HOW TO WALK ON THE HIGH PLACES

WITH HIM

Many people are going through hard times today.  Why is not God answering my prayers?  Many are out of work, wondering where the next house payment will come from.  They have walked in high places recently, but now they feel they are back again down in the valley of despair.  Are you in that situation today?

We read in the book of Habakkuk, in the Old Testament, that God had a message to him in that  in those days , and to us today.  None of us enjoy being led by God into hard times, yet even though the hard places deprive us of so many things that give our lives temporal happiness, it is still possible to walk with the peace of God in the midst of our trials.

Having peace and true joy is not the result of a circumstance, but it is the result of our relationship with God.  Sometimes it is only when we are robbed of everything that gives us material happiness that we are able to recognize the true source of joy.  True joy is not found in things, but in a close walk with God.

Does the trial you are going through make you tremble inside?  You are not sure what the future holds for you or your family and in your situation.  The previous verses in Chapter 3, was a song sang by Habakkuk, describing the awesome work of the Lord God in the Children of Israel, in times past.  It describes God’s absolute awesome power and His judgment on sin and the children of Israel were to be invaded by the Babylon Army because of their sin and rebellion.

“I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered in fear.  My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror.  I will wait quietly for the coming day.”  Habakkuk 3:16 (NLT)

He literally shook on the inside, and his lips quivered in fear.  Many of God’s people are in that place today, shaking on the inside, quivering in fear.  They don’t know where the next paycheck is coming from, or if they will even have enough to feed their families.  But notice in that verse that he said “I will wait quietly.”  Waiting on God is one of the foundation stones of learning to follow Him.  In the Old Testament, we are often told to “wait on the Lord.”  As we wait in faith, our waiting is not passive trust but active trust.

Listen to these beautiful words in Habakkuk 3:17-20:

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit 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.

In this hymn of faith, sung by Habakkuk, crop failure and the loss of animals would devastate Judah.  By the Prophet affirmed that even in the midst of disaster and horrible circumstances and even starvation, he would still rejoice in the Lord His God.  And it is the same for us today, though we lose everything we hold dear, by faith, we can still depend on His strength to take us through the hard times.  When nothing in this life makes sense, and when your troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that it is God that gives the strength.  It is the strength to take your eyes off your circumstances and difficulties and look only to Him.

Habakkuk had asked God in the first chapter why evil people prosper while the righteous suffer.  God’s answer: they don’t, not in the long run.  God is alive and in control of the world and its events.  We sometimes wonder what God will do, and we cannot see all that He is doing.

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 1:3

But, we can be assured that He is God, and He will bring righteousness and justice to this world.  As we know this, God will give us confidence and hope in this confusing world.  God will give His people surefooted confidence through these difficult times.  We can run like deer across rough and dangerous terrain.  He desires His people live in the strength of His Spirit and confidence in His ultimate victory over evil, and God’s people can walk on the high places with Him, and we can “joy in the God of our salvation.” Praise the Lord!

In His Name,

Pastor Sharon Besler