"Although....yet I Will”

Habakkuk sees the invasion of the Babylonian army. He sees the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, He sees the total, utter and complete devastation in the land of Judah. He sees a time when there will be no more figs, no more fruit, no more fields, no more flock, no more flesh, and no more finances.

But, in the midst of the despair, Habakkuk found a multitude of delight.

Thus, instead of his heart racing, his heart was resting. Instead of being filled with fear, he was filled with faith. Instead of feeling like a victim, he felt like a victor.

As our country faces an economical crises, the believer must learn to trust and rest in God. We must not give way to panic and despair. We must believe that God is in control of all circumstances.

This world is unraveling. This world is coming apart. This world is winding down. The end of all things is at hand.

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see was the flame, the smoke, and the blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: “Jump! I will catch you.”

But the boy protested, “Daddy, I can’t see you.” The father replied, “But I can see you and that’s all that matters.”

In our time of trial, we may not be able to see the Lord, but the Lord can still see us. In our time of tragedy, we may not be able to see the Lord, but the Lord can still see us. In our time of tribulation, we may not be able to see the Lord, but the Lord can still see us, and that’s all that matters.

The Psalmist declared in Psalm 121:4, "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." God never takes a day off. He is always working .We may not always see what He is doing, and we don’t always sense what He is doing. Yet, we are assured in His Word that He is always at work.

I. The PROPHET’S ANTICIPATION (17

Habakkuk mentions the basic ingredients of life for the Jewish people: figs, vines, olives, fields, flocks and herds are soon to be gone.

This caused him to tremble in verse 16 when he looked to himself for answers.

He saw a CRISIS - CHAOS - CRASH.

He looked on the horizon and saw drought, devastation, and destruction.

No part of the economy of his day would be spared.

He could clearly see what was coming!

Remember, the economy of Judah at this time was based almost exclusively on agriculture and livestock. Agriculture could be divided into permanent crops – fruit trees, olive trees, grape vines – and annual field crops, like wheat and barley. Neither the permanent nor the annual crops are going to yield anything.

The final two items are the flocks and the cattle – that is, sheep and cows. All their livestock are dead.

He sees the devastation of God’s judgment. He sees the force of the Babylonians as they wreak havoc upon the land. He sees a time of economic depression when the fields, the flocks, the figs, and the fruit will be destroyed. He sees a time when God withdraws His hand of blessing and extends His hand of cursing.

Now Habakkuk’s situation is worse than anything we can imagine in this country.

Habakkuk could not rejoice in the circumstances he anticipated.

II. The PROPHET’S AFFIRMATION (18)

Habakkuk says, even when the simplest sign of God’s favor is absent, even then he would still rejoice in Him.

The word “rejoice” literally means to jump for joy. The word “joy” literally means to spin around in.

Habakkuk may not have been able to understand God’s ways, but he could STAND ON God’s Word. He may not have been able to trace God’s plan, but he could trust God’s providence and it led to triumphing with God’s praise. I can just see as Habakkuk has himself a spell. He begins to jump for joy and rejoice when there seemed to be no cause to rejoice. The inward look was bleak. The outward look was bitter. But, the upward look was bright.

YOU CAN ALWAYS REJOICE IN THE LORD WHEN YOU CANNOT REJOICE IN THE LAND!

A poor black slave, who was once asked if he were never unhappy, said, “When all de world are saying, ‘Dis is my hours,’ ‘Dat is my cottonfield,’ I just look up and say, ‘Dare is my house, and dare is my Saviour,’ and when I own de Lord me tinks I own everything.”