Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Some Good Spiritual RX

I heard and my heart pounded,
my lips quivered at the sound;
decay crept into my bones,
and my legs trembled.
Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity
to come on the nation invading us.
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
For the director of music.
On my stringed instruments.
Habakkuk 3:16-19
Too many of us have too many reasons for our hearts to pound, our lips to quiver, and our knees to knock. And how many times lately have we heard, "It's only going to get worse?" But please don't be dismayed. Remember how God provided Paul and Silas with a song in the night when they were in the deepest darkest dungeon (Acts 16)? I may have found the song they were singing this morning in the verses above from Habakkuk. Habakkuk sings his prayer in chapter 3 with the accompaniment of stringed instruments. A closer look at this chapter, particularly verses 16-19, reveals how Paul and Silas could sing, even without a guitar, despite their hard place. That means we can, too.

I especially am encouraged that GOD will make us walk (not to stand in terror but to walk) and move forward in spiritual growth upon our high places, which are our troubles, suffering, or responsibility. Each of us has our own mix of heartache, suffering and responsibility. God is telling us here that we make the most progress when being thankful for our salvation is on the top of our prayer list. Even though things are going on that make our "hearts pound and legs tremble," (vs 16) there is no reason to fear. Our Sovereign LORD is our our strength, our own personal bravery, and invincible army. God does his best work amidst chaos. And the nation invading us--Satan and his team of demons--has a day of calamity coming soon. The best is yet to come. I love you all.

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