I HAVE SEEN THIS MYSELF…

There is a sound that brings hope to a Ugandan village. It is not the sound of an engine or a marketplace. It is the first drops of rain striking the dry ground.

Whenever the rains come at the right time, children run laughing into the downpour. Women sing as they carry water home. Farmers stand quietly at the edge of their gardens, knowing the seed will live another day. The cattle will drink. The harvest has hope. There will be food on the table.

That kind of joy is understandable.

But Habakkuk speaks of a different kind of joy.

“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 rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength; He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places”

(Habakkuk 3:17–19)

Notice what the prophet does not say.

He does not say, “When the rains return, I will rejoice.”

He does not say, “When the harvest comes, then I will worship.”

He does not say, “When life finally makes sense, then I will trust God.”

He says, “YET I WILL REJOICE.”

That little word YET may be one of the greatest declarations of faith in all of Scripture.

The fields are still empty. The vines are still barren. The stalls are still vacant.

Nothing has changed… except the prophet’s focus. His circumstances remain uncertain, but his God remains unchanged.

Then Habakkuk gives us one of the Bible’s most beautiful pictures of faith.

“The Lord GOD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.”

As you may know, a deer does not wait for smooth paths before it moves with confidence. It climbs where others cannot. It leaps across rocks that would cause another animal to stumble. Its confidence is not in the mountain… it is in the feet God has given it.

What a picture for every believer.

God does not always remove the mountain before asking us to walk. He does not always stop the storm before asking us to trust. He does not always answer our prayers according to our timetable.

But HE DOES promise something even greater.

He promises Himself.

He becomes our strength.

He gives us feet that can stand when the ground beneath us is uneven.

He teaches us to climb where we once thought we could never go.

As I write these words, I confess they are not merely a message to others; they are a conversation with my own heart.

The ministry mailbox has been quiet for too long… but heaven has not.

The resources needed for the work God has entrusted to us have not yet arrived. There are pastors waiting to be trained, churches longing to be strengthened, and villages across Uganda where the Gospel still needs to be proclaimed. At times I find myself looking toward heaven and whispering, “Lord, the fields are still empty.”

Then Habakkuk gently takes me by the hand.

He reminds me that my joy has never been anchored to a full harvest. It has always been anchored to a faithful God. His promises have not diminished because my circumstances have. His character has not changed because my mailbox has remained empty.

So today, before the answer comes… before the provision arrives… before I understand what God is doing… I choose once again to say,

“YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD.”

Perhaps today your field is empty.

Perhaps your prayers seem unanswered.

Perhaps your health is failing.

Perhaps the finances simply are not there.

Perhaps your heart is carrying a burden no one else can see.

My friend, do not wait until life is repaired before you worship.

Worship is not the reward we offer God after He fixes everything. Worship is the declaration that He is worthy even while everything still feels broken.

The world rejoices because the rain has come.

The believer rejoices because God is still God… whether the rain comes or not.

Joy is not found in what God gives us. Joy is found in the God who gives Himself to us.

His hand may give. His hand may withhold. His hand may lead us through valleys we never expected to walk. But His heart never changes.

His heart is always good. His heart is always faithful. His heart is always working for His glory and our good.

And when our joy is rooted in Him rather than in our circumstances, we discover that Habakkuk’s words are not merely ancient poetry. They become our testimony.

So whether your fields are overflowing or standing barren…

Whether your prayers have just been answered or heaven seems strangely silent…

Lift up your eyes.

The God who gives the deer its feet will also give you the strength to stand.

And perhaps today, before the miracle comes… before the rain begins to fall… before the mailbox fills…

you, too, can say with unwavering confidence,

“YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD.”