I'll Still Praise Him

17 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—18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 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

While traveling across the country recently, I found myself in a mental wrestling match with some nagging issues, for which I had no immediate answer. Times like those can be an emotional energy drain, reminding me of the internet capacities out here "in the sticks"--you know, the spinning color wheel of death! It can tempt a person to want to give up...or smash the computer monitor, metaphorically speaking, of course.

It was in that moment that a convicting question came to me: Would I still praise and thank God for His goodness even when the spinning wheel mentiond above seems to say, "You can't fix this." As I was riding shotgun at various points on the trip, I began to write my latest song, which I am in the process of recording, "I'll Still Praise". The lyric is based on David's motif of commanding his soul to praise God, regardless the circumstance. Later, in studying Habakkuk for my Sunday morning message, the above passsage only confirmed the thought. Scripture reminds me that sactification is also a process, a process involving personal choices.

So, today -- for some, remembered as Reformation Day -- let's find time to rejoice in the fact that, though the enemy come in like a flood, those who have been declared righteous with God through faith in Christ (Romans 5:1, 8-9), are "in the boat" with Jesus, and will come safely through even the foggiest hour. Praise Him!