MARISSA HENLEY|GUEST

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

In part one of this series, I shared my experience of battling a rare form of cancer as a young mom and how I saw God’s faithfulness on display. As we continue to consider Habakkuk 3 and God’s gifts of faithfulness in suffering, let’s focus on God’s gift of wellness in our winter seasons. When I talk about God’s gift of wellness, I don’t mean physical health or personal safety. We may not always have those things, but we can have a wellness in our souls because of the unshakeable promises and presence of our heavenly Father.

Some of you may have read the first post in this series about the ways I witnessed God’s faithfulness and thought, “Well good for her, but that’s not my story.” Maybe today you can’t see how God is at work in your circumstances. Maybe you feel like God isn’t showing up or you don’t understand why He would allow this to happen. Maybe there can’t be a happy ending in your winter season as you grieve the loss of someone or something you’ll never get back. How is God faithful in those moments?

Habakkuk was in a similar situation. He had no expectation that his circumstances were going to improve. In fact, God had assured him that things were only going to get worse (Hab.1:5-11). And yet Habakkuk rejoiced in the God of his salvation (Hab. 3:18).

Even if Habakkuk had nothing else, he had God’s promised salvation. Habakkuk didn’t understand why God was using the Babylonians to judge Judah, but he knew God’s character (Hab.1:12-13). He knew he could trust the Lord in any situation. The Lord was his deliverer and his salvation (Hab. 3:13).

Like Habakkuk, we can have soul wellness in any circumstances, even when we can’t see how God is at work, and even when don’t understand. This wellness isn’t dependent on our circumstances getting better or knowing how God’s going to use all this for good. This wellness looks at a winter season that just keeps getting worse and says, “and yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:18).

We can say this with confidence because we have even better promises than Habakkuk had. Habakkuk looked forward to the coming Messiah; we look back at the finished work of Jesus Christ. Because of the salvation we have by grace through faith in Christ, we know God can and will keep every promise He makes to His covenant children. When our hope is in Christ, we always have a reason to rejoice. Even when nothing is well in our lives, it can be well with our souls.

I saw God’s faithfulness in giving me a wellness in my soul through those days, months, and years when I didn’t know if I’d live to see my kids grow up. With all the uncertainty in my future, the certainty I have in Christ became my lifeline. I was not physically well, and I didn’t know if I ever would be again. But I had the gift of soul wellness because of the promises of my heavenly Father, the redeeming sacrifice of the Son, and the indwelling presence of the Spirit. I knew that nothing in all creation could separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39).

I have been free of cancer since 2011, and I’m so grateful for that gift. But I want to be clear that it isn’t the happy endings in our lives that determine God’s faithfulness. It isn’t that God is faithful because I’m still here 14 years after a cancer diagnosis. He would still be faithful if my body were in the ground and my soul were with the Lord. He will still be faithful tomorrow if the cancer comes back and there’s no cure.

It’s not the events in our lives that prove God faithful; it’s His character. He is faithful because He’s faithful—it’s who He is. He can’t not be faithful to His children.

Maybe today you’re in a winter season and you’ve asked God to intervene, but things just keep getting worse. How can you cling to God’s promises? What is it that you don’t understand about your circumstances? And what is it that you do understand about the Lord that helps you trust Him in the midst of it? Look for how God is giving you the gift of soul wellness in this winter season as you remember your God who saved you by His grace and take joy in the God of your salvation.

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