Joy in the Middle of IT
- Dr. Michael Stallings
- Jul 18
- 2 min read
Habakkuk 3:17–18
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines… yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!”
Real joy isn’t tied to the absence of trouble—it’s rooted in the presence of God. Habakkuk knew what it was to watch the world around him collapse—crops fail, livestock perish, stability dissolve. And still he declared: “Yet I will rejoice.” Not because of the circumstances, but in spite of them.
This kind of joy isn’t delusion. It’s defiance. It’s looking the storm in the face and declaring that God is still worthy to be trusted in spite of what our senses tell us. Joy is not pretending everything is fine; it’s anchoring your heart in the truth that God is still good, still saving, still sovereign.
You may not feel joy, but you can choose it. And when you do, it becomes a weapon against despair. Joy doesn’t always remove the pain, but it reframes it. It reminds you that this moment isn’t the whole story, and that the God of your salvation is still writing the ending.
To be anchored in the storm is to say "...yet still I will trust in Him," it is to lift your eyes in the middle of collapse and fix them on the One who holds you steady.
Selah:
What “yet” do you need to declare in your own storm? How can you cultivate joy as an act of resistance against despair?
Pray:
God of my salvation,Teach me to say “yet I will rejoice” even when all seems lost. When my joy feels buried under grief or chaos, lift my eyes to You. You are steady when everything shakes. You are good when circumstances aren’t. Anchor me in the joy of Your presence—not because life is easy, but because You are near. Thank you father, amen.
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Amen!