I do have Him. So I’m trying to rejoice and not think about what’s been a bummer this year.
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 