Scripture Passage: Habakkuk 3: 17-19
A Hymn of Faith
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The LORD God [c] is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.
One thing that I know about human beings is that we all want to be appreciated. Wives want to be appreciated, husbands want to be appreciated, children want to be appreciated, customers want to be appreciated, and basically everyone no matter the degree of relationship wants to be appreciated. However, the number one person that we need to daily devote our appreciation to is God. We need to come to a perfect understanding of what it means to be thankful. Personally, I believe that this is a requirement for any true child of God. I remember several times that God has sent His word to me that I need to be thankful. It’s so funny how the little words that can transform our lives are the ones we struggle with – like forgive, love, obey, repent, have faith, and be thankful. For example, if someone is looking up to God for something and all that God requires for that person to do is to be thankful. If this individual spends his or her days murmuring, complaining, or questioning God, how can this person receive the promise?
The song, when I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me captures the reason why a lot of us are not thankful. I came to the conclusion that we are not thankful because we don’t take the time out of our daily schedules to think and reflect on the goodness of the Lord. The society we live in has given us a lot to think about in the likes of money, bills, mortgage, rent, tenants, and so much more. Apart from bills, sometimes we tend to spend more time thinking about what we are waiting on God to do in our lives instead of making spiritual progress with our lives. Some of us have turned the act of thanksgiving to a Sunday only affair, we only display our gratitude when we dance and sing our hearts out during praise and worship sessions. We only lift up our voices to express our gratitude to God when asked to do so during prayer sessions.
Thanksgiving should not only be a Sunday only or November only affair when we lavish our tables with turkey. Before we eat the turkey, let’s thank the one who provided and created the turkey! The prophet in the book of Habakkuk really captured the true essence of thanksgiving. He said even though the fig tree may not blossom, He will still rejoice. This really touched my heart because this prophet is basically saying that no matter what he faces in life, no matter the obstacle, challenge, or waiting period, he will still rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk 3:19, in the Amplified Version states, “The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds\' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!” Here we see that instead of draining spiritually, He is making the choice to make spiritual progress with his life and focus on the God of His salvation that can turn around any captivity. Brethren, God is bigger than all our problems so, let us recognize his lordship over any obstacle we are facing and truly offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving today and always to the Lord.
Ponder on This
1.) If you have nothing to be thankful for, take a deep breathe and just thank God for life
2.) If you have nothing to be thankful for, before you eat today, take a moment to thank God for divine provision.
3.) If you have nothing to be thankful for, before you go out to work today, thank God for open doors.
4.) If you have nothing to be thankful for, before you open the door to your house or apartment, thank God for shelter.
5.) If you have nothing to be thankful for, before you open your mouth to complain, thank God that your natural forces have not been abated and you can still talk.
6.) If you have nothing to be thankful for, just look around you and open up your eyes to realize that it’s only by the grace of God that you are who you are.
Finally, the Bible says in all things give thanks! So it’s not a recommendation, it’s a commandment for any true child of God to worship God and appreciate Him from a true heart. To conclude, if the only time you thank God is when you have your breakthrough, think constructively, maybe all God is waiting for you to do today is to thank Him in advance for your breakthrough.
In conclusion, Psalm 115:16-18 says:
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s;
But the earth He has given to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise the LORD,
Nor any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the LORD
From this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the LORD! |
