JOY is a Verb - Habakkuk (Part 1 of 2)
March 23, 2021
Since 2021 is a year to cultivate JOY, I have written JOY-related scriptures on index cards to keep them before my eyes and rehearse them. Today, Habakkuk 3:18 spoke to me.
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
You don’t often see JOY used as verb, so I checked several other bible translations, and many translations use the word “exult” instead of JOY. Exult is defined as extremely joyful or joy expressed in a visible way. So, this sentence could read I will express extreme JOY in the God of my salvation in a very visible way. Do I do that? When my favorite football team gets a touchdown, I jump up and shout and do a little dance. When was the last time I was meditating on the God of my salvation and I was so moved that I got up and shouted and did a little dance? I can’t recall right off hand.
I don’t spend much time reading the Minor Prophets, so I decided to read the whole book of Habakkuk to get context. It was sobering. They were about to be overrun by the Babylonians who were known for being violent, wicked people. Plenty of reason to fear. The Book of Habakkuk is a back-and-forth discussion between God and Habakkuk, which shows the palpable fear and God’s response to that fear. In the end, Habakkuk makes a choice to respond to the bad situation by JOY-ing in the God of his salvation, even when things look so bad. Here is how the Book of Habakkuk ends:
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 is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.
Fear is a choice and JOY is a choice. God had the answer to fear for Habakkuk and He has the answer for me too. I WILL rejoice. It is an act of my will to JOY. Start singing, Julie! JOY is where you find your strength!
Continue on to “Keep the Vision - Habakkuk (Part 2 of 2)” here. Have a blessed day!
