by Lynn Wong
Habbakuk 3:13-19
13 You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed. You crushed the head of the wicked house, laying it bare from foundation to roof. (Selah)
14 You pierced with their own arrows the head of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter us, gloating as if ready to devour the poor who were in hiding. 15 You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the mighty waters. 16 I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me. I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us. 17 Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there is no herd in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. 19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and makes me tread upon the heights.
I was honestly unfamiliar with the book of Habbakuk, and did not recall ever having read this passage prior to this devotion. I began by looking a bit into the history of the book, and when it was written, to get a better idea of its meaning. I found that Habbakuk prophesied to the people of Judah during a time when many had drifted away from God’s ways, just before the Babylonians invaded, which ushered in a time of great suffering, when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. So Habbakuk speaks of the coming devastation, but then reminds the faithful to remain strong in the Lord.
So, what does this mean for us? 2020 has been a tumultuous year; one filled with anxiety, with suffering on many levels during the pandemic, with both violence and peaceful protests in our communities, with questions regarding Faith Lutheran’s future, with uncertainty during the election. Through all of this, it has been difficult to till the soil of our lives; to bloom and grow into the harvest that God wants us to produce. There have been times when it has been easy to feel despair. I felt this way in March, when it appeared that everything we were anticipating was being cancelled: my sons’ school went remote, Matthew’s high school graduation was severely altered, we cancelled our summer trip to the National Parks, Jason’s summer leadership trip and church work camp were cancelled, my job was uncertain, we were worried about the possibility of catching the virus, we had wait in line to get groceries, and there was the shortage of … toilet paper(!). And in these difficult points of our lives, God reminds us that he will be our strength. During this time, I started a “positive picture of the day” on my Facebook page, at first to keep myself strong. But then I realized I wasn’t just helping myself, but others as well… and so I have continued it, even as we have learned to navigate this “new normal”. And with God’s help and guidance, Matthew did have a different, but meaningful high school graduation. We took an alternate, Covid-safe vacation. We have managed to stay healthy. My work situation stabilized. Both our boys are succeeding in school; Matthew as a college freshman, Jason as a high school junior. And, as 2020 draws to a close, I can look back, and see both the hardship we have lived through this year, but also the creative ways we have found to remain connected, and yes, to rejoice. “I will rejoice in the Lord… God, the Lord, is my strength”!