THE HOLY BIBLE (New Century Version – Habakkuk 3:17-19): ¹⁷ Fig trees may not grow figs, and there may be no grapes on the vines. There may be no olives growing and no food growing in the fields. There may be no sheep in the pens and no cattle in the barns. ¹⁸ But I will still be glad in the Lord; I will rejoice in God my Savior. ¹⁹ The Lord God is my strength. He makes me like a deer that does not stumble so I can walk on the steep mountains.

THOUGHTS: How often do we allow the trials of this world to interfere with our worship to our awesome God? That’s right folk, God is still awesome – in spite of what we may have brought on ourselves, or the repercussions of our sin. After all, did He cancel the debt He paid for us on the cross, suddenly couldn’t care less about a situation, and allowed Satan a foothold in our lives? Did God not protect us during a time that we felt like our world was coming to an end – perhaps the loss of a loved one, or a favorite vehicle or even our home? Why then do we first lash out on God for not saving the day for us? He’s still God friend! He still cares for us and would surrender to the cross of Calvary all over again if He felt like it would make a difference for us. In this scripture today, we see where the prophet had lots of reasons to turn away (in verse 17), get in some corner and just feel sorry for himself. In fact some would even have cursed God if they had as much going on as indicated in verse 17. However, in verse 18 we see where Habakkuk proclaimed that in spite of all that was evident around him, he still had a God to praise and nothing would take away his joy in the Lord. For just like us today, the Lord God was his strength – as He is ours today. God gave His prophet a strong footing to see him through challenging times, and I am reassured that He does the same for us today! So friends, can we take the blinders off and not just look at the circumstances that Satan may have pushed in front of us to distract us, but can we widen the scope and also see the amazing blessings that God showers on us every day? Perhaps then we can say like the prophet, “I too will rejoice in God my Savior”! Unbelievers need to see this quality in us friends, for they need to be convinced that this Savior we proclaim, is actually there for us through the good times, but also through the challenging times of our lives.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for being our God every day and in every circumstance. Please help us to understand and be constantly reminded that You are always there for us. Your love for us is way beyond anything we could comprehend, so of course there are things that occur in our lives that we just don’t understand why. Please help us to not just praise You when all is bright and sunny, but also when things seem very dismal for us, for You are with us ALWAYS, You love us ALWAYS and You are ALWAYS looking out for our best interest. You are amazing and such an awesome God! Thank You for being my Savior and Lord. Please encourage those readers who may not feel ‘on top of the world’ today because life circumstances are not where they feel they should be. Please draw them especially close to Your side, shower them with Your love and show them that You care for them and their circumstances. I ask all this in the awesome name of Jesus, Messiah, my Savior and Friend, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or read through Biblical truths on How To Know Jesus, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!