Devotional |Though The Fig Tree Does Not Bud

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, verse 18- yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. Verse 19. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

Habakkuk Chapter 3 verse 17-19 (NIV)

As a new Christian, I was given a copy of Hinds Feet in High Places by Hannah Hurnard to read. I absolutely loved it. In case you haven’t read it, the book is based on the above scripture and brings to life in allegoric form, stories of the Christian life. At least, my Christian life.

There are two main characters from memory. One is named Much Afraid and the other Alive with Joy.

Why God?

In the past two months, I have struggled with two illnesses. One required a 5 day hospital stay and I recovered well from that infection thankfully. The other, a very painful  auto immune disorder  which arrived quite suddenly, has been my greater challenge. Medical research tells me this often goes into remission, after a time.   A bevy of medication to manage the physical pain and inflammation is now a new normal.  However, managing the “Why God?” questions has been a whole new experience for me. The voice of  Much Afraid has often dominated my inner chatter, more so than Alive with Joy.

Whose voice are you listening to?

If a physical condition was all I had to manage, I could probably deal with it better. Throw in unresolved long standing family relationship problems as well and you have a recipe for more pain, emotional and psychological.

Where is the fig tree not budding in your life?

Habakkuk the Prophet rounds off the book of Habakkuk with statements starting with Though.   He is acknowledging the reality of no budding figs, no grapes on the vine, a failing olive crop, fields not yielding food, no sheep, no cattle.  This is all about the facts of his current circumstances, no provision and  future. Much Afraid is speaking.

What would you write in your ‘Though’ statements?

After Verse 17 beginning with ‘Though’, there is a change of theme and tempo. Verse 18 starts with ‘Yet’.  Habbukkak knows that part of the answer is to choose his response to such depletion. 

Will you change how you respond?

You and I have a choice to make when we face things in our lives that look bleak and fruitless. We get to ask ourselves, has the character of God changed? Is He still faithful to His promises? Where is God? Is Alive with Joy waking up? Maybe its time to write some Yet statements.

Are you willing to write ‘Yet’ statements?

I can so identify with Habakkuk. He has not denied the presence of  destitution  in verse 17.  However, in verse 18 Habakkuk  tells us his response to this situation  is “Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord, he will be joyful in God His Saviour”. Then in Verse 19, Habakkuk declares Who the Sovereign Lord is for him, He is his Strength. He makes his feet like the feet of a deer, He enables him to go on the heights.

Nothing has changed in his circumstances but Habukkak has changed how he responds.  He is willing himself to rejoice, to be joyful, to acknowledge  an Unchanging God’s strength and to draw on that strength to put one foot in front of another. Much Afraid has left the building. Alive with Joy has arrived.

What will you write as a Yet statement?