How to Rejoice in the Lord Always Habakkuk 3:17-19 Devotional

Rejoice in the Lord Always is more than a hymn we sing at church. For a Christian, it’s a way of life. So, in this Habakkuk 3:17-19 devotional, we’re reading this popular scripture and discovering how we can rejoice always!

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What is the Meaning of Habukkuk 3:17-19?

Habakkuk lived in a time of great uncertainty, watching his nation face impending devastation. As he looked ahead, he saw hardship, scarcity, and suffering on the horizon. Yet, despite everything that was about to happen in the land of Canaan, Habakkuk made a bold declaration of faith, choosing to rejoice in the Lord no matter the circumstances.

Let’s read the inspirational passage from Habakkuk chapter 3 together…

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NKJV

Habakkuk wasn’t just offering words of encouragement, he was proclaiming a deep, unwavering faith in the face of overwhelming trials. He understood that true joy isn’t found in earthly provisions, but in trusting the unshakable strength of God. His faith wasn’t based on better times ahead, but on the unchanging goodness of the Lord, no matter what came his way.

All these years later, the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk can still cut straight to the point.

It’s easy to praise God and find joy in our salvation when things are going great. But it’s so much harder when life isn’t going our way. However, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, we can still find a reason to rejoice in the Lord.

The Apostle Paul’s Call to Rejoice

Habakkuk’s faith in God’s ways wasn’t just for his time, it’s a lesson for all generations, including us today. His words remind us that joy doesn’t depend on our circumstances but on trusting in the Lord. Our Christian faith calls us to rejoice, not because life is always easy, but because we serve a God who never changes.

This sentiment of rejoicing is mirrored in the New Testament book of Philippians 4. Here’s what the Apostle Paul told us…

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 NKJV

This Bible verse seems so simple. Just rejoice in the Lord no matter what.

But when life takes a turn for the worst, it isn’t so simple anymore. Paul, like Habakkuk, understood that true joy comes from a deep faith in God, not in temporary comfort or earthly security. His command to rejoice always isn’t about ignoring hardships, it’s about choosing to trust God even when tough times come our way.

Habakkuk’s Example of Rejoicing in Hard Times

Trusting God is something Habakkuk knew a thing or two about. It’s through the story of this prophet of God that we learn how to rejoice in the Lord always, even in the face of adversity.

Habakkuk saw trouble coming a mile away in the form of the Chaldean army. And he knew his people were about to face some seriously hard times. The basic necessities they needed to survive would become scarce. The food and water they relied on to sustain them would dry up and blow away. And great fear and desperation would set in.

But Habakkuk also had confidence that if they put their trust in Almighty God, He would see them through.

Facing Fear and Desperation

A little while back, I was going through a difficult time of my own. Maybe it wasn’t as dramatic as an invasion of the Chaldeans like the people of Habakkuk’s day, but it was a crisis in my little world nonetheless.

One day, my to-do list was getting longer instead of shorter. I was stressed and overwhelmed by everything I had to accomplish. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and it was crushing me.

Then, a dear friend sent me what seemed to be a random text. In it, she asked me to read chapter 3 from the book of Habakkuk. I immediately sent her a text back and said “OK”, with a smiley face emoji. 😊 But I had no intention of reading it, at least not right then. Maybe later that night when everything else was done. I was in the middle of a big work project, and I needed to get it finished.

However, God saw things a little differently. He pulled on my heartstrings and gently whispered, “You need to read it”.

I answered, “Okay, I’ll read it later tonight when things calm down”.

But God whispered to my heart again, “You need to read it now”.

I sighed as I resigned myself to God’s plan for the day, grabbed my Bible, and started to read… Wow! I felt like I’d been struck by lightning!

This simple passage of scripture had so much to say to me in it. And in an instant, it became one of my favorite verses. I find myself coming back to it over and over again for the inspiration I so desperately need.

What Can We Learn from Habakkuk’s Struggles?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 reads like a laundry list of terrible circumstances. Each item on the list represents something essential to daily life back then. And their absence would create an immediate emergency.

 

Though the fig tree may not blossom…

Nor fruit be on the vines…

Though the labor of the olive may fail…

And the fields yield no food…

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold…

And there be no herd in the stalls…

Alone, each of these things would be a disaster for Habakkuk and his people. But combined they are a catastrophe of epic proportions.

No fruit on the vine, no crops to harvest, no yield of the olive, no sheep on the mountain, and no cows in the stalls all mean one thing… starvation, pure and simple.

How Do We Rejoice in the Lord When Life is Hard?

It’s one thing to read about Habakkuk’s situation and admire his faith, but it’s another thing entirely to live it out when our own world feels like it’s falling apart. When the olive crop fails in our lives it looks a little different. Think of the bills piling up, your health declining, or facing an unexpected loss. How can you truly rejoice in the Lord when life is hard? Is it even possible?

The good news is that rejoicing in hard times doesn’t mean ignoring our pain or pretending everything is fine. Instead, it means anchoring our joy in God’s presence rather than our circumstances. Real faith means trusting that even when life is uncertain, God is still in control, still good, and still worthy of our praise.

So how do we hold on to joyful praise when life feels overwhelming? Here are three ways to rejoice in the Lord, even when it’s hard…

Shift Your Focus to God’s Promises

When life gets tough, it’s easy to dwell on bad things, but God’s promises never fail. Habakkuk knew that even if everything around him crumbled, God remained the same.

Meditate on verses like this one and let it turn your eyes back to God and His goodness…

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

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Turn Worry into Worship

Worship shifts our hearts from fear to faith. Even when we don’t feel like praising, choosing to lift up joyful praise reminds us of who God is, not just what He does for us.

Habakkuk made a choice to say, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” And we can do the same, even in our hardest moments.

Stand on the Strength of the Sovereign Lord

The Sovereign Lord will uphold us with His right hand and give us the strength we need for every battle. When we feel weak, we can claim the truth of Habakkuk 3:19 that says, “he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” Just as God gave Habakkuk strong faith to endure, we can be sure He’ll strengthen us too.

Choosing to rejoice in the Lord always doesn’t mean life will be easy, but it does mean we’ll never face our struggles alone. When we rely on God’s wisdom instead of our own, He fills us with a peace that surpasses understanding and leads us through every trial with grace.

Read More: 

• Be Encouraged by these Bible Verses about Faith in Hard Times!

• Discover How to Have the Joy of the Lord in this Bible Study!

• These Bible Verses about Joy will fill your heart with gladness!

Finding Strength in Modern-Day Struggles

In our modern world, it’s hard to see how this affects us. But if we look closer and compare these crises to the things we value today, we’ll understand exactly how dire the situation truly was.

Recent events have forced us to deal with exactly the same things our Biblical counterparts did, just with a modern twist.

In recent years we saw a tiny virus rip through the fabric of our lives giving us more than an unknown disease to contend with. Supply chains were disrupted, there was no toilet paper on store shelves, meat shortages became the norm, and people were laid off from work for extended periods of time.

Complete chaos and hopelessness followed.

I imagine this is how Judah felt too. They were no different from us. They wanted to work and care for their families the same way we do today. The devastation of watching their hard work turn to dust must have left them reeling.

And it leads us to wonder…

How long would we last without our state-of-the-art water plants producing freshwater each day?

What if farmers and ranchers suffered great losses year after year? How would we survive without the food they bring to market?

And if we lost our jobs for good, how long would it take for the money to run out and desperation to set in?

This is where the rubber meets the road. When everything we rely on starts to crumble, we’re faced with a choice… will we give in to fear, or will we trust that God is still in control?

For a little while, we may struggle, but just when we think all hope is lost, Habakkuk 3:19 gives us the answer to all of life’s problems.

Jesus is Our Strength in Hard Times

It’s true… we will always face troubles in this life. There will always be another crisis to tackle, another difficult season to endure, or another earth-shattering decision to make.

But even if the olive crop fails, total destruction comes our way, or the whole world falls apart right before our eyes, we can still say, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, just like Habakkuk did.

Why?

Because our Heavenly Father has promised that those of us who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, will never face adversity alone. He is always with us, guiding us through every storm. God’s promises are unshakable, and no matter what comes our way, the joy of the Lord remains in us.

Jesus is the One who gives us the strength to endure the hardest of times. His presence sustains us, His peace comforts us, and His power lifts us above every trial. And because of the joy of our salvation, we are never defeated.

So, if Habakkuk and the people of Israel could rejoice always under such dire circumstances, then surely, we can too.

God’s Hand Sustains Us in Every Circumstance

No matter what struggles we face, our Heavenly Father will uphold us with His right hand. When everything around us seems to be crumbling, He is still there, steady and unshaken. Habakkuk’s situation was grim, his people were facing destruction, famine, and loss, but he chose to trust in God’s presence rather than fear the unknown. We can also have complete confidence in God’s unfailing love, knowing He’s with us through every storm.

Difficult seasons have a way of leaving us feeling weak and unsure of our next steps, but God never leaves us to navigate them alone. He will lift us up, make our feet like deer’s feet to walk on high places, and give us the strength to endure even the most challenging circumstances. Like a deer moving effortlessly through rugged terrain, God equips us to stand firm in faith, even when life’s path feels unstable.

Because of who He is, we can choose joyful praise, not just when times are good, but even in the middle of the most difficult trials. Praise is a declaration of trust, a reminder that we serve a faithful God who will never fail us. When we rely on His strength rather than our own, we can walk with confidence, knowing that His hand is guiding us every step of the way.

A Modern-Day Prayer of Trust and Praise

The prayer of Habakkuk was a declaration of unwavering faith and an example of choosing to trust God no matter the circumstances. He saw destruction ahead, but chose to rejoice in the Lord. His words remind us that even when life feels overwhelming, we can lift our hearts in praise.

This is my updated, modern-day prayer to trust God and praise Him in every circumstance, good or bad, using Habakkuk as an example. I hope you’ll pray it along with me as we rejoice in the Lord always together…

Even though my house is filthy, company is coming over, and there’s not enough time to clean…

I will praise the Lord!

Even though the bills are piling up, and it seems there will never be enough money to pay them all…

I will rejoice in the Lord!

Even though my health is failing, and I feel weak…

I will joy in the God of my salvation!

Even though I’ve lost a loved one and my heart is broken…

I will rejoice in the Lord always!

Choosing to Rejoice No Matter What

There’s no way my friend could have known what was going on in my life that day, or how much I needed the words of Habakkuk 3:17-19 spoken into my heart. But I’m so grateful she followed God’s lead and sent that seemingly random text.

Thankfully, nothing is ever random with God. He knew exactly what was happening in my life, just as He knows what is happening in yours.

In this Habakkuk 3:17-19 Devotional, we’ve seen that no matter the trials we face, we can still choose to rejoice in the Lord. As God’s people we’ve been called to strong faith, even when life feels uncertain. Like Habakkuk, we may not understand why hardships come, but we can trust that God is in control. He takes our stress, fear, and overwhelm and replaces them with a song in our hearts and praise on our lips.

God is good! And He is worthy of our praise in every circumstance! Because the truth is… it’s our choice to rejoice.

I pray this simple yet powerful passage from Habakkuk 3 has shown you how to trust God and rejoice in the Lord always. No matter what tomorrow holds, we can have faith in both the good and bad times, knowing He is our strength.

Will you join me in choosing joyful praise today?

Please leave a comment below and share your own modern-day prayer of trust and praise!

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