True Thanksgiving Habakkuk 3:17-19, NIV “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 go on the heights.” (Song) Open your mouth wide. I will fill it. God of love pours His grace upon me. Great God performs miracles. Praise the Lord of all eternity. Open your mouth wide. I will fill it. I will fill it. I would like to share the grace of God under the title, “True Thanksgiving,” based on Habakkuk 3:17-19. Could you please repeat after me? “True Thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving is a characteristic of mature Christians. Our gratitude can change many things. Although this world is full of problems and difficulties, problems will be resolved and our lives will be filled with God’s grace and love, if we march forward with thanks. As the children of God, we must give thanks to Him. We must give thanks to God for the grace of saving sinners like us, for having led us until this moment, and for leading us for the rest of our lives. The more thanks we give to God, the more blessing and grace He will pour upon us. He will bless us so that we may give more thanks to Him. We need to give more thanks to God, especially now when things are going very rough. I pray that you will live with overflowing gratitude. I pray that you will resolve your problems, overcome all difficulties, and live victoriously through your thanksgiving to God. Today’s Scripture was written by Habakkuk right before Judah fell into the hands of the Babylonians, being inspired by God during his prayer. Despite continuous warnings of the prophets, the Jews turned away from God and worshipped foreign gods and idols. Consequently, God judged them and their lives were in devastating situations. They were spending each day in utmost pain, unable to come out of such despair. 1. In times of despair (Hab 3:17). First, I want to speak about what we should do in times of despair. Please repeat after me, “In times of despair.” Habakkuk 3:17 describes the devastating situation of the Jews. “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.” According to this Scripture, they had absolutely nothing. It was utterly hopeless. What should we do in times of despair like this? Habakkuk, the prophet, foresaw the desolateness of Judah under the feet of their enemies. Strong neighboring countries like Assyria had already desolated Judah. The Chaldeans of Babylonia would soon invade Judah and destroy it. It would be devastating. That is why he said, “Though the fig tree does not bud.” Their enemies had invaded Judah and had cut all the fruit-bearing trees. The Jews did not have any fruit-bearing trees around them. Consequently, the fig tree did not bud. There were no grapes on the vines and the olive crop failed. Since the fields produced no food, they had nothing to eat. There were no sheep in the pen. They did not have any grass or hay to feed or tend the sheep. There were no lambs to be sacrificed to God. Sheep were crucial for the lives of the Jews. Sheep provided wool for their clothing, skins for their tents, and meat for their food. The Jews were facing problems in all areas of their lives: food, clothing and shelter. Cattle were also very important to the Jews. They used to offer lambs and cattle as animal sacrifices to God, but they did not have them any longer. They did not have what they needed. All was gone. The only thing they could see around them was despair. What was more depressing was that their despair became deeper and deeper. Habakkuk 3:16 confesses, “I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.” In a time of despair, we are likely to lament in utmost pain or to spend nights without falling asleep. When we have relationship problems, we are apt to despair more deeply. Suppose you have a problem with your spouse or with your children. It will alienate family members from each other. Then your family is likely to stop communicating. Recently, I heard about a man who had killed his wife and his son by setting fire. How could he have done that? The despair and bitterness in our hearts cause such cruel crimes. The world is becoming very wicked. In a time of despair like this, we must look up to the Lord Jesus, our absolute hope. Jesus Christ is the only hope for the world. Hebrews 12:2 states, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The Bible tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. When we encounter problems, when we despair, or when we are in pain, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, our Savior, and our hope. During the Olympic Games, we sometimes witness some wonderful things happening. I still remember a specific athlete: Abebe from Ethiopia. He was the marathon gold medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He ran barefoot for 42.195 km and was called the “Barefoot Hero.” Four years later, a month before the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, he had appendicitis and underwent surgery. Although not fully recovered, he competed in the Olympic marathon game and won another gold medal. At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, he entered the marathon, but he had to withdraw from the race due to an injury to his right knee. Soon after the Olympics, he had a car accident and it left him a paraplegic. His life as a marathoner ended there. Even while on wheels, however, Abebe's competitive spirit helped him compete and win several races. A few years later, at the Paralympic Games he competed on wheels and won another gold medal. He confessed, “Although I am a paraplegic, instead of thinking about my two lame legs, I looked at my two arms and found hope.” In a time of despair, instead of looking at what we do not have, we must concentrate on what we have. Although we may have lost everything, since the Lord Jesus our hope is with us, we can be more than conquerors. We should never give up. We should never stop. Since our Lord Jesus, the Lord of hope, is with us, we cannot but march forward. When we are pressed by many problems and difficulties, let us not look at ourselves in distress. As Abebe looked at his two arms, even when he became a paraplegic and challenged himself at the Paralympic Games and won, let us never give up. I pray that you will look at the Lord Jesus who is always with you and who gives you grace and joy, and gain new strength from Him. 2. Be joyful in the Lord (Hab 3:18). We have to live joyfully in the Lord Jesus, who is our absolute help. The second blessing is that we should rejoice in the Lord. Please repeat after me, “Rejoice in the Lord.” In verse 18, the Bible says, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Despite all the depressing situations, Habakkuk confessed that he would rejoice in the Lord and would be joyful in God the Savior. I urge you to rejoice in God the Savior, even in the middle of despair and trouble. Even when Paul was unlawfully beaten and put into prison, he bowed down before God and praised and thanked Him. As a result, Paul experienced a wonderful miracle. When he was held in custody in prison, he wrote letters to the churches outside and exhorted them to praise and thank God. Paul said in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Hallelujah! The one in prison was exhorting those outside of prison to rejoice. We can imagine how hard and painful it must have been to be in prison. It would be natural for those outside of prison to advise the one in the prison to rejoice. On the contrary, Paul, who was in prison, was the one telling those on the outside to rejoice. He said, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Rejoice in the Lord. Paul repeated his exhortation twice. We should never be deprived of joy in our hearts no matter what. The joy in our hearts will provide power to overcome all despair. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” The Bible says that a crushed spirit dries up the bones. The problem is, however, that we do not have the power to rejoice by ourselves in the time of trouble. We are too weak to rejoice. That is why we need to trust in the Lord and rejoice in Him. We can rejoice in the Lord with the power that the Lord gives us. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” We can rejoice in the Lord Jesus. We can give thanks in the Lord Jesus. We can praise God in the Lord Jesus. We can rejoice, praise, and give thanks to God with the power, help, and strength that the Lord provides for us. We can give thanks to the Lord and praise him in a time of despair. The late Rev. Jung-Bong Lee was a missionary to Las Palmas, Spain. Rev. Lee had belonged to UDT (Underwater Demolition Team?) and he enjoyed diving very much. On Mondays he used to go to the beach, enjoying diving and swimming. One Monday, after preaching at several revival meetings in a distant place the week before, he jumped into the sea and had a heart-attack. He went to be with the Lord. His four daughters were studying abroad at that time. Upon hearing about their father’s death, they hurried to Las Palmas. They gathered in front of the casket of their beloved father. The body of their father was lying there. They could not hear his voice anymore. They could not see the smile on his face anymore. They could not talk with him anymore. The daughters gathered there silently for some time. It was then that one of the daughters began quietly singing a song of praise. Surprisingly, it was a praise of thanksgiving. The song is No. 128, “Those Who Sacrifice Thank Offerings.” One of the girls began singing, “Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation. Give thanks.” Pressing down their deep sorrow, with teardrops rolling down from their eyes, all of them gave praise and thanks to God, saying, “God, we thank You for being with my father throughout his life. Thank You for using him to build a beautiful church for You. Thank You for choosing him to do Your work and for taking him to heaven now. We give you all our thanks, praise, and glory.” Ordinary people would not even dream of doing this, but the four daughters of Rev. Lee were spiritual giants. They are very much blessed now. The widow of the late Rev. Lee became a pastor herself and is ministering in a church in Korea. I pray that you will be people of thanksgiving. The gratitude that we give to God in the most troublesome situation will be pleasing to God. Habakkuk’s confession is also in the same category. He had nothing. The fig tree did not bud and there were no grapes on the vines, the olive crop failed, and the fields produced no food. There were no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet he rejoiced in the Lord and was joyful in God his Savior. Hallelujah! God delivers us from despair, makes us His children, and leads us every step of our lives until we go to heaven. No matter how hard and painful things may be, God will never forsake us but will rescue us from them and take care of us. He helps our faith to grow and enables us to thank and praise Him even in severe distress. Therefore, I pray that you will give abundant and overflowing thanks to God throughout your lives. 3. God becomes our strength (Hab 3:19). Third, we should never forget that God is our strength. Please repeat after me, “God is our strength.” Habakkuk 3:19 says, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” The Bible says that God is our power and strength. Psalm 18:1 says, “I love you, O LORD, my strength.” It is saying, “The Lord is my strength. He alone is my power. That is why I love Him.” I pray that you will praise, love, trust in, and live for the Lord, who is your strength. God is the source of all power. We cannot live victoriously without God. Saint Augustine, a famous medieval theologian, met Jesus Christ in his dream. Jesus asked him, “My Son, what do you want from me?” Augustine replied, “I do not want anything but You. I want only You.” Jesus asked him once more, “My Son, what do you want from me?” Once again, Augustine said, “I do not want anything but You.” Jesus asked him three times and Augustine answered exactly the same way three times. What would we say? “Me? Give me a big house, and help my child enter a good school. Wait, I want more...” We are likely to make a long list of wishes. However, when Augustine said three times, “I do not want anything but You,” Jesus said, “You have chosen the best.” Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Our God is the source of all blessing. How wonderful He is! I pray that you will be satisfied with the Lord Jesus alone. When I first went to the US, I visited Manhattan. Downtown in one of the most important cities of the richest country, I saw many homeless people and beggars. They spoke English well, but they were there on the streets begging. They were not elderly. They were rather young. They were begging for money. When someone gave some money to them, without exception, they would say, “God bless you.” They were asking for God’s blessing on the giver. Wouldn’t they need blessing the most badly? Do you know what came into my mind? American beggars know that blessing comes from God. That is why they say, “God bless you. God bless you.” When someone sneezes, Americans say, “God bless you,” almost automatically. They say so because they know the person is sneezing due to a cold, and they ask God to bless them and heal them from their cold. Who blesses us? It is God who blesses us. Hallelujah! We can truly enjoy life only when God blesses us. God decided to bless Abraham, our forefather of faith. Genesis 12:2-3 says, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Amen. When we march forward, holding on to this Word, God will bless us, the descendants of Abraham, as He blessed Abraham. God blesses us and exalts us as well. Habakkuk 3:19 says, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Amen. The Bible says that God is our strength. He makes our feet like the feet of a deer, and He enables us to go on the heights. The Lord is our strength and power with great authority. He will make us strong enough to go on the heights of all despair. Haydn was a prominent composer and a great Christian. His oratorio, The Creation, was first performed in 1808. Haydn himself was at the concert. After the performance, Haydn was introduced. The announcer said, “The great composer, Mr. Haydn, is right here with us.” All the audience stood up and applauded. Haydn stood up from his chair, stopped the applause, and said, “This piece was not from me. It came from God.” Hallelujah! He gave all the glory to God. Although we are living by the grace of God, if we do not give the glory to God but snatch it from Him, we should be ashamed of ourselves. Let us give all the thanks, praise, and glory to God. When we march forward with thanksgiving, God makes our feet like the feet of a deer. A deer can run to the mountain top in one breath. God will give us enough strength to run over the mountaintop of various problems and despair in one breath. We will become more than conquerors. The Bible also says that God enables us to go on the heights. We can overcome the mountain of despair and go on the heights, praising God. Now that we are going on the heights, we should not despair or be entangled with trivial matters. Instead, we must possess the faith of victory with which we can overcome all problems at a higher level. We should give glory to God at this level. God is with us. He will pour His grace upon us. It is time for us to hold on to the hope of heaven, go on the heights, and praise and proclaim the name of the Lord all over the world. Never be dismayed. Do not listen to the people on earth, but listen to the Lord. The Lord is your strength. He will make your feet like the feet of a deer. You will be able to run over the mountaintop of any problems. You will go on the heights. Let us not groan in despair but go on the heights, giving glory to God and proclaiming the name of the Lord all over the world. When we leave all our cares to the Lord, He will resolve all our problems. I pray that you will live a life of thanksgiving until we are called before Him. Let us pray. Our Father of infinite love and grace, we give thanks to You. Who are we that You would love us this much? We give our thanks to You for having chosen us and having made us to become Your children. We thank You for leading us into Your grace every day. Bless us so that we may overcome all problems and difficulties by giving overflowing thanks to You. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.