YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD

George Müller preached this sermon at Bethesda Chapel, Great George Street, Bristol, England, on June 13, 1897, a Sunday evening.

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. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

This verse is not merely the loss of one thing or of another, or of anything, but the loss on the part of the Jew of everything, for they were in an agricultural country, generally speaking. The prophet Habakkuk says of himself, “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.” Now, here is a question of great importance: What is it that brought this man of God to the decision, even though he may lose everything, though he should be reduced to a state of the greatest poverty and difficulty and affliction, he would still rejoice in God? What was it that brought him to this? Because the Living God has given Himself to each of His children as their portion! He has given Himself to every one of His children, so that whatever they may lose concerning the things of this life, God remains with them; in other words, their ALL remains with them. They are not—and never really and truly could—losing anything worthwhile, for God remains.

He gives Himself to every one of His children, to the weakest, the helpless, the least instructed among them, as their portion; therefore, having Him, they have everything they could wish. God remains with them; He gives Himself to His children, once for all; they have, once for all, blessing to make them happy; they have, once for all, kindness, mercy, and grace, bestowed on them, sufficient for their whole earthly pilgrimage, and for the whole of eternity. O beloved in Christ and those who are not yet believers in Him, let us all really and truly seek to enter into what it is to have God, and what it means that God gives Himself to us. Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV) says, 

Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

The psalmist finds himself brought to the end of his earthly pilgrimage, brought to the point of death. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” God had been his portion in life, and now that he is entering eternity, God remains his portion. Not only for a few years, or for a few hundred years, but forever God remains true to His people! If this were fully understood, what happy people we would be! Oh, if only we held on to this by faith and realized it, what peace and joy in the Holy Spirit we should have—not merely now and then, not merely frequently, but continually! Oh, how exceedingly precious this truth! God gives Himself, all He is and has, to the weakest, the helpless of His children. Oh, how precious! How exceedingly precious!

And the prophet Habakkuk comprehended this, and it was just this that made him so happy. Though he should lose everything that this world could give, yet would he rejoice in Jehovah. “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord”—it means Jehovah—“I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Now, let us just for a little while, ponder somewhat more closely what we have here, what we receive from God as poor sinners, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ; and what other poor sinners might have if they were only willing to know what God is prepared to give to those who come to Him through Jesus Christ. First of all, He opens our eyes and shows us the lost and ruined condition in which we are by nature. He makes obvious our complete spiritual darkness and ignorance. He further shows us that we cannot save ourselves, that salvation entirely depends on Himself, through the gift of His only begotten Son, whose perfect obedience unto death He accepted in our place. Now, all this is in the first place to be seen, to be apprehended, to be grasped by faith, so that our eyes being opened, we may have the beginning of peace and joy. Further, so far even as this present life is concerned, we at once, through faith in the Lord Jesus, obtain full forgiveness for all our numberless transgressions. We are accepted in the Beloved, in Jesus Christ, and treated as righteous ones, as just ones, though in ourselves we are unjust and unrighteous. So accepted in the Beloved, treated as justified ones, accepted in the Beloved and treated as forgiven ones, not one single transgression shall be mentioned against us any more. All, all is forgiven! Entering into it, oh, what peace it gives to the soul, entering into it more and more, it brings joy in God; the heart is filled with gratitude to Him for what He has done for us in Jesus Christ.

But that’s not all! When we are born again—when we are regenerated—we receive spiritual life. Before that, we were dead in our sins. Now, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we receive new life—life that is everlasting. This eternal life begins the moment we believe in Jesus, and it continues even after our earthly life ends, when we pass out of this life into eternity. What a blessing that is! Then we are now, through this faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the children of God, not merely in name, but in reality! We have obtained spiritual life. We are born again by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We are really and truly the children of God, and as such, we are really and truly heirs of God, co-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ; and thus we have everything that we could possibly wish. We are infinitely rich as the children of God, as the heirs of God, as the co-heirs with the Lord Jesus, for we partake of all the things which the Father gives to Him, as a reward for His suffering on earth. Thus, we not only become infinitely rich, but we are infinitely honored, for we share the honor which the Father bestows upon His only begotten Son as the reward for His great work. Oh, what an abounding reason, therefore, we have to rejoice in the Lord, in God Almighty!

Being in this state, whatever our difficulties, trials, or needs, we can always receive help from God, because we are the children whom He loves with an eternal, unchangeable love—the children who are so dear to His heart that they are precious in His sight, and loved by Him even as He loves His only begotten Son, for they belong to Christ, they are members of that body of which He is the Head. So what could we ever lack that He cannot provide? Our God and Father, through Christ Jesus, is ready to give to everyone—no matter how weak or helpless—every blessing that is truly good for us…every gift that will help us grow, strengthen us, and bring glory to Him. In the midst of trials and temptations—in the midst of the great attacks of Satan—we can come to Him, in utter weakness, helplessness, and nothingness, and ask Him to fight our battles for us, to help us, to stand at our side, to rebuke the wicked one, and to drive him from us. All this our heavenly Father delights to do, because He loves us so dearly and tenderly. He loves us with an unchangeable, eternal love. He loves us just as He loves His Son. Oh, how precious that truth is!

Now, pay attention to the title given to God: “God my Savior.” He is the God of salvation, but the significance of the statement lies in this, that we have proved Him to ourselves thus, and can say, “He is the God of my salvation!” That is language of the heart! Now, how many of us can say, “He is the God of my salvation”? I celebrate this, I rejoice in it, for, by the grace of God, I am as certain that I will go to heaven as if I were there already! Therefore, I say, “He is the God of my salvation.” And there are many here present who, like myself, can say and sing, “He is the God of my salvation”!

But if there are any here who are not yet able to say this, give yourselves no rest till you can. First of all, you must come to see that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. If you do not see it, ask God to show it to you, and to see what Scripture says, read carefully several times Romans 1-3 and Ephesians 2. Read these portions with yourself in mind, and if you still do not see that you are a sinner needing a Savior, read them yet again, asking God to open your eyes. Then, when you realize the truth, ask God to help you to put your trust in Jesus for salvation. For He in our place fulfilled the law of God, bearing the punishment that was meant for us, therefore, setting us free!

When we finally have revelation of this, we no longer dread God; we are no longer afraid of God, but see Him as our Father, as our Friend, as our Helper who loves us in Christ Jesus. But if yet we have no peace in our souls, let us go on asking God that we may, by the power of His Holy Spirit, understand more feelingly and truly the work of Christ, and to enter into it that we may have that full peace and joy, which God delights to give to each of His children. “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.” Oh, if any of you know this, how greatly blessed are you! Oh, if everyone here knew this, what an encouragement it would be to sinners who have not yet obtained this peace and joy in God!

Now we come to the last verse, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” The Lord God is my strength. Was Habakkuk weak physically? God could strengthen him, for He was his strength! Was Habakkuk weak spiritually, surrounded by temptations—many, constant, and powerful? The Lord was his strength! So what could he possibly lack? Was he poor in any way? Did he need anything for this life—for himself, his family, or in any situation that would bring glory to God? God was both able and willing to provide it! This is what we must remember: the Lord is the strength of His children—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Not just occasionally, but always in every situation—no matter how fierce the attacks of our spiritual enemies may be. We can say with confidence, “God is my strength. He makes my feet like those of a deer; He enables me to tread upon the heights.” Feet like a roe, a wild deer running. What for? To act according to the will of God! That, I judge, is what this phrase means. It’s not to accomplish our own purposes, not to enjoy ourselves, but to do the will of God! The moment the will of God is presented to us, we obey quickly and with the greatest zeal, therefore, I believe the words “hinds' feet” (KJV) means that no delay is made, but immediately the will of God is carried out.

“He enables me to tread on the heights.” The heart of the prophet Habakkuk was in heaven, and he looked down on the things here below and the state in which he was. Oh, to experience, though we are poor sinners, that we are seated with Christ in heavenly places! Therefore, we should treat all human affairs as though we are seated in heaven with Christ Jesus, and look down, so to speak, on the poor, weak, feeble, earthly affairs, and judge about them as those who are already in glory, who are already seated with Christ. If someone says, “But I am yet in the body.  I find it difficult to think this way, to judge and to act on things this way,” my reply is, “So do I, but the grace of God can help us.”

“He enables me to tread on the heights.” These high places are where Habakkuk’s heart was set—and that is where our hearts should be as well: fixed on eternity. While we live in these earthly bodies, we must take care of things in this life. God does not call us to abandon our work or duties because of difficulties. We must remain in the position of life in which we were brought to God, remembering that this spiritual life is eternal. It will continue to grow and mature until, at last, it comes to the full fruition—when we are made holy as our Lord Jesus Christ is holy, and when we receive glorified bodies like His after the resurrection. These are the glorious promises held out even to the weakest and most fragile child of God!

Oh, what a precious blessing God has given us in Christ Jesus! What grace He has shown to us—poor, undeserving sinners—when we come to Him by faith! Our great calling, then, is to consider in childlike simplicity all the wonderful blessings God has given us through His Son and, in childlike simplicity, believe all that He has declared regarding those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and, in joyful anticipation, look forward to the day when all this will become a reality.

Now, one word more: Are there any here present who up to this time have been thoughtlessly and carelessly unconcerned about the ways of God? I earnestly plead with you—do not continue that way. Your salvation, your true happiness—both now and for eternity—depend on your receiving Christ. Salvation is freely offered through faith in Jesus Christ. God is willing to give this blessing to anyone and everyone, no matter how many or how great their sins may be. Only acknowledge and admit that you are a sinner who deserves nothing but punishment, and put your trust in Jesus. When you do, this blessing will be yours forever.