Habakkuk 3:18- "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

I really like the way that the prophet Habakkuk words this. It accurately illustrates a very important principle.

Many people forcus on the words "rejoice", "joy", and "salvation" in this verse. These are vital parts of the verse, but there is another word with an important meaning that is often overlooked. The word I'm referring to is the word "will".

Consider the meaning of the word "will". It means "to choose to do something". When you say "I will", you are choosing to do something of your own free will. (There's that word again! :D ) You are not being forced by anything or anyone. Now, with that in mind, go back and re-read this verse. Habakkuk is making a conscious choice to rejoice in the Lord- no matter what. (See the previous verse- Habakkuk 3:17) He didn't set forth any conditions under which he would not rejoice in the Lord. He knew that the Lord was worthy of his praise no matter what, so Habakkuk made the choice to rejoice in Him.

What an example he sets for us to follow! Many times we allow our situations to dictate whether or not we rejoice in the Lord. However, this should not be! An attitude of praise to the Lord comes from a conscious choice of the heart, not from how "good" or "bad" our situation is. Let's commit ourselves anew to rejoicing in the Lord and trusting Him and His infinite wisdom. He knows what is good for us, and that's what He allows to happen to us. Praise His Holy Name!

Thanks for this reminder, Pastor Chad. I remember a preacher once talking about the number of times in the Psalms where David writes "Rejoice oh my soul"...and the preacher said that the psalmist was literally telling his soul to rejoice. It is definitely an act of the will...even when we don't "feel" like it.
The truth of it is that regardless of what we've been taught (by the media, by whatever), thoughts ALWAYS precede emotion. Therefore we can...sometimes with a lot of practice...learn to control our emotions...and the Bible teaches us to control our thoughts...therefore we can literally choose to think joy, choose to rejoice in the Lord.
Thanks for this reminder...I needed it!!