I had a rough night recently. No matter what I did I could not sleep. My body ached everywhere. I had repeated hot flashes. I could not get comfortable. I tried sleeping in the bed, adjusting the pillows, and finally tried sleeping in the lounge chair. I finally fell asleep around 4:30 AM and slept until 7:30 AM. I got up knowing that three hours sleep was not going to do me well for the day!
After I sent out and posted my devotions, I checked both my email accounts. My daily verse was one of my favorite verses … a verse that has become even more precious as I age and as I battle the things which want to control my body.
Habakkuk 3:17-18: “Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit 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 triumph in Yahweh; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!” [HCSB]
There are two words in that verse that are vitally important. They are “though” and “yet.” Two simple words.
Though means “despite the fact that….” Yet means “nevertheless; in spite of that….”
Habakkuk had been lamenting everything he thought was wrong. He had debated with God, but in the end, he realized that no matter what was going on, no matter whether he understood it or not, he would see victory and he would choose to rejoice in his God.
As I read that verse again that morning, I made it a bit more personal. “Despite the fact that my body hurts, despite the fact that there are times when I cannot sleep, despite the fact that I am fatigued and worn down, nevertheless; in spite of all that, I will triumph in the LORD, I will rejoice in Christ Jesus my salvation.”
