Saturday, April 19, 2014
Rejoicing In The Lord
Bible Questions Answered:
“How may someone be happy go lucky
when everything in their life has gone to ….? What kind of sense is
this, it is sure nonsense.....”
Roland/ South Holland, Netherlands
Bible Answer:
Bible Text:
Habakkuk 3:16-19 NLT
(Be sure to read the whole chapter.)
16 I trembled inside when I heard
this; my lips quivered with fear. My legs gave way beneath me, and I
shook in terror. I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster
will strike the people who invade us.
17 Even though the fig trees have no
blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive
crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the
flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I
will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my
strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the
heights.
The prophet
Habakkuk, was speaking of pending judgment. The Chaldeans (Chaldea or
Babylonia), were about to invade them, If that were not enough, in
judgment, once fruitful fields now lay bear, the grain was gone, and
so to the livestock it once fed. Barns that use to be full, now were
empty.
Psalm 27:1-14
NLT (A psalm of David.)
1 The Lord is my Light and my
Salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my Fortress,
protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?
2 When evil people come to devour
me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall.
3 Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain
confident.
4 The one thing I ask of The Lord—
the thing I seek most—is to live in The House Of The Lord all the
days of my life, delighting in The Lord’s perfections and
meditating in His Temple.
5 For He will conceal me there when
troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary. He will place me out
of reach on a High Rock.
6 Then I will hold my head high
above my enemies who surround me. At His sanctuary I will offer
sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising The Lord with
music.
7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be
merciful and answer me!
8 My heart has heard you say, “Come
and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
9 Do not turn your back on me. Do
not reject your servant in anger. You have always been my Helper.
Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my Salvation!
10 Even if my father and mother
abandon me, The Lord will hold me close.
11 Teach me how to live, O Lord.
Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their
hands. For they accuse me of things I’ve never done; with every
breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see The
Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for The Lord. Be
brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for The Lord.
How could these men
have had such faith? They could because it was “not,” in men they
trusted, but in
the faithful,
despite calamities, Living God!
Our God Is
Faithful:
Deuteronomy 7:9
NLT
Understand, therefore, that The Lord
your God is indeed God. He is The Faithful God who keeps His covenant
for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those
who love Him and obey His commands.
I Kings 8:56 NLT
“Praise The Lord who has given
rest to His people Israel, just as He promised. Not one word has
failed of all the wonderful promises He gave through His servant
Moses.
Psalm 36:5 NLT
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as
vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Psalm 89:1 KJV
I will sing of the Mercies of The
Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy Faithfulness to
all generations.
I Corinthians
1:9 KJV
God is Faithful, by whom ye were
called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 6:18 NLT
So God has given both His promise
and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is
impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for
Refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies
before us.
I Peter 4:19 NLT
So if you are suffering in a manner
that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives
to the God who created you, for He will never fail you.
II Thessalonians
3:3 NLT
But The Lord is Faithful; He will
strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
II Timothy 2:13
NLT
If we are unfaithful, He remains
faithful, for He cannot deny who He is.
Hebrews 2:17 NLT
Therefore, it was necessary for Him
to be made in every respect like us, His brothers and sisters, so
that He could be our Merciful And Faithful High Priest before God.
Then He could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the
people.
Hebrews 10:23
KJV
Let us hold fast the profession of
our faith without wavering; (for He is Faithful that promised;)
Revelation 19:11
KJV
And I saw heaven opened, and behold
a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.
The Apostle Paul
reminds us...
I Thessalonians
5:18 KJV
In every thing give thanks: for this
is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
How can one do
this, one can do and even rejoice in time of adversity, because …
Romans 8:28 KJV
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Acts 5:41 KJV
And they departed from the presence
of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
shame for His name.
Acts 16:23-25
KJV
23 And when they had laid many
stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to
keep them safely:
24 Who, having received such a
charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast
in the stocks.
25 And at midnight Paul and Silas
prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
II Corinthians
6:4-10 KJV
4 But in all things approving
ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions,
in necessities, in distresses,
5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in
tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings;
6 By pureness, by knowledge, by long
suffering, by kindness, by The Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
7 By The Word Of Truth, by The Power
Of God, by The Armour Of Righteousness on the right hand and on the
left,
8 By honor and dishonor, by evil
report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;
9 As unknown, and yet well known; as
dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
10 As sorrowful, yet alway
rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet
possessing all things.
Hebrews 10:32-39
NLT
32 Think back on those early days
when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained
faithful even though it meant terrible suffering.
33 Sometimes you were exposed to
public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who
were suffering the same things.
34 You suffered along with those who
were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you
accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for
you that will last forever.
35 So do not throw away this
confident trust in The Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!
36 Patient endurance is what you
need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will
receive all that He has promised.
37 “For in just a little while,
The Coming One will come and not delay.
38 And my righteous ones will live
by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
39 But we are not like those who
turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful
ones, whose souls will be saved.
I Peter 4:12-14
KJV
12 Beloved, think it not strange
concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are
partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be
revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name
of Christ, happy are ye; for The Spirit Of Glory And Of God resteth
upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is
glorified.
II Corinthians
4:15-18 KJV
15 For all things are for your
sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God.
16 For which cause we faint not; but
though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by
day.
17 For our light affliction, which
is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things
which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are
eternal.