A different way to live

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls - Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Last week I spent a lot of time considering what it means to “live by faith”. Habakkuk 2:4 contrasts the one who lives by faith with the proud person who refuses. How does the life of faith differ? Habakkuk closes with a beautiful hymn of thanksgiving that provides at least one answer. It begins with a brief summary of dire circumstances. The trees fail to bloom; the crops yield no fruit and the livestock are cut off from the normal staples of protection. I am somewhat removed from a day-to-day agrarian lifestyle, but the message is not lost. The specifics of life’s challenges are not the point. After every “though” in the hymn, the prophet presents visible reminders of just how tough life can be. 

Sometimes our surroundings assault our senses. We see and hear and feel the relentless attack. As a result, it is easy to base life on circumstances rather than the “God of our salvation”. Habakkuk’s hymn points us back to the life of faith. For me, the most important word in the hymn is the three-letter word, “yet”. Ultimately, it is a song of trust. From a Nazi prison cell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was able to translate the heart of Habakkuk’s hymn into his own situation as follows: “By good powers wonderfully hidden, we await cheerfully, come what may.”  My God give us strength to praise Him on those days when God’s good powers seem wonderfully hidden from plain sight. It’s essential to add the word “yet” to our vocabulary.