Fig-less, Fruit-less and Crop-less

I'll be honest: this last weekend was probably one of the most difficult ones I remember having. On Thursday night, after sleeping for a mere 2-1/2 hours, my baby boy woke up with more snot in his nose than I ever imagined possible. Throughout the course of the night, Zeke was up every hour or so needing his nose suctioned. The following night, though not as full of fluid snot, Zeke as unable to sleep in his crib because he was so congested. Saturday night it appeared everything had drained from his little nostrils into his throat - and whether is was pain awaking him or something else, he was once again up every hour or so. To top it all off, I was single-parenting it for the weekend as Jordan (who was battling the same cold as his son) was committed to speak at a youth retreat in northern Minnesota. By Sunday, as you can probably imagine, this momma was pretty exhausted. 

Although those nights were difficult (and we're still not out of the woods), there was an inner strength holding me up. Friday morning, as I sipped my coffee, I read through tired eyes these verses of Scripture. They became the words that I clung to and repeated when I wanted to cry out of exhaustion:

"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." - Habakkuk 3:17-19a

Do you know what it means to "exult" in something? It means to "show or feel a lively or triumphant joy; to rejoice exceedingly". That's pretty intense. Habakkuk describes a situation far worse than my own this past weekend - he is describing famine. No fruit on the trees or vines. No crops in the field. No cattle for meat. A desperate situation. And yet, a midst all those horrible, life-threatening situations, Habakkuk decides to rejoice. To rejoice exceedingly. To find joy in the God who had saved him. To find strength in the only One who had strength. 

Let's face it. There are times life is just plain going to suck. Things are not going to go our way. We are going to feel tired. We may feel hopeless. We might feel desperate. But we are not alone. There is One strong enough to hold us up during those difficult times. In Him we can rejoice because He gives us the strength we need - not all at once, but day by day. 

"When everything falls apart, Your arms hold me together. When everything falls apart, You're the only hope for this heart. When everything falls apart and my strength is gone, I find You mighty and strong. You keep holding on."