Praise Apart From Pain

“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, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habukkuk 3:17-18

Many of you I am sure have heard of the Christian group Casting Crowns. In the passage above Habukkuk, the prophet, creates his own version of Praise Him In The Storm. It is the heart felt vow to praise God apart from life’s circumstances. It is the passionate praise to a God who is identified in this prayer as Savior with the prophet’s complete expectation of a rescue. It is a pattern for which we should pray to a God who keeps His promises and always shows His faithfulness.

The deficiencies in Habukkuk’s life were huge as they were necessities in life as he knew it to be. We too cry out when our circumstances threaten the parts of our lives that strike so close to home. Hebrews 13:15 instructs us that ‘Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.’

It is so easy to find ourselves complaining and rehearsing the things in our lives that cause us pain and anxiety. The fruit of our lips should carry the sweetness of praise and gratitude to the God that provides everything and rescues His children from anything. We should lift our praise no matter what life brings, what pain we feel or what emotion we are temporarily experiencing.

Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish was propelled to Heaven by the passion in his praise. He was still facing the most frightening circumstances without resolution. The commentary in my Bible study sums it up best. ‘He was expressing his gratitude to God for the preservation and protection He had already graciously allowed the wayward prophet. Even in the midst of a situation still marked by peril and danger, Jonah prayed with thanksgiving. His vow to the Lord was a promise to praise Him even though he did not know how the Lord would allow the circumstance to work itself out.'

Our natural tendency is to use our lips to complain about our trials. We must make intentional ‘chin music’ as my dad use to say and praise Him for what we are in receipt of now instead of what we deem missing in our lives.