Thursday, June 23, 2011

Dancing for Joy

"Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls - Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills." ~ Habakkuk 3:17-19

The pop of white caught my eye. Out in a meadow overflowing with tall, wiry grasses and thickets of briars, a small patch of daisies grew. The patch held its ground in the midst of the hostile environment, waving its glory around in the breeze. I wanted to say, "You, go girl!", assuming that the daisies were female, but as I thought about the image before me, my mind wandered to this favorite scripture in Habakkuk.

Habakkuk is an Old Testament prophet. Although the book of Habakkuk is short, it is a powerful message of understanding the essence of God. Habakkuk journeys from doubt to worship in this prophetic Word. He comes to the conclusion that, regardless of the circumstances around him, his hope belongs in God. He realizes that God is the source of his strength and joy and, in this revelation, Habakkuk doesn't just experience a sweet little moment of well-being. No! He leaps for joy in the God of his salvation!

The Hebrew word of joy is gil (geel). It suggests dancing for joy, leaping for joy, spinning around with intense motion. Now that's joy! Everything in Habakkuk's world was going wrong, but the eyes of his heart were opened to understand the sweetness of fellowship with Almighty God.

That's the kind of joy the daisies expressed.
That's the kind of joy I want to express.

I would love to hear the Lord say, "You go, girl!"

Father, Open our eyes to see You! No matter how difficult this old world gets, You are our constant, our source, our refuge. Your fellowship is so sweet. Thank You for never leaving us. Thank You for giving us strength and joy to dance in the midst of hostile environments. You are a great God. We love you.

5 comments :

  1. Well, I failed my test at this, yesterday, and let circumstances steal my joy... but as I was beating myself up over it, the Lord reminded me all I had to do was ask for forgiveness and go on...which I did, and He blessed tremendously afterward. The test came again, but this time I kept my cool, and the Lord worked out the situation. JOY!!!
    Thanks, Nan...for this beautiful reminder to dance with joy through our circumstances!!
    lvya!!

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  2. "I would love to hear the Lord say, 'You go, girl!'" I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He says this about you...often...

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  3. Mid, do you mean to tell me that you are human? Surely not! **grin** "The Lord is my portion, therefore I hope in Him!" Knowing it is one thing - walking it out is oh so much harder.

    Vonda, You are too sweet. Thank you.

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  4. I just smiled when I read your post. I have had "dancing" on my mind for some time. It truly brings joy when reading your post. Thank you for your words of wisdom.

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  5. Jewel, Thanks for letting me know that was you :) I'm glad it made you smile. Love you!

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