17 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: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3: 17, 18 (KJV)
This passage in Habakkuk is really referring to grief and loss. Grief is what you experience when you have lost someone or something precious to you. This journey may last a little while or it may last a long time, but it is a journey. Unfortunately, we must all take this journey at some time in our lives.
There are all types of loss including (but not limited to) emotional, loss of community, and financial in addition to losing the ones we love.
The Bible speaks of God’s ability to place our tears in a bottle, (Psalms 56:8) which means that He alone understands the depth of our pain and He knows exactly what to do with the losses we go through. As we continue our journey through this passage, take a moment to think of the losses in your life. But think of them in terms of how you have managed them, how you have made (or are making it) through and how you have survived. You may not be exactly where you want to be but keep putting one foot in front of the other.
For no matter what you’ve gone through, or what you are going through, you can still have joy. Not that giddy, silly laughing that refuses to acknowledge the hurt and pain, but true joy that comes from God.