BUILD THE RHYTHM BEFORE THE STORM
Though the fig tree should not blossom...yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18
DEVOTIONAL
Acts 2 was a mountaintop season for the early Church. Thousands were being saved, miracles were happening, needs were being met, and the believers were experiencing favor throughout Jerusalem. Praise flowed naturally from their glad and generous hearts. But Acts 8 was coming.
In the years ahead, severe persecution would break out against the Church. Believers would be forced from their homes and scattered throughout the surrounding regions. Their circumstances would change dramatically, but their God would remain the same. The spiritual rhythms formed during seasons of peace would become essential during seasons of pressure.
We cannot wait until life falls apart to develop a life of worship. When we consistently turn our attention toward God in ordinary seasons, we are building spiritual instincts that will sustain us in extraordinary ones. Habakkuk described a complete economic disaster. The fig tree did not blossom.
The vines produced no fruit. The fields yielded no food, and the livestock disappeared. Yet he declared, "I will rejoice in the Lord." This was not denial. Habakkuk did not pretend the fields were full. He acknowledged the loss and then intentionally fixed his attention upon the God of his salvation.
Worship does not require us to call painful circumstances good. It reminds us that God remains good in the middle of them. The diagnosis may be real. The financial pressure may be real. The grief may be real. But the presence of trouble does not cancel the presence of God. What we practice in peace prepares us for pressure.
The worship we develop in the sunlight becomes the language we need at midnight. If we learn to praise God only when life matches our expectations, our worship will disappear when circumstances change. But when our worship is rooted in God's unchanging character, it can survive any season.
REFLECT
Is my worship dependent upon favorable circumstances?
What spiritual rhythms am I developing during this season?
Can I honestly acknowledge what is difficult while still declaring that God is good?
TODAY'S STEP
Write down one difficult circumstance you are facing. Beneath it, write three unchanging truths about God. Turn those truths into your
worship today.
PRAYER
God, teach me to worship You in every season. I will not deny what is painful, but I refuse to let my circumstances become greater in my
attention than You. Establish rhythms of worship within me now that will sustain me when pressure comes. Whether I stand on the
mountaintop or walk through the valley, You remain worthy. Amen.
DEVOTIONAL
Acts 2 was a mountaintop season for the early Church. Thousands were being saved, miracles were happening, needs were being met, and the believers were experiencing favor throughout Jerusalem. Praise flowed naturally from their glad and generous hearts. But Acts 8 was coming.
In the years ahead, severe persecution would break out against the Church. Believers would be forced from their homes and scattered throughout the surrounding regions. Their circumstances would change dramatically, but their God would remain the same. The spiritual rhythms formed during seasons of peace would become essential during seasons of pressure.
We cannot wait until life falls apart to develop a life of worship. When we consistently turn our attention toward God in ordinary seasons, we are building spiritual instincts that will sustain us in extraordinary ones. Habakkuk described a complete economic disaster. The fig tree did not blossom.
The vines produced no fruit. The fields yielded no food, and the livestock disappeared. Yet he declared, "I will rejoice in the Lord." This was not denial. Habakkuk did not pretend the fields were full. He acknowledged the loss and then intentionally fixed his attention upon the God of his salvation.
Worship does not require us to call painful circumstances good. It reminds us that God remains good in the middle of them. The diagnosis may be real. The financial pressure may be real. The grief may be real. But the presence of trouble does not cancel the presence of God. What we practice in peace prepares us for pressure.
The worship we develop in the sunlight becomes the language we need at midnight. If we learn to praise God only when life matches our expectations, our worship will disappear when circumstances change. But when our worship is rooted in God's unchanging character, it can survive any season.
REFLECT
Is my worship dependent upon favorable circumstances?
What spiritual rhythms am I developing during this season?
Can I honestly acknowledge what is difficult while still declaring that God is good?
TODAY'S STEP
Write down one difficult circumstance you are facing. Beneath it, write three unchanging truths about God. Turn those truths into your
worship today.
PRAYER
God, teach me to worship You in every season. I will not deny what is painful, but I refuse to let my circumstances become greater in my
attention than You. Establish rhythms of worship within me now that will sustain me when pressure comes. Whether I stand on the
mountaintop or walk through the valley, You remain worthy. Amen.
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