It's all about Him so I will gladly rejoice in Him for all the days of my life!
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and 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 Saviour. Habakkuk 3:17-18
Sometimes in life we hit a ceiling. Life becomes monotonous and our spiritual lives dull. The fruit that we bear are tasteless and our plants begin to wilt. We see in the Scripture above that in life, during the different seasons, hope seems lost and the things we work hard for reap no harvest. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD.
There is a completeness and refreshing joy that flows from within when our lives depend on God. It is so easy to want to take control of what is around you and the desires within you - this is rooted in the fall of man. But when our lives are driven by the contentment found in the work we do, the busyness of it, and the disappointment it brings - we lose sight of what is more important than anything we can do. We lose sight of God who tends and builds our lives. We lose sight of the work He is doing through the purpose He has given us. We fall into ourselves instead of falling into Jesus. We lose faith and slowly the foundation on which we stand crumbles.
We have been gifted with a promise of rest as God's people. Hebrews 4 talks about this promise that He has prepared for us since the beginning of time. In Genesis, God rested on the seventh day (2:2). In Hebrews 4:6, this promise is fulfilled when God has made today the time of rest. "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labours, just as God did after creating the world. So let's do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall." (verse 10-11). The rest we receive only comes from God, for it is His promise to us. Our obedience to Him invites us to rejoice in this promise today as we still await the special rest with Him in eternity.
But how do we find rest when the crops yield no fruit and the stalls are still empty? The answer is simple: the difficulties of the present must not overshadow the reality of God's promise. When we believe in God, we have faith, and "faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about the things we cannot see." (Heb 11:1). God's promises give us hope, for the promises He makes cannot be broken as God does not lie (Heb 6:18). Friend, where is your faith? If your faith is in Jesus, why are you so quick to doubt the promises He has given you?
All the answers we seek are found only in JESUS CHRIST. It is time today to run to Him for refuge so that our confidence is great - fear is flushed out - because of the hope revealed through Him. "This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek." (Heb 6:19-20). God's inner sanctuary offers rest, life, joy and hope. We are given the answers we seek through Him and what is beautiful is when God reveals them through the mysteries we have yet to discover.
Are you really in this relationship with God for your benefit? Are you still holding on to your self? If you are, I'm afraid to say that you are deceived. "You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right." It is time for the Church to wake up and eat solid food. "Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have skill to recognise the difference between right and wrong." When our lives are spiritually dull, it means that we are not listening to the Word of God. We are not seeing the Hand of God at work through us. How else do you expect to go from drinking milk to eating solid food?
As believers, we have to understand that it is all about HIM. It is tiring to look to ourselves for strength, it is hopeless to look to ourselves for answers, and it is empty to look to ourselves for love. Our lives alone cannot bring about the magnificent fruit of the crops, the overflowing stalls and the completeness found within. We are all walking the road that leads to death, but there is GOD. God saves us from this road of doom. God forgives our wrongdoings and covers our sins with grace and mercy. God fights our battles for He has won eternal victory. This was all done through His Son, Jesus Christ, who is alive and sits in the highest place of honour in heaven. Jesus is the chosen source of guaranteed salvation. He sets the example we ought to follow. He is holy, blameless, unstained by sin and set apart from the sinners. He is therefore trustworthy and allows us to go straight into the presence of God - "for our bodies have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:22).
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Hebrews 10:23
So brothers and sisters, your lives are on-purpose for a God that loves you. You are called to rejoice in all seasons of your life and to be thankful for the seasons you have to rejoice in Him. Be glad that you are here serving a cruciform life for a living God, Whose Son sacrificed His Life for yours. I pray that you start seeking Him wholeheartedly, that you remain in His Word and grow spiritually mature as you sustain yourself with solid food. Help one another in love by living your life with a clear conscience and never failing to do good. Lastly, commit your lives to the One Who is the Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and the End. Holy is He Who we rejoice in completely, our lives a beautiful aroma unto Him, holding on to the Treasure inside our jars of clay. It's all about Him! Hallelujah!
Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that He has promised. Hebrews 10:36
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