“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” — Habakkuk 3:18

Life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect. We pray, but the answer doesn’t come. We believe, but the circumstances don’t change. We trust God, yet life takes a turn we never anticipated. What do we do when our expectations aren’t realized?

Habakkuk faced that question. He envisioned a time when the fig tree wouldn’t blossom, the fields would produce no food, and the flocks would disappear. Everything upon which people depended for their livelihood could be gone! Yet he declared, “I will rejoice in the LORD!” His joy wasn’t dependent upon favorable circumstances. It was anchored in the God of his salvation.

That’s the kind of faith we need!

When life gets tough, give it over to God! Peter tells us to cast all our cares upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Some burdens are simply too heavy for us to carry. We cannot control every circumstance, solve every problem, or determine every outcome. But we can entrust them to the One who cares for us.

And while you’re at it, trust Him! Proverbs 3:5 tells us to “trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Faith doesn’t require us to understand everything God is doing. It calls us to trust the God who does. His faithfulness isn’t measured by how closely He conforms to our expectations.

And don’t forget to turn up the worship! Habakkuk didn’t wait for circumstances to improve before he rejoiced. Neither did Paul and Silas wait for the prison doors to open before they began singing (Acts 16:25). Worship isn’t merely our response to what God does. It is our response to who He is! Quit worrying and start worshiping!

We don’t worship because everything is going our way. We worship because God is worthy! We don’t trust Him because we understand everything. We trust Him because we know His character. We don’t give up when life gets difficult because our hope isn’t anchored in favorable circumstances. Our hope is anchored in Jesus Christ!

So remember: When your expectations fall apart, don’t let your faith fall apart with them. Give it over to God, trust Him, and turn up the worship!

–PGR