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;Habakkuk 3:17-19a NIV

In Florida, last night we joined my brother with his family and 3 grandkids along with our parents for an outside dining experience at Linda’s Crab Shack. During our meal we experienced what we remembered growing up as a summer rain storm. The clouds grow dark, the wind picks up, a little lightning and thunder and then it is over in 30 minutes.

Lightning had flashed in the distance. I subconsciously counted my 1000’s to get a rough estimate of how close the flash was until the thunder began to roll. As we were all sitting in metal chairs around our tables, we were trying to finish our meal but still enjoy the dining experience, before the storm descended upon us.

Flash and boom. That was close. The lady dining next to us, dropped her fork and exclaimed, “that’s it, I’m done!”. She immediately got up and went inside for her check. Her fear level reached its peak, she moved.

Habakkuk rehearsed the greatest fears of an agrarian based life…no promise of food in the future. Fruit and cattle were not his vocation, they were the very basis of his existence. He expressed his dilemma in a THOUGH – YET combination. After his thoughs, God became his yet. God became his strength.

What could some of your “thoughs” be or have already experienced?

  • Though I have lost my job
  • Though my spouse has left me
  • Though I know that I can no longer pay my bills
  • Though sickness has come and remained over my life
  • Though i experience more dead ends than open doors
  • Though I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death of my loved ones
  • Though I remain single when I have a depth of love to offer
  • Though I am in constant loneliness

Resolve to maintain your “YET”. Habakkuk’s YET moved him beyond the circumstance to one greater than his problem – his God. His eyes were directed away from the horizontal issues upward to God who has a different perspective. He was no longer transfixed by the problem, but he became open to receive the needed strength to continue life from God.

YET’s are spoken by faith and not feelings. Habakkuk felt hopeless. How do I know this? He told us what he had been thinking and feeling. No produce, no oil and no meat. He still spoke his YET. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of the Lord. Your ears need to hear what faith is speaking to your heart. Speak your YET, while the THOUGH is still present.

On this Fear Not Friday, let your YET be YET and your THOUGH be THOUGH! Let your hopelessness move to the God of hope. Let your despair move to our Father who cares. Tell your feelings the direction to find strength from the one who guides your next step.

Though there be a flash and a boom, YET find the peace of God in your storm.

Blessings Love y’all