I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing, I will sing,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

With my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness, Thy faithfulness,
With my mouth will I make known
Thy faithfulness to all generations,

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

This hymn came to mind even before I read the passage today!  I love how the Lord leads us in thought and in deed—when we allow Him.  That’s why I pray before reading His Word.  I ask for our Helper, the Holy Spirit, to come and lead me while I work to be still in my own thoughts so I can submit to His teaching.  I want to grow in His love while acquiring His character traits.  I am learning, though, we must be still, know God and let go of what we think we want for what God knows we need.  Right here, right now in the middle of a current challenging, troubling time for me in this world, God shows His mercy and leads me to what is right on the next step on the path with Him.  Jesus has already saved me from my sins. The Holy Spirit now fills me with peace and joy, the gifts of God, along with the skills for living (wisdom) in this world.  Why?  Because I asked God for it.  Apart from Him; I cannot.

Jesus said, “in this world, you will have trouble.”  But remember that in our troubles, Emmanuel—”God with us” stands ready to defend, protect us, and provide what we need to get through it.  Jesus finishes that line of thinking with, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33) God uses the troubles and our responses to them as lessons to build our resolve to rely on Him.  Looking for peace IN the middle of trouble?  Trust the Overcomer, Jesus Christ our Savior, and Lord!  He promises His eternal peace along with lasting joy that supersedes anything the world promises but cannot deliver.

Habakkuk worships God with singing of his mercies even though war to reclaim The Chosen is or will be in full swing. He writes that even though life is not rosy, I will sing of the mercies of God knowing HE is still in control.  I love how The Message Bible states Habakkuk’s joy in singing praises to God;

I’m singing joyful praise to God.
    I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,
    I take heart and gain strength.

Let us join Habakkuk’s song and sing of the mercies of the Lord—forever and ever, Amen!  Praise and worship of God fills our hearts and strengthens our resolve.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever,
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.

God Racing on the Crest of the Waves

^1-2 A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk, with orchestra:

God, I’ve heard what our ancestors say about you,
    and I’m stopped in my tracks, down on my knees.
Do among us what you did among them.
    Work among us as you worked among them.
And as you bring judgment, as you surely must,
    remember mercy.

* * *

^3-7 God’s on his way again,
    retracing the old salvation route,
Coming up from the south through Teman,
    the Holy One from Mount Paran.
Skies are blazing with his splendor,
    his praises sounding through the earth,
His cloud-brightness like dawn, exploding, spreading,
    forked-lightning shooting from his hand—
    what power hidden in that fist!
Plague marches before him,
    pestilence at his heels!
He stops. He shakes Earth.
    He looks around. Nations tremble.
The age-old mountains fall to pieces;
    ancient hills collapse like a spent balloon.
The paths God takes are older
    than the oldest mountains and hills.
I saw everyone worried, in a panic:
    Old wilderness adversaries,
Cushan and Midian, were terrified,
    hoping he wouldn’t notice them.

* * *

^8-16 God, is it River you’re mad at?
    Angry at old River?
Were you raging at Sea when you rode
    horse and chariot through to salvation?
You unfurled your bow
    and let loose a volley of arrows.
    You split Earth with rivers.
Mountains saw what was coming.
    They twisted in pain.
Flood Waters poured in.
    Ocean roared and reared huge waves.
Sun and Moon stopped in their tracks.
    Your flashing arrows stopped them,
    your lightning-strike spears impaled them.
Angry, you stomped through Earth.
    Furious, you crushed the godless nations.
You were out to save your people,
    to save your specially chosen people.
You beat the stuffing
    out of King Wicked,
Stripped him naked
    from head to toe,
Set his severed head on his own spear
    and blew away his army.
Scattered they were to the four winds—
    and ended up food for the sharks!
You galloped through the Sea on your horses,
    racing on the crest of the waves.
When I heard it, my stomach did flips.
    I stammered and stuttered.
My bones turned to water.
    I staggered and stumbled.
I sit back and wait for Doomsday
    to descend on our attackers.

* * *

^17-19 Though the cherry trees don’t blossom
    and the strawberries don’t ripen,
Though the apples are worm-eaten
    and the wheat fields stunted,
Though the sheep pens are sheepless
    and the cattle barns empty,
I’m singing joyful praise to God.
    I’m turning cartwheels of joy to my Savior God.
Counting on God’s Rule to prevail,
    I take heart and gain strength.
I run like a deer.
    I feel like I’m king of the mountain!

(For congregational use, with a full orchestra.)

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Worship God.

Sing of the mercies of the Lord forever!  Strength, joy, peace, wisdom, insight and understanding flow from God to our hearts, minds and souls as we worship God with all that is in us. 

And add a full orchestra for extra measure!  Habakkuk did!

Lord,

I will worship you all day long!  You are God, we are not.  We need you to come and lead us.  Be in every detail of our lives.  Show us what you know is best for us.  May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done. Thank you for our daily manna today!

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen