After I (Becky) returned to the service I had to move up about 7 rows (out of maybe 10?) in hopes of hearing anything the pastor was saying. With a metal roof, windows always open, a concrete structure and no amplification system, it was impossible to hear much.
It was prayer time. I tried to catch any line I could and think about it. The one that stood out most to me was something about God being just. I don't even know what the pastor was praying for specifically - that is all I heard for a few paragraphs, so I let it sink in.
Just that morning I had read Habakkuk. Chapter 3, verses 17-19 came back to me as I thought of our God as a just God:
"Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."
Even if nothing is going his way, Habakkuk vows to rejoice in the Lord and trust him to be his Savior. He says nothing about how he deserves these good things (in a just world). He doesn't complain that he doesn't have what he should. He simply rejoices in God.
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| Our first year of growing corn in our own garden! |
Because rainy season has begun here, everyone is working to farm any land they have available to them with maize (corn). This is the staple food item to grind into maize flour to make nsima for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As I look across the landscape, I see freshly prepared soil and small green plants popping up everywhere. This will be sustenance for each family as well as potential income for those with larger plots of land. But without rain, the maize crops will fail...and then what? With the majority of the country unemployed, this means hunger if not worse.
I can imagine more vividly now what it would mean to pray this prayer of Habakkuk chapter 3. I can start to imagine the weight of having crops fail and no animals in the pen for those living solely off the land. And I can try to imagine being in such a position and yet still rejoicing in my God without complaining. And although I never want to find myself in such a position, that is the kind of heart I want to have.
I can imagine more vividly now what it would mean to pray this prayer of Habakkuk chapter 3. I can start to imagine the weight of having crops fail and no animals in the pen for those living solely off the land. And I can try to imagine being in such a position and yet still rejoicing in my God without complaining. And although I never want to find myself in such a position, that is the kind of heart I want to have.
I really liked this post...really, really liked it. :) The idea of sitting in church with the windows wide open and rain drowning out all sound is very appealing to me. (Now don't go reading too much into that statement!) The idea of walking outdoors uphill to the nursery, however, is not. I love your connection between the Habakkuk passage and the season and people you are with. Thanks for "taking us there."
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