Have you lost something? #323s

Habakkuk 3:17 -19

Though the fig tree should not blossom. And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength. . .

Loss is uncomfortable, unsettling and a challenge to work through in our lives. No matter what kind of loss we encounter we each must work through it on our own. In this passage Habakkuk speculates about the possibility of coming war for the nation of Israel with the Chaldeans. The prophet talks of no food, no fruit of the vine, no oil, no grain for bread, no meat because the cattle perish, and no flock for meat and coverings.

What in your life has been taken from you? What loss have you incurred? Not many of us are in want of food and drink, but we do have things we have lost or people we love and care about that have been taken away. Habakkuk says that even though all the creature comforts and every necessity of life are removed he will in exult in the Lord and rejoice in the God of his salvation.

In Habakkuk’s life his worship of God was not affected by his circumstances. Even though a loss may be deep and painful we should be moved to our source of strength, God Himself. That happens through worship. But worship is a choice that we have to make. Twice in the verses Habakkuk says, “I will.” Habakkuk moves to the positive rather than the negative. Worship is personal and Habakkuk took ownership to change his focus. Worship is not just a feel good experience we enjoy together. It is a choice we make to glory and triumph in the Mighty God of the Universe. Worship of God is the answer to loss. It takes the focus off our troubles and puts our emphasis on the One who knows and who cares about our situation. Really, God should always be our strength in good times and in hard times and definitely in times of loss.

Will we as God’s people stand with Christ when we go through loss? When jobs fail, the economy goes south, sickness strikes, shortages occur, when storms threaten, or a loved one dies. Will we continue to worship God? Worship is a choice. Rejoice! The answer is in worshiping our amazing God who never fails to supply our needs and heal our hurts.

____________________Today's personal note from Sandy

Greetings from warm and sunny Tempe, Arizona,

I imagine many of you were surprised when you opened your email today to find The Encourager had arrived. Many of you have been checking on me and I thought perhaps I would give you a family update. My pastor encouraged me to write an Encourager. He said he believed it would help my grieving process. He knew that many of you were concerned our family.

Knowing that Dennis is with Jesus is has been a great comfort for our family. We continue to grieve in our own way and in our own time. Several of us have had frequent dreams about Dennis and fortunately we have shared them with each other. Even 4-yearold Johnny dreamed about Tapaw and told Mandy that in his dream “Tapaw was fishing and he caught 5 fish!” He knew his Tapaw. I suppose Sunday’s are the hardest especially for Collin and I because everywhere we go at church someone asks about Dennis and we all truly miss him.

 

During this past few weeks, Jennifer’s father suddenly passed away and their family has suffered through a second loss. Two grandsons have lost both of their grandfathers. Please keep them in your prayers. I have attended multiple band and choir concerts and our family has celebrated Johnny’s 4^th birthday.

I have started back teaching my young mom’s Bible study. Sometimes we cry and pray and sometimes we get into the Word. But either way it is a sweet and precious time for all of us. I have watched the little grandsons a couple of times just recently. They are such a joy.

I have been asked about what I will do with Purpose Ministries. After some counsel I am going to continue with Purpose Ministries until God tells me to close it. When Dennis started that ministry we began it together and I know he would want me to continue until God gives me another direction.

Thank you Encourager Family for all your love, support and prayers. Your encouragement has meant so much to me and to our family. I wish I had the time to tell you all the many God moments that have come since Dennis’ passing. Maybe next time I will share a few.

Blessings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to all of you,

~ Sandy