Habakkuk 3:17-18 ‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.’

DAILY READING; John 8:48-59; 2 Chronicles 5:2-14; Malachi 2:10-4:7

In 2019, Christian News outlets featured the amazing story of Ella Nicole Woods, who was brought back to life through the power of praise.

When Ella was born prematurely on December 18, 2013, her mother found her too fragile to hold. As Ella began straining to breathe, doctors diagnosed her with pulmonary hypertension. As the hours passed, she only got worse and when her condition continued to deteriorate, her parents called upon family and friends to come to the hospital to pray. But despite the prayers, Ella’s vital signs continued to go down.

At that point, Ella’s father, Stephen Woods went out to the Hospital parking lot, to be alone with God. He prayed ‘God, what am I supposed to do? I’m helpless.’ And then he believed he heard God say to him, ‘Believe that you will bring Ella home alive and well.’

On hearing this word of promise from God, Stephen went back into the hospital room, and shared the news with his wife. However, Ella still showed no signs of getting better and by the following day, December 20th, doctors had run out of options, Ella was lifeless and they told the parents she would be dead in a few minutes.

Stephen knew he heard God promise him his daughter would be well. And though the situation now seemed hopeless, he held on to God’s promise. And in that desperate moment, the family switched to praising God. And as they began to praise God, something miraculous happened! Amazingly, Ella’s eyes opened, and she started to look around. The room erupted with joy. The doctors and nurses were amazed. It was truly a miracle, as they saw the lifeless baby, now come alive. From that moment, Ella’s health rapidly improved and she was released from the hospital in January 2014. And today she continues to grow as a healthy child, and her parents see her as the living proof of God’s faithfulness.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 says ‘Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.’

If we are to translate this verse into our everyday language today, Prophet Habakkuk would be saying something like this; “Listen, this may seem a bad year, there is no food, and income seems low. The future may look uncertain, but this is not the end for you. God is able to turn things around. So rejoice in Him. Rejoice now—rejoice forever!”

Indeed the time of trouble is not when to stop praising God. Rather, that is even when to turn up the volume of your praise. In their midnight season, when Paul and Silas prayed and nothing happened, rather than stopping, they switched to praise. And they praised so loudly the other prisoners heard them. And praise brought God’s Presence for their deliverance.

Despite the circumstances of life, we are to rejoice in God. Whatever challenges come your way, you can always count it all joy, because God is indeed able to keep His promises of deliverance to you. We are to delight ourselves in God and His Word because nothing can change the immutability and infallibility of God’s written Word. Even if circumstances change, the goodness of God remains unchanging! In Malachi 3:6 God says ‘For I am the Lord, I change not . .’

God never changes. And no matter what things may initially look like, we can trust that God’s Word will always prevail in our lives. 2 Cor. 2:14 says ‘God always causes us to triumph in Christ’

Anytime you encounter troubles, tests, or trials, always realize that they are temporary. You’re just passing through! In other words, ‘this too shall pass!’

So don’t pitch camp on the problems, just keep on walking, because ahead of you is the victory. Psalm 23:4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me . . . .”

God being with us is the key to victory in every battle. And His Presence comes through praise.

If you have been facing a situation that doesn’t seem to be getting better, then switch to praise. Praise will cause that lifeless situation to come back to life. Indeed praise brings God’s Presence and when God appears, every evil must disappear.

PRAYER: Lord, I choose to praise You at all times, no matter how things may look like around me. I know You are too faithful to fail and even right now You are bringing a positive, dramatic turnaround to my story in Jesus Name. .

QUOTE

Your attitude always determines your altitude in life. -WORDBITE 222.