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
“More than “toughing it out” or “hanging in there” Habakkuk would be “joyful” in the God of his salvation. Habakkuk exhibited the kind of relationship with God which enjoyed the divine person more than the things he could do for the prophet.
He put God above the fray of life, rejoicing in him and worshiping him regardless of the circumstances. The words for ‘rejoicing’ here represent strong emotions…His choice of them here underscores his resolve not merely to rest in the Lord’s will through everything that would come to pass but to rejoice fully in his saving God…
In a world which sees almost everything in economic terms, believers need to consider the profundity of Habakkuk’s faith. Though the words things in life happen, believers need a faith which depends on the God of the universe and worships him as the true Lord of life.”
Kenneth L. Barker in Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture (The New American Commentary; Nashville: B & H Publishing, 1998) 376.
This week of Advent our focus is joy. This is joyfulness is rooted in a deep relationship with God, that transcends the circumstances of life, and few characters in the Scriptures exhibit this better than Habakkuk. More than 600 years before Christ, though his world was filled with violence and turmoil, he determined to proclaim that “the righteous will live by faith” (cf. Habakkuk 2:4).
What does this have to do with generosity? Let me explain.
Barker astutely comments that the world sees everything in economic terms. That comes from enjoying the things we get from God more than God. At Christmas, it sounds like this. People often ask: “What did you get for Christmas?” What if we, instead, choose to ask a different question: “How did you grow deeper in your relationship with Christ this Christmas?” If He is our focus, rather than the things He provides, it changes everything. So I leave you with three questions today.
How are you growing deeper in your relationship with Christ this Christmas?
How is your relationship with Christ shaping your perspective on our world and the circumstances of life?
What correlations do you see between your relationship with Christ and your generosity?