“Steady and sure like hind’s feet.”
Adaptable. Hardy. Buoyant.
Those are intriguing words for someone dealing with the aftermath of a storm.
How would you respond if promised to be made flexible, robust, and springy? What if you could count on those traits kicking in and carrying you through the challenges after a life’s storm has passed through?
Resilient is the word.
Resilience is when someone possesses the remarkable ability to not only endure tough times but also bounce back from challenges quickly.
We may not feel it. We may question where it may come from. We may think we are not made from the fabric from which it is made. We can, though, believe the impossible that resilience will come.
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,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (Habakkuk 3: 17-20, NLT, bold added for emphasis)
When knocked down, sometimes there is nowhere else to look but up. Whether we look sideways or up, there are many options to cast our focus.
What will we fixate on?
PERSPECTIVE
Habakkuk shows us one alternative to cast our gaze, and the results give bouncebackability.
Perspective shift:
What if we determined to have an attitude of rejoicing?
Why rejoicing?
Rejoicing reflects belief.
Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive fails and the fields produce no food, though the flock is cut off from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will [choose to] rejoice in the Lord;
I will [choose to] shout in exultation in the [victorious] God of my salvation!
The Lord God is my strength [my source of courage, my invincible army]; (Habakkuk 3: 17-18, AMP, bold added for emphasis)
“Yet” may be just a tiny word, but it’s packed with an immense capacity to impact our outlook.
Despite what is happening in our lives, we opt for an unpredictable perspective. We choose joy.
We choose joy because we know a truth deep inside that is greater than what we can see. We look beyond our sight and rejoice in Who we know is unchanging, trustworthy, and faithful to follow through with all He has been promised.
Applying a “yet” leads us to rejoice in the Lord, who provides us with supernatural strength, which results in resilience.
Perspective shift:
What if we believed we would experience at somepoint a spirit of resilience?
The storm has drained us. The storm has left us in a heap of rubble. The storm strips us of normal. Resilience may seem impossible, but we worship a God of the impossible. He promises to give us feet like that of a dear with a bounding ability to navigate the steep mountainside and rocky terrain of our life after the storm.
He has made my feet [steady and sure] like hinds’ feet and makes me walk [forward with spiritual confidence] on my high places [of challenge and responsibility]. (Habakkuk 3: 19, AMP, bold added for emphasis)
The Hebrew word for “make” is “sum” (soon), and the word can mean to set, appoint, direct toward, extend (compassion), establish, and bring to pass.
When we choose to have a perspective that rejoices, we can also have the perspective that resilience is in our future. “And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, NRSV).
Christ is the One who will breathe into our spirit the ability to be more adaptable, hardy, and buoyant.
You are more resilient than you know, and Christ Himself will bring out your abilities beyond your own capabilities as you focus on Him and choose a perspective that says, “Yet!”
I pray that as you choose to rejoice, you experience God’s presence and strength in new and powerful ways. May God make you someone who possesses a remarkable ability to not only endure tough times, but a person who bounces back from challenges quickly. So be it, in Jesus’ name.
Meditate: Christ Himself will make me resilient.
Reflect: How can you choose an attitude that says “yet?” When you think of resilience, what or who comes to mind? Write a description of yourself after God has made you surefooted and resilient.
Deeper: (As you read through these additional verses, ask the Spirit to give you wisdom, and teach you more about how He will make you resilient). Habakkuk 3: 1-4, 17-19; Isaiah 41:10; 1 Peter 5: 7-11; James 1:1-5
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(Bible References: NRSV – New Revised Standard Version, NLT – New Living Translation, AMP – Amplified Version)
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