Habakkuk 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

This is rightly one of the most famous declarations of faith in the face of circumstances in the whole Bible. A musical setting for verses 17-19 echoes in my heart and mind, which is appropriate enough, since the last line indicates that from the beginning it was intended to be sung. Verse 17 lists absolutely calamitous circumstances for an agrarian society, and then we have this verse: “Yet will I rejoice in the Lord.” That boggles the mind! Habakkuk was facing a foreign invasion leading to potential death by starvation, even if not by direct enemy action, and yet he chooses to rejoice in the Lord. This passage should be required reading and meditation for every believer tempted into a victim mentality, indulging in a pity party. We don’t have it this bad! There is a great deal going on in the world, both good and bad, and with this Information Age we live in, we are bombarded with news about it all. We aren’t to be passive or indifferent, but we’ve got to keep it all in perspective, remembering that God hasn’t changed, nor has He abandoned us. We are to act to remediate circumstances as the Lord directs, but remember that the temporal is never the final answer. As Jake Hess sang, even “death ain’t no big deal.” If we can maintain that perspective, we can join with Habakkuk in rejoicing in the Lord regardless of what is going on, in the world or in our own personal lives.

This is a perspective I have come around to more and more, the longer I have lived with the Lord. As Bill Gaither wrote, “The longer I Serve Him, the Sweeter He Grows.” For an infant with no perspective, a dropped cookie is a tragedy. I think I’ve gone far beyond that! That said, I’m not to make light of other people’s problems, but as Paul said, “mourn with those who mourn.” (Romans 12:15) I’m not to encourage pity parties, but I’m not to put people down for having them. God is absolutely faithful, and as He told Jeremiah, His plans for us are good. (Jeremiah 29:11) Immediate circumstances may be genuinely horrible, all the way to and including martyrdom, but I’ve got to remember, and remind others, that God’s plans for us are for eternity, and any difficulties we have in this life are no more than minor bumps in the road.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You again for all You did on Friday with the concert. Thank You that today is a service of praise and testimonies. Thank You that my call yesterday got me an appointment with a dermatologist for tomorrow, to check out what I suspect is another skin cancer lesion. I was shocked that it was so soon! Thank You that I don’t have to be anxious about anything at all, but just rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, as an example for all who know me and for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!