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.

Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol 4, pg. 60.