"Yet I will..."
“Yet I Will…”
These three simple words carry profound weight in Scripture. They encapsulate the heart of God’s people—those who place their faith in His promises. “Even if the mountains crumble into the heart of the sea, yet I will…” “Even if God doesn’t save us from the fire, yet I will…” This is the cry of spiritual sojourners, those who recognize they are not home yet.
The minor prophet Habakkuk was one such sojourner. In the face of God’s impending judgment on Israel, he pleaded, “In wrath, remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2). Habakkuk had heard the report of what God would bring upon His covenant people through a foreign nation, and he was afraid.
Have you ever felt fear for the future? Wondered what tomorrow might hold? Perhaps you’ve faced circumstances that felt overwhelmingly dire. This past year has certainly stirred such feelings for many. So, what do you do when it seems like the mountains are crumbling into the sea (Ps. 46:2)?
For Habakkuk, the situation was dire, and his fear was palpable. Listen to how he describes his feelings:
“I heard, and my inward parts trembled; at the sound, my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble, because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us” (Hab. 3:16).
Habakkuk found himself between a rock and a hard place—a season of waiting and dread. It was an unbearable tension, a painful mix of fear and uncertainty. How long can someone endure the feeling of “decaying bones”?
Yet, even as Habakkuk’s story seems to teeter on this bleak cliffhanger, he offers a glimmer of hope. Rising out of Israel’s darkest hour comes a song of faith. How does Habakkuk respond to the looming catastrophe? With the bold declaration: “Yet I will…”
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls…
Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places” (Hab. 3:17–19).
Faith declares, “Yet I will…” even in the face of uncertainty and impending doom. It’s a firm resolve to exalt the Lord and worship Him in all circumstances. Whether in seasons of abundance or scarcity, faith can say, “It is well with my soul.” “The Lord God is my strength.”
What is the “though…” in your life right now? Are the mountains crumbling into the sea? Is there no fruit on the vine? Have the flocks been cut off from the fold? Or perhaps your “though…” is calm weather and smooth sailing.
Whatever the circumstances, let us together echo Habakkuk’s song of faith: “Yet I will exult in the Lord, the God of my salvation. He is our strength.”