Though the Fig Tree Does Not Bud {Habakkuk Bible Study}

The words were beautiful.
They spoke of such hope. Of deep faithfulness. Of choosing gratitude, despite.
Perhaps they resonated because of my perchance to wince and complain, grumble and frown.

The dishes had stacked up. While my back was turned. I’d only left the kitchen to lay wooden track in place and help my little son arrange Thomas ready to pull Clarabelle and Annie.

Dust bunnies huddled gleefully under the wooden microwave cart and lay in ribbons along the baseboard edges.

Every week the laundry piled, washer churned, and the cycle repeated again. And again. And yet again.

I was grateful. Yes, the bills always needed paid. Those dishes really did stack up in teetering messy stacks every single time I turned around. Bathwater too often streaked the old, peeling linoleum and rotting windowsills ushered in too much heat and cold in their turns.

The grace of blessings glimmered in it all. They really did. Despite my grumbliness, I could see it.

Running water. So grateful. Lunch and Supper. So grateful. Clothes, and pretty ones at that. So grateful. The shelter of Cozy Home despite the cracks. So grateful. Toys and imagination. So grateful. Laughter of Littles. So grateful

And right there, almost at the very end of Habakkuk, were words with which I resonated.
Sure, they were describing a livelihood, a farmer. One who has lost his animals. The crops have failed. There isn’t food. The sheep are gone. Buds have not bloomed. When the vines were inspected, not a single crop could be found.

Disappointment at every turn. Survival in the most essential way is threatened. Looks to me like good cause for wincing, moaning, and strong complaining.

Yet, that wasn’t what I found.

Instead, the verses flowed on and read,
“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
     I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
Habakkuk 3:18

Choosing joyfulness in adversity and calamity? Rejoicing anyway? I pondered the lesson.

THIS. This was how I wanted to pattern my life. It truly was.
Easy to say. Absolutely not easy to do.

As my eyes once more ran across the dust bunnies, skimmed over the sneaky dishes, and caught the light on the streaks adorning the windowglass, I breathed in grace. I breathed out rejoicing anyway.

I caught a glimpse on an ordinary Thursday afternoon of how much the mundane and demands of the daily could teach me about gratefulness and faithfulness and perseverance. Maybe the keeping of home feels {and is} a lot of sameness and over and over again, with a large side of dust and dirt and dishes. But Jesus met me in it. I could rejoice in Him when my best plans were topsy-turvy and yesterday’s clean floor was tracked and trampled.

I could find joy in Jesus my Savior.

Would I always remember? Would I never need a reminder again? Resounding NO and NO.

I need reminding daily. Even hourly.

But I knew Jesus would offer it every single time.

I began to love these verses in Habakkuk years and years ago.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

They seemed such a worthy reminder in any of the difficult situations life WILL throw our way.

I was delighted to receive a copy of this Habakkuk study by Dannah Gresh from Moody Publishers. Equally as delightful, is the opportunity to host a giveaway, so one of my ADG comrades may receive their own copy as well.

This in-depth study book is comprised of six weeks of homework, each week containing five meditations, questions to ponder, with each meditation closing in a focus on prayer. Many of the days offer a place to write out your prayers, a feature I greatly treasure and appreciate.

Each of the six weeks has a podcast to correlate with it and listen to at the beginning of that week’ meditations. You can find the podcasts here. They’re available if you’d like to listen to them even if you aren’t working through the study.

Here’s an excerpt from the back cover ~
Through Habakkuk’s story, learn how the storms of life can become opportunities to activate your faith, and discover how remembering is essential to understanding the faithfulness of God. Through daily Scripture, prayer, and meditation, you’ll enter the life of this prophet and:

• Gain freedom to express your fear and frustration to God
• Remember that God is at work – even when He seems silent
• Increase your capacity to practice the art of waiting on God

You’ll find Dannah Gresh’s site right here featuring all her books and work. She has a beautiful offering of resources and wisdom for teens, tweens, and women.

I liked her dedication in the front of this Habakkuk study.

She wrote:
“To my mother, Kay Barker, who prayed Habakkuk 1:5 over my life.”

Isn’t that lovely? The dedication itself and the power of a mother praying this verse over her daughter’s life.

Habakkuk 1:5 ~
“Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.”

Enter the giveaway below!

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