September 24: Yet I Will Rejoice
You’ve been doing everything you’re supposed to. Praying. Going to meetings. Making amends. And honestly, today it all feels empty. Where’s the joy everyone talks about?
“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.”
Habakkuk was looking at disaster. He lists it. The fig tree doesn’t bloom. There are no grapes. The olive crop fails. The fields produce no food. The flock is gone. The stalls are empty. Then he says, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.
Yet. That’s one of the bravest words in the Bible. It means, “Everything I can see says otherwise. But I’m choosing this anyway.”
Habakkuk didn’t feel joyful because things were good. He chose to rejoice in God even when nothing was good. His joy wasn’t based on the harvest. It was based on who God is.
Some seasons in recovery feel like empty fields. You’re doing the work, but you don’t see results. Prayer feels like talking to no one. Amends feel heavy. Your feelings are flat. It’s normal, and it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
On days like that, you can pray like Habakkuk. Be honest about the empty fields. Name them. “Prayer feels empty. This amends went nowhere. I feel nothing.” Then add the yet. “Yet I will rejoice in You.”
You may not feel it. That’s the point. Habakkuk’s yet comes before the feelings. It’s a decision. And often, feelings follow decisions, slowly.
Keep doing the basics. Keep praying even when it’s dry. Keep calling your sponsor. Keep going to meetings. Keep making amends. Fields that look bare in the fall can be full again in spring.
If the empty feeling sticks around for weeks, or turns into hopelessness, talk to a doctor too. That’s part of taking care of yourself.
One thing today
Write your own “yet” prayer. List two or three empty fields in your life right now. Then write: “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.”
A prayer
Lord, my fields feel empty today. Prayer feels dry. Yet I will rejoice in You. You are the God of my salvation, whatever I feel. Hold me until the joy comes back. Amen.
Keep working Step Nine, even on the dry days.
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