The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.
Our lives are constantly on display. People are always watching how we go through our problems and they are watching how we respond to adversity. Although at times they may not understand, the truth is they respect the fact that you keep showing up when life is at its worst.
I believe that God uses situations that we go through to allow us to become evangelistic.
And I’m learning every day that life is unpredictable. As the song writer says, “time or life is filled with swift transition”.
We must recognize that our trials are not about us, but they are about other people. Through our trials, God just may be creating a situation to allow our responses to be a testimony to someone else.
Look at the text, Habakkuk the minor prophet, in the midst of defeating life's reality, he shares with us his unfailing source of strength and confidence in which ultimately leads to his necessary satisfaction and contentment in the Lord Himself. The strength God gives Habakkuk say's is like the power found in any active, swift- footed animal. In other words, just as a deer can quickly abound through a dark forest, so the prophet said he could move joyfully through difficult circumstances. Though his legs trembled (v. 16) at the awesome theophany of God, or the visible manifestation to mankind of God, this is the same Lord that was His joy (v. 18), strength (v. 19), and assurance.
Notice that God enabled, allowed, empowered and authorized the prophet to walk on the heights of his problem. Not only would he prosper through his trials; but he would also climb to the mountaintops of victory and triumph.
May I tell you something?
It is important how you reply in your situation. Because what you are going thru was designed for the glory of God. God only gets the glory if you go thru your situation like you should. You got to keep your head together when others around you are losing their minds. We have to go thru our trials and tribulations giving God the glory so that others will know that He is able.
If someone else is watching you go through your trials and tribulations, and when they see you come out, they will know that God is able to bring them out. When I was reading this text now I understand why we have been going through what we have been going through. Because New G when someone we that God is able to bring out, then they will know that if God can do it on flag chapel, then we know that he can do it on MLK.
The bible declares that in verse 17, they were going through some touchy circumstances. Habakkuk 3:17-18
Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields were empty and barren; even though the flocks died in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, I can hear him say, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.
My question this morning is how do we respond? How we respond to our situations. In the scripture (verses 17-18), they were going through a drought. The bible says instead of complaining or giving up, they simply acknowledged the situation. Let me tell you that it’s alright to acknowledge what you are going through in order to use it as point of reference, so that when God delivers us, we can say look where He brought me from. The most important thing to know is that you should not stay there.
It’s ok to recognize that we have some problems, but don’t setup a resident there, don’t build a campfire, and don’t open up a light bill in your name because you have to know that you are not there to stay.
Know that just because you are in a drought doesn’t mean you have to doubt God.
The question is what do you do with conflicts like we find in here in verse 17? Well, verse 18 says rejoice. Here’s what you do, you must come to the yet in your life, which means God hasn’t delivered you yet. In other words, I am going to trust you and I am going to praise you no regardless of what others do.
I feel a yet like Job, I’m going through but yet will I trust you.
I don’t have the money yet.
I haven’t been delivered yet, but I’m going to trust you until you do.
They might say that we are in a recession, but I refuse to participate in the recession. I’m not going to allow the devil and his imps to derail, disrupt, disorganize, disturb, dislocate and mess with my destiny.
In the text, if the people that are in the text are going to come out of their situation, it has to be God that brings them out.
We know that if God can bring them out, he surly can bring us out.
Tell your neighbor that God has the power to change your circumstance. And because of that we need to give God the glory, because he restores our strength.
It is God that raises our status, because while you are praising Him. He will not leave you where He found you. He will not forsake you, and he will take care of you.
We see in verse 19, that God wants the best for us. This is a metaphor that is talking about the red female deer or the gazelle. The gazelle is a creature that is used as an example of what God does with us. it shows that our God is our strength, and He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights
The Hinds feet mentioned in this scripture were prepared for:
steep climbs, which allowed the gazelle to be swift, which also allowed the gazelle to be stable. God says what I let you go through in verse 17, was designed for you to climb higher and to stabilize you, to help you reach our destiny.
Verse 17 says, Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty. God is going to make your feet like hinds feet.
You see feet deal with purpose and destiny. Because I heard that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.
Feet are important because I heard that How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.
So when the devil tries to tell you that you will stay in your situation in verse 17. Just remember that we are rebels. We rebel against things of the world.
So, if we have destination to get to all we have to do is remember how God can move us from verse 17 to verse 19.
Just remember how God can get us from barrenness to having the blessing. While we were trusting in God to be our strength, he gave us something that we could not give ourselves. When everyone else is looking at other obstacles, God makes our feet like hinds feet. We are able or have the ability to go higher. We are able to see what others can’t see.
You ought to set this in the atmosphere to the devil and say devil the next time you see me I will be at another altitude.
May I tell you that it’s alright that you are going through, but know that God is able to bring you out.
The man of God Habakkuk was about to go under when he started this book. Destruction, violence, strife, conflict, injustice, and wickedness was all that he could see. But he cried out to God and God heard him.
And not only did the Lord answer him, but the Lord God provided what he needed to lift him from where he was. Habakkuk started in the pits, but ended on the mountaintop.
His journey was not easy, but it was certainly worth it.
Let me tell you that God will raise you, while you praise Him. He will not leave you where He found you.
