Life doesn’t always go the way we plan. There are days when everything seems to fall apart at the same time. The bills pile up. Health fails. Troubles arise. Doors close. And sometimes we look around and realize we’ve lost things that once brought us joy, comfort, and security. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk understood what that felt like. In Habakkuk 3:17, he paints a picture of total loss: “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls.” Every source of provision was gone. No figs meant the loss of sweetness in life. No grapes meant the loss of satisfaction and joy. No olives meant the loss of daily supply and spiritual symbolism, since oil was used for food, light and worship. No grain growing in the fields meant the loss of basic necessities. No sheep meant the loss of stability and warmth. No cattle meant the loss of future strength and livelihood. In other words, the economy collapsed, comforts disappeared and life was stripped to the bone.
Yet, in the next verse, Habakkuk makes one of the greatest declarations of faith in Scripture: “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
Habakkuk teaches us that faith is not based on what is in our hands, but Who is in our hearts. Even when everything else falls apart, God remains faithful. Even when life empties us, God sustains us. When the joy of the world dries up, He becomes our joy. Habakkuk continues by saying, “The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet.” A hind is a sure-footed deer able to climb high places where other animals would stumble. While predators struggle on rugged cliffs, the hind walks confidently. God gives His children the same kind of stability, strength, and safety— not by removing the difficulty, but by lifting us above it.
That imagery reminds us that when the path is slippery, God keeps us steady. When the climb is steep, God gives strength to rise. When enemies attack, God protects and elevates His own. Sometimes God doesn’t change our circumstances. Instead, He changes our elevation. He lifts our spirit higher than the trouble that surrounds us. Habakkuk looked beyond the empty vines and barren fields and declared, “God is enough.” That’s real faith. It is one thing to thank God when everything is going right, but it is another thing altogether to thank Him when the fig tree does not blossom.
Maybe someone reading this today feels like life has taken away more than it has given. The joy isn’t what it used to be. The peace seems distant. The blessings you once enjoyed have disappeared. You feel like you are running on empty. But if you still have God, you still have hope. You can say, like Habakkuk did, “ I will rejoice in the Lord anyway. I will thank God anyhow.”
He is our salvation when life shakes, our strength when we are weak, our stability when the path is rough, and our song when the night is long. Trouble may visit your life, but it cannot evict your God. Habakkuk’s message echoes through time: Even if the sweetness is gone, even if the security is gone, even if we can’t see the blessing in front of us—God is still worthy of praise.
So today, choose to trust Him. Choose to praise Him. Choose to rejoice in the God who never fails. Even when it doesn’t make sense, even when it hurts, even when life feels empty—thank God anyhow.
