JULY 20 – REJOICE – EVEN IN EMPTINESS!

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).

Once, some of the servants of God exchanged their views about their favourite Scriptural portions. One of them said the creation part was his favourite. The other person said that the Hill Prayer was his favourite. The third person said that the description of heaven in the book of Revelation attracted him the most. Another person was so particular that the blessings of the Most High finding place in Ephesians was the best Scriptural portion.

At that moment, there came the servant of God by the name Webster. He opened the Bible and showed the verse vide Habakkuk 3:17, 18 which says, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labour 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.”

Here is a mention of unconditional joy. Joy even in sorrow, tear and loss. This is the characteristic which every child of God should possess. Paul the Apostle writes, “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8).

There is a funny incident in which a question was posed while a story was being told. The story went this way. One person was fully frustrated in life and had decided to commit suicide by jumping into an overflowing river. He also decided that if he can see a happy man on the way to the river, he would refrain from suicide. On his way, he did not meet any happy person and he was about to jump into the river

The person narrating the story stopped at this juncture and posed a question to the listeners. The question was “If that person had met you before jumping into the river, what would have been his next move? Will he change his decision or go for the suicide?” If such a question is put before you, what will be your answer? Dear children of God, many people who walk along with you and those who walk from the opposite direction are sad and sorrowful. Is the divine joy in you is good enough to bring those sorrowful people towards Jesus Christ? Think over this.

If you are joyful, it will help in pulling others towards God like a magnet. The gentiles will be eager to know what has made you happy and will be able to know Jesus Christ, who is the origin of happiness. Dear children of God, always rejoice in the Lord.

To meditate: “You have put gladness in my heart, more than in the season that their grain and wine increased” (Psalms 4:7).