Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT) Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!

Have you ever had a bad day? Have you ever had a really bad day? How about a day where everything is bad and everything goes wrong? How do you handle that? The Prophet Habakkuk wasn't just having a bad day but he was having a bad life. He was complaining about the persisting and terrible condition that the people of Judah were living in. Habakkuk was living among a people that had turned away from serving the Lord and who were involved in violence and causing destruction everywhere. There was injustice in the courts and wickedness in the streets. This was his complaint to God. He asked the Lord why He had not intervened. The Lord answered him, but he got concerned about the answer. The Lord revealed that He was going to send the Babylonians to exact judgement on the people of Judah for their sin. Habakkuk was alarmed at the message that the Lord gave Him and began to remind the Lord of how wicked the Babylonians were. Habakkuk wondered why Babylon, a nation even more sinful than Judah, would be used to bring judgment against Judah. In answering the prophet, God first assured him that He knew exactly who the Babylonians were. God explained that this was something that was going to happen in the future and even though the Babylonians were the chosen instruments for judgement on Judah, the tide would then turn and severe punishment would come on them because of their own wickedness.

After hearing about the fate of the people because of their great sin and of God's plan to punish the Babylonians and then restore the people of Judah, Habakkuk began to compose a song about the greatness of the Lord. He sang about God's amazing works and about His majesty. He sang about the punishment that the Lord would exact on the Babylonians and he sang about the great way that the Lord would rescue His people. He was encouraged in his heart that God is a just God and that His ways are right and that all who put their trust in Him will be saved in the end. Then he penned the words that we read above. What Habakkuk knew and chose to put into his song was that no matter how bad things are and how hopeless a situation looks, we, as God's people, have an everlasting hope that cannot be extinguished. God has saved us and will not ever leave us! We may have trials and tribulations here on earth, but we, too, can rejoice because the God of Habakkuk's salvation is the God of our salvation as well. No matter what happens, God is with us and will work ALL things together for our good. He works out even the bad things that happen on our bad days. He works out everything for our good even when everything is going wrong. We win whatever our circumstances because our God is good and because He is with us! Let's rejoice in the Lord like Habakkuk did no matter what for it is well with our soul no matter what because of our loving God!

Pastor Joey Vazquez