Habakkuk 3:16-19  “I heard and my inward parts trembled, At the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, And in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, For the people to arise who will invade us.  Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.” NASB

I’m sure everyone is tired of hearing about the election by now.  Thank goodness we don’t have to see any more attack ads, at least not until the next election.  And of course there is always the mandatory overdose of post-election analysis, along with debates on facebook and twitter about the pros and cons of what just happened.  Yes, everyone has their own opinion, and yes, you’re entitled to it.  You’re also totally entitled to disagree with mine-and I’m ok with that.

Honestly, right now I’m grieving for my country.  Not because I put my hope in any particular politician (always an unwise move, no matter which party you favor), but because I see my country going farther and farther away from God.  The past few weeks here at School of the Bible we’ve been going through Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and taking a closer look at God’s laws.  But even more than that, how those laws show God’s love.

And the contrast between God’s laws and some of the laws and popular movements going on here now is stark.  The gap between the two is massive, and has been widening for a long time.  The sad yet familiar story of humans choosing selfishness over love.  In the end, it will only bring some form of hurt or destruction.

I don’t know what will happen next.  I’m not a prophet, and would never claim to be.  I’m not about to try to predict what will happen in the next month, much less the next four years, whether it be doom-or-gloom, or a time of great growth.

The passage from Habakkuk at the beginning of this blog post is one that summarizes my thoughts pretty well at the moment.  Things are challenging right now in this country, and none of us know what lies ahead.  Most people are feeling the impact of what has happened in the economy, which this passage specifically mentions.

And yet…let’s look again at the very last portion of this passage.  “…Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.”  This book was written during a time of great trouble and very real threats of enemy invasion, with all the devastation that goes along with that.  Habakkuk never once glosses over this fact, and asks God some very honest questions.

Whatever your view of the election results, whatever your current situation, and whatever happens next for our country, there is still hope.  We can exult and rejoice in the Lord, who gives us strength.  I’m very thankful for that, and I hope this passage will refocus and encourage you too.