“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. 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 NKJV
Lord God of our salvation,
The end of Habakkuk and nothing has changed no happy ever after ending yet . . . and he paints this depressing picture of the possibility of total failure. But . . . It was a very low time in Judah’s history. You, God were humbling them for their sinful behaviour. So they would turn back to You and You could bless them! Habakkuk could see no sign of that happening but he decided to rejoice anyway. We look at our world today and despair of mans behaviour and inhumanity to man.
Habakkuk makes a bold decision of where he will stand. He will not loose faith. He will turn to You, the God of his salvation and regardless of external circumstances – internally he will stick with You and rejoice in You not his circumstances.
Sometimes Lord when we don’t understand the way the world and even our life is going. We need to stop and trust and rejoice in You. Not let the enemy push us into doubt and worry. Today as for me and my house (well just me|) I will trust in and serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Suggestions for prayer . . .
Lord God of our salvation,
For our close family.
For our extended family, friends, neighbours, those we promised to pray for..
For our fellowship, ministers and congregations. Oil of joy and new harvest of souls.
For our king and all those in authority (1 Timothy 2:2).
For our Government. Lords and commons. Civil Servants.
For Ukraine and Russia. Oh Lord, peace. Divine protection of life.
For Israel, Lebanon, all around the Middle East. We plead for peace and not escalation.
For America and their political future.
For us to find a sabbath rest today and if we need to work or be the carer at home, some peaceful moments of restoration..
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Worship Sunday 6th October 2024
John Michael lives and leads the monastic life, which overflows into his very active ministry from Little Portion Hermitage in Arkansas. He writes scriptural worship. His testimony is under the lyrics below.
Though a thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand may fall at your right
Your soul it will never approach for God is faithful.
Though the flocks disappear from the fold
And there be no herd in the stalls
Yet I will rejoice in God my Savior
For God my God is my strength
And He makes my feet swift as those of hinds
God my God is my strength
And he makes me to go up on hinds feet on high places.
And in the last days
Trial and tribulation will fall
So a mother will forsake her own child
And children their own family
So if the days were not cut short
Even God’s very elect
Would surely lose their own faith
And so lose their salvation
For God my God is my strength
And He makes my feet swift as those of hinds
God my God is my strength
And he makes me to go up on hinds feet on high places.
When you come to serve the Lord
Prepare yourself for trials my child
For thus the whole world rejected the Lord Jesus
Lyrics: John Michael Talbot.
At 70 years old, John Michael Talbot has been making Christian music for more than four decades. He has achieved remarkable success, earned numerous awards and is one of the most recognizable names in the Christian music scene.
Yet, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas, Talbot said that after undergoing a near-death experience in 2017, he now considers all that to be “so much straw.”
“Everything on earth is just practice compared to where we’re all going, which is heaven. It’s all practice,” Talbot said. “I’ve known this all in my life. I’ve known it. But this experience just overwhelmed me.”