What if you have to drop out of college because your parents tell you they simply cannot afford it anymore?
What if you don't get what you expected out of a husband or wife? Or what if God tells you that you will not get married?
What if God only gives you enough to survive on for your entire life?
Will you still be obedient to God?
Habakkuk tells us a dialog between God and his people as they cry out to Him about the injustive they see in the world. "How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, "Violence!" but you do not save?" (Hab 1:1-2) How many times have you felt the exact same as these people? I'm not sure about you, but I can count on one hand how many times this week alone.
God promises His wrath will come (Hab. 1-2) but why wait with little faith in the mean time? Habakkuk tells us of trails these people are experiencing, yet they choose to rejoice through thick and thin.
"I heard and my heart pounded… Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come…
the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen… yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Hab. 3:16-18
What if life doesn't progress according to your well thought out plan?
"To keep my from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in my flesh… Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."" 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
Now, I want you to understand our God is still a loving god who only acts in line with his gracious character. When this man asked the Lord to remove his "thorn" (possibly a disease or hardship) God tells him no because His stregnth is sufficient enough to live through it.
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why.. for when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
So I want to ask you, what if God refuses to correct your crappy situation? Will you still rejoice through your sufferings?
Romans 8:18
