A Reason to Rejoice - Beloved Women - October 30, 2023

A Reason to Rejoice – Beloved Women – October 30, 2023

READ: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17 and 18 ESV)

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Habakkuk faced failing crops, barren fields, and empty barns. And yet, he decided being joyful in the Lord was better than being miserable over what was missing from his life.

It is likely we also have a list of what or who has failed us, and what’s empty in and around us. But Habakkuk’s gumption gets my attention. He went from running on empty to choosing to rejoice in his faith.

Because of his choice, joy filled him like a wave of liquid motivation. It lifted Habakkuk high above His troubles. But His choice can present a challenge to me.

When an outcome is unwanted, I begin to wrestle with the ways I’m left undone. Processing a situation may take time. However, as I “take joy in the God of my salvation,” I’m filled with the delight of knowing I’m His. I sense His possibilities forming around my impossible. Whatever I lack no longer makes me feel lost.

We can rejoice when we bring the odds stacked against us to the God who is always for us. Then I’m no longer running on empty. I’m running toward the wonder of who God is and what He does.

PRAY: Dear God, despite what’s missing from my life, I turn to You for comfort and strength. Forgive my failures with Your mercy and fill my emptiness with Your joy. Through faith in Christ, I delight in knowing I’m Yours. Instead of constantly venting over my struggles, I choose to rejoice and live in His victory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

REFLECT:  How would rejoicing in the Lord change your current perspective?

CONNECT: Find more encouragement from Joy A. Williams at www.joyawilliams.com.  Subscribe to joyAwilliams.com and receive a free PDF of “Say So Long to Sidetracked,” a biblical approach to overcoming distractions. It’s a great tool for personal study or to share with a group.

© 2020 by Joy A. Williams. All rights reserved.

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