Faith and Joy
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Straight to the Cross
GUEST ARTICLE
Faith and Joy
by Wayne Jackson
It is easy to be happy when all is well. It is
difficult to rejoice in tragedy -- some think that
it is very nearly impossible. The prophet Habakkuk
suggests otherwise.
When Habakkuk had been confronted with the reality
of the impending Babylonian invasion, he was sick
to the bone. His body trembled and his lips
quivered. Each day, with deep dread, he awaited
the promised judgment upon his nation. In that
time of terror no crops would be harvested; flocks
and herds would vanish. What devastation there
would be (Habakkuk 3:16,17).
Habakkuk could not divorce himself from his human
emotions, but he determined that they would not
dominate him. In the midst of his darkness he
could courageously say: "... there shall be no
herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in Jehovah,
I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk
3:18).
What a brilliant flash of faith! And what a lesson
we can learn from it. Habakkuk's confident
affirmation heralds this truth. Joy is an inward
quality of choice. It does not depend upon
external circumstances. It is grounded in a
relationship with the Creator. Hard times may
come, but if we know that we are with God, and
that He is with us, our souls can be bathed in
joy. Consider Habakkuk 3:18 carefully, and
remember that joy depends upon the internal, not
the external; it is intellectual, not
circumstantial. This is the Christian view of
life's events.
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