{"id":23643,"date":"2018-08-09T03:30:39","date_gmt":"2018-08-09T10:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=23643"},"modified":"2018-08-07T10:32:10","modified_gmt":"2018-08-07T17:32:10","slug":"august-9-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/08\/09\/august-9-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"August 9, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cYet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Habakkuk 3:18<\/p>\n

Yet I Will Rejoice<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I have to confess I have not done much rejoicing lately. The Carr Fire and the devastation it has wrought, and the oppressive smoke it has brought, has left me weary and depressed.<\/p>\n

To top it off, today is the 12th<\/sup>anniversary of my dad\u2019s suicide, and it stings like it hasn\u2019t stung in years. I am grieving the loss of life and beauty, and missing my dad\u2019s smile.<\/p>\n

And yet, as I read Habakkuk\u2019s Prayer yesterday morning, it made me smile and gave me hope. Yesterday was my husband\u2019s birthday\u2014a cause for great celebration\u2014which we did in a smaller-than-normal way this year, including dinner out with our family a few days before. We celebrated his birth and the fact one of those attending was able to go back to their home after they had been evacuated two days prior.<\/p>\n

As we continue to see video and pictures of what the new normal of our area looks like, I have to remember what Habakkuk says in verse 3:17: \u201cThough 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\u2026.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>He is choosing to rejoice in the midst of great loss. No matter what things might look like, he is choosing joy in the God of his salvation. I, too, with God\u2019s help, will choose joy.<\/p>\n

On a day of much current and past loss I will rejoice (this word also means triumph or sing aloud) in the LORD (the covenant-keeping God). I will look to Him, knowing He has everything in control. I will remember His promises and His love for me. I will turn to my Abba Daddy to fill the void left by my earthly daddy. I will remind myself that trees will grow again and houses can be rebuilt. I will choose joy.<\/p>\n

How will I do that? The same way Habakkuk was able to say, \u201cThe LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer\u2019s <\/em>feet, <\/em>and He will make me walk on my high hills\u201d (<\/em>Habakkuk 3:19).\u00a0<\/em>The high hills here can also mean fortress or castle\u2014implying safety. God is my strength and my safety, and though some things are painful and make my heart heavy, yet in Him I will rejoice.<\/p>\n

\u201cFather God, thank You for giving us Your strength, for keeping us safe and for being the One we can rejoice in, no matter what. Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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