By The Rev. CHARLES G. FINNEY

Modernized by Cliff Collins

Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Hab 3:17-18)

I. What does this state of mind, that the prophet Habakkuk describes, imply?

II. This state is indispensable to peace of mind and to salvation.

I. What does the state of mind that will rejoice in the Lord in every situation imply?

1. The person in a state of mind that rejoices in the Lord in every situation must possess the true knowledge of God. The prophet would not have said what he did, unless he knows God as He really is. He knows God as a being who is worthy of confidence and unfailing trust in every way.

2. This state of mind implies perfect confidence in God. It implies perfect confidence in God’s natural and moral attributes. It implies perfect confidence in His natural perfection and His moral character. Notice, Habakkuk says, that even though every physical mercy is withheld and everything that is done fails, he will still rejoice in God. Even though calamities of the worst kind should fall upon him and on all those around him, yet he will confide in God fully, and with the utmost assurance. God is, to him, a source of joy. God is a deep, constant, never-failing joy in spite of the fact that God, in His just indignation, is doing all those things.

3. The state of mind that rejoices in the Lord in every situation implies perfect sympathy with God. The way today’s passage is worded, makes this passage consistent with no other state of mind than a state of complete and universal sympathy with God in all His works and ways. Not only does Habakkuk have confidence in the fact that God is just and righteous, but the prophet with his whole soul, joyfully enters into the spirit that God cherishes towards all objects. He views these objects with the same eye that God views them. He completely agrees with the glorious manifestations of God’s indignation against sin, and he rejoices with a full heart, even in the midst of the judgments of God’s hand. He regards God as equally good in all His judgments and in all His mercies. He will rejoice in God just as much when He chastises a rebellious nation with holy indignation, as when He pours blessings on the penitent and obedient in mercy. He adores God with a supreme and unspeakable love in all the wonders of His work. He loves God just as much in God’s fearful visitations of merited and deserved punishment, as when He comes in grace, causing the fountains of plenty to open up, and streams of prosperity to flow into every corner of the land.

The state of mind that rejoices in the Lord in every situation implies more than simple submission as we commonly view and religiously use that word today. The prophet did not simply tolerate God’s providential dealings. Habakkuk’s words do not mean that he simply will not find fault with God, that he will not murmur or complain, or that he will tolerate God at least to the point where he will not openly rebel against Him. But, what does Habakkuk say? He says, “I will rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of my salvation”. He goes the whole length of full and overflowing joy, and ecstatic rejoicing.

God does not delight in the death of any sinner. He would rather see the sinner return to life, happiness, and salvation. Yet, God renders the righteous retribution that every being in the universe demands. He does not do this in the spirit of revenge and malice, but He does this from a holy and unalterable regard to the dictates of impartial benevolence or love. And in all this display of His judgment, God is everlastingly and unchangeably at peace with Himself. He forever rejoices in consummating what is right, and maintaining eternal justice according to, and subservient to, the great goal of the good of the universe. In this work of his, God rejoices. He cannot but rejoice, for His name is Love. Therefore, the righteous prophet Habakkuk also rejoices in sympathy with God, and with a heart that is completely conformed to the same great goal that God has.

4. The Bible calls God the all-sufficient portion of our soul. (See Lam 3:24) Although everything else may fail, God’s joy would always be overflowing and perennial. No circumstances whatever, could have any power to dampen the flame of love, no wind could parch the soil and dry the current of holy joy in the soul.

The state of mind that rejoices in the Lord in every situation is such, that the soul of that person cannot be deprived of its portion, as long as God lives and reigns, and as long as God holds the throne and sways the scepter of infinite love. That person can’t be plundered of his good, his happiness, and the joy of his all-satisfying portion, as long as God endures; and even though everything else may give way and disappear, God remains, and his soul is full.

5. The person who rejoices in the Lord in every situation universally and joyfully agrees with all of God’s will. Any intelligent person, who is able to use the same words that the prophet used, must be, in blessed harmony with God’s divine will.

II. If we want peace of mind, if we want salvation, this state is indispensable.

1. Without this state of mind, God’s providence is going to continually distress and disturb you. Unless you can see that calamity and judgments come on people for their sins, and you can look at these calamities with joy and peace, you cannot be happy, for calamities and judgments are always happening. They must happen. You must be able to rejoice in God, and allow God to do what He wills to do. You must be able to confide in His wisdom and His love, and you must feel assured that God can make no mistake, that everything He is doing is for the best interests of His universe. Unless you can confide in God this way, you can’t be happy in God; you can’t rejoice in Him because God must often visit the world with severe judgments.

2. We need a mind and a heart that rejoices in the Lord in every situation, simply to prevent Satan from disturbing and upsetting us. Of course, God has to do many things that seem mysterious to his creatures. He is working on a vast scale. But even though He works on a vast scale, everything He does is consistent with His infinite nature. There is a lot that God cannot explain. There is a lot that is simply impossible for creatures who are finite in duration and knowledge to understand. In many situations, it would be impossible for God to place before a finite mind, the whole scheme of things in such a way that it makes that person see the reason why God must do or allow certain things. Now if you can’t feel that God is good no matter what happens, and no matter how bad the situation may appear, then you can’t rest in Him, and you can’t be at peace. Satan will take advantage of such mysteries, and use them to get you to draw conclusions that will disturb your peace, throw you off balance, and send you headlong down the staircase of infidelity. And if Satan doesn’t do that, he will continuously harass and vex your peace and your communion with God.

“Ah”, Satan will say, “how come God made the human race like He did, liable to suffer extreme misery without any possibility of escape? Why did God create the human race when He knew that so much misery would result? How can God be good and still allow the world to be like it is, a world of hate, war, and inexpressible suffering? How can God allow the world to continue as it has these thousands of years, in blood and carnage? Why is a good man cut off in the midst of his days, taken from a field of usefulness, on his very entrance into a useful life, while a vile and profane wretch, who does nothing but evil continually, is left to live on in prosperity, a total curse to the world? Why is one portion of the human race struggling in deep wretchedness and poverty, living in the dark night of ignorance and vice? Couldn’t God have carried the blessed light of Heaven to their desolate shores if He wanted to do so? And can God be good if He does not carry the blessed light of Heaven to their desolate shores? Why should God send parching heat, when we desperately need drenching rain? Why should God send floods of rain, when there should be the warm and gentle sun mildly warming the earth? Why is the holy saint tortured with disease and racked with pain? Why is the faithful martyr bound to the stake? Why is the witness to the truth made to pour out his blood in its defense? Surely, there are too many things wrong in this world today. These are not the decisions that an all-wise and all-good being would make!”

Now, nothing but the most perfect confidence in God can prevent us from accusing Him of ignorance or failing to act, or downright malevolence. In the midst of so much that must be wholly unaccountable to our finite minds, do you know what we need? We need a confidence in God that is so strong that you can say, “Let God do what He wants to do, I will rejoice in Him continually”.

3. Nothing but this kind of confidence can secure our soul against that kind of worry and anxiety. Nothing but this kind of confidence can secure our soul against that restless fear of ill and wrong, which is so destructive to our peace, and so dishonorable to God. People are perplexed and anxious because God deals this way or that way with them. They have no confidence in Him and they can’t be happy until they do have confidence in Him.

4. Nothing short of this can meet the demands of our intelligence. Our reason tells us that we should have universal and perfect confidence in God, because He is infinitely wise, infinitely powerful, and infinitely good; and anyone that does not exercise this confidence in God must feel a sense of guilt. A lack of confidence in God must destroy the peace of our soul. Moreover, nothing other than perfect confidence in God is consistent with God’s commands. A man does not obey God until he comes into that state of perfect confidence, until he can say with the prophet, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Hab 3:17-18) He is an unbeliever and a wicked man who does not rejoice like Habakkuk did, who does not adopt this language as his own with all his heart.

5. Salvation consists in this state of mind that rejoices in God. Nothing short of this is salvation. What is holiness here? What is holiness in Heaven? What is holiness but the state in which we look over all of God’s works and exclaim, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of Hosts, the whole earth is full of Your glory. Who shall not praise You O God? Who shall not fear your name, O King of saints?” The only people who are saved are those who are in sympathy with God just like that. Moreover, they are saved no farther than they rejoice in Him and cry “Whom do I have in Heaven but You? There is no one on earth that I desire besides You. You are my rock and my strength, the rock of my salvation and my God.”

REMARKS.

1. Having our confidence in God is indispensable to our usefulness. No one can be truly useful in this world until he has confidence in God. No one can do what needs to be done, and no one can make the world holy and happy by his influence, until he has confidence in God. He cannot truly represent God, promote genuine religion, or enforce the claims of piety on his neighbor, until he confidently confides in God. He may have a lot of zeal. He may create conviction, produce excitement, but he does not and cannot lead a soul to God. Because, if he does not know what true religion is in his own experience, how can he tell others what true religion is? No matter how clear his mind may be, he cannot sway their minds under the power of truth, because he is a stranger to that honest, hearty, deep-felt conviction of the truth. He is a stranger to that personal consecration, devotion, and experience of the joy that flows from a deep and glorious relationship with God. And, because he does not have this, everything he does is usually in vain. His life, conversation, conduct, and preaching, will not exemplify true religion without having experienced a deep and glorious relationship with God.

2. Anything short of this in anyone who claims to be a Christian is a tremendous obstacle to others. What? Do you claim that you are a Christian? Do you say that God is the all-sufficient and never-failing portion of your soul? Do you claim to rely completely and totally on Him? Do you say that you trust in Him always and forever, and yet, do you display the same anxiety and worry, the same distress and agitation, the same uneasy, restless uneasiness, that other people have? Aren’t you placing an obstacle in front of others that will hinder them from finding faith in God? Would it have been honorable to God, if the prophet Habakkuk went around complaining, and lamenting over the loss of certain comforts? Would it have been honorable to God, if the prophet cried out, “What shall I do? I am undone!” What if Habakkuk refused to sympathize with God? What if he refused to justify God in all his doings? What if he refused to love God, and rejoice in Him through thick or thin? And doesn’t it dishonor God, for people who claim to be pious to distrust His goodness, and murmur at His justice? Isn’t this a stumbling block to those who look on and see their inconsistency?

3. Too many people today only rejoice in the mercy of God. But, because they never even think about the reasons why God does what He does, they fail to see that some things that appear inconsistent with holiness, could be mercy at all. Only the compassion of God moves them to joy and praise, and the only thing that comforts them is a view of His mercy and compassion. Any other view of God’s character, any other view of His dealings with His creatures pains them. Instead of rejoicing in God in the great, glorious, and harmonious whole, which makes up the perfection of His character, they can see Him only in one light, and that light is the light of compassion and grace. If the prophet only viewed God in the light of compassion and grace, could he have said what he did? God had cut off every sustenance of life. The world was starving around him, and desolation and desert wastes stretched over the land. How could he rejoice, if he only trusted in God’s mercy and compassion?

The only idea of religion that many people seem to have today is a sort of good-natured fondness, a sort of easy disposition that is never angry at sin or at sinners. But the only kind of religion that these people possess, exercises a blind indiscriminate compassion for sinners, and a desire to treat everybody, impenitent and penitent, with the same leniency, and in exactly the same way. Let me tell you , that these men neither know, nor worship the true God. The Bible is a stumbling block to them, and Satan keeps them constantly worrying and fretting, by pressing on them, these points of God’s character. Much of the Old Testament, the dealings of God with the heathen, the prayers of David in the Psalms for vengeance, seem to reveal a spirit of hate and malice. These people refuse to accept that a God of love can inflict the penalty of a righteous law, and yet they can’t shut their eyes to the undeniable fact that He does visit the sinner with total destruction.

4. Holy beings, from the very nature of holiness, don’t rejoice any less in God because He rules the earth in judgment, and because He visits the world with calamity. They don’t love God any less. They don’t confide in Him any less. They are not one bit less happy with God because God sends sinners to hell. They sympathize with God in all that He does to promote the highest good of the universe. They love Him no less for His scourging, no less for His desolations, no less for His destruction of men and of nations, than for pouring out His Spirit to bring the world to salvation. They know that God has the same great goal in view in both situations, and they love Him equally in both situations.

5. Many professing Christians are Universalists at heart. They do not thoroughly and truly support God in the administration of His government. Universalism has established its throne in their hearts. Universalism is a state of heart that strips God of His holiness, of His justice, of His prerogative to execute terrible judgments to send the wicked to hell. Universalists cannot love these things. Their God must not do these things. No, really! Is this true religion? Is it true religion to limit God? Is it true religion to tell God what He can and can’t do? “Oh Lord, please don’t punish me, or my friends, or my race. No matter how rebellious we are, please don’t destroy us. No matter how incorrigible we are; bless us or we cannot love You.” This is selfishness! Even Jehovah considers such nonsense as selfish.

6. Do you see why God’s providential dealings disturb so many? It is because they don’t have the confidence in God that belongs to true religion. God’s judgments disturb them. It disturbs their peace, and so they sink down into rebellious murmurings, or impious infidelity. If anything flows outside of their little channel they have dug, if anything wanders outside of their nicely marked out path, if anything cuts across their finite judgments, it is wrong.

7. Many seem to enjoy religion only as long as the providence of God seems to favor their particular plans and favorite schemes. “As long as God does just as I want Him to do, all my thoughts and desires are nicely satisfied, my ship sails with the breeze with all of its sails raised and open and therefore, God is good and I am happy!” Their country is blessed, their state is prosperous, their commonwealth is in peace, their family is in prosperity, their circumstances are comfortable, and therefore, God is good, and they are happy! They love God for all of this. They rejoice in His love. But let God thwart them, let Him run across their path, let Him turn all their cherished plans upside down and scatter their favorite schemes to the winds, and then what happens? What then? Perhaps they tolerate God, perhaps they don’t. But, one thing is for sure. They no longer rejoice in their God. They no longer have joy in the God of their salvation. Oh, no! They certainly can’t do anything about what God has done. He is too strong for them. But, suppose they could do something about what God has done, what would they do?

Now what’s the matter? They have no true religion! They thought they had religion. God was so good and kind to them, they thought they loved Him, but it turns out that they only loved themselves, and they only loved God because He was doing things that pleased and satisfied them. They thought God was their servant. Oh yes, they really liked having God for an almighty servant. I guarantee you they were happy. But to have Him on the throne of the universe, not to mention having Him on the throne of their hearts and lives, that’s another matter! Their heart is supremely set on their own way, not on God’s way. Instead of rejoicing in God’s will, whether or not God’s will agrees with their will or not, God must succumb to them, or they are unhappy and grieved.

8. To know God as the all-sufficient portion of our soul is the highest knowledge we could possibly possess. No man knows anything as he should know it, until he knows that God is the all-sufficient portion of his soul. Until he knows God this way, he has no knowledge that will lead to true happiness. All other knowledge is worse than useless without the knowledge that God is the all-sufficient portion of his soul. Many times, I have meditated on the quiet and happiness of ignorance. Ignorance, by its very lack of knowledge, avoids a lot of restlessness and anxiety. An increase of knowledge in a person who is not reconciled to God only increases their misery and wretchedness. Learning is only a curse, if you don’t have the knowledge of God as your portion.

9. The happiness of the true saint is secure, because the happiness of the true saint does not depend on external and contingent circumstances, but his happiness depends on God Himself. True saints know God, and to know Him is eternal life. As long as God lives and reigns, they know that nothing can disturb their happiness.

There was a time when President Edward’s wife thought she could not bear certain things. She thought certain losses would destroy her peace. She thought she could not bear certain things like the alienation of her husband’s affection, or the loss of her reputation among his friends. But, when her soul came into communion with God, she was delivered from all those fears that had distressed her. She was carried so high above all earthly things that none of those things had any power to affect her happiness. Like the glorious sun, which from its height in the heavens looks down on the earth below, and rolls on rejoicing, unmoved by all that passes among us mortals, so the soul whose trust is in God, rests in exquisite peace in the heart of exhaustless love, far beyond all worldly influences and cares. The martyr at the stake, although he may be in the most extreme physical agony, is yet, often full, often inexpressibly full of glory and joy. Why is this? How can this happen? It is because God is the natural and all-sufficient portion of their soul, and they rest in Him.

10. From their very state of mind, sinners cannot be happy. They can never be truly happy. If they don’t know God, they can’t find peace for the sole of their foot. They are like Noah’s dove, forever flying around with no place to land. And why? Because there is no place to rest but in God, and when they don’t rest in God, they must remain restless. They must forever seek peace and find no peace at all. Because they flee from their foundation and source, it is naturally impossible for them to be happy. Their separation from God gnaws at them. It eats out their own vitals. Their soul must return to God. They must dwell in God. They must rest under the shadow of God’s pavilion, or happiness is out of the question. The home of the soul is the heart of God. “You have been our dwelling place in all generations”, is the beautiful and true exclamation of the Psalmist. Until our mind finds its home, until our mind finds its home in God, where can it be quiet? The prophet's soul had reached its home. In this dwelling-place, he was joyfully secure. He was free from care, anxiety, and fear. He was full of joy and glory, in unspeakable blessedness.

11. Those who do not know God this way, do not truly know God.

Those who do not know God only have the outside shell of religion. They have their form, they have their religion, but where is their spirit? Where is their filial love? Where is their child-like confidence? Where is their simple unquestioning trust? Where is their artless, their heart-felt joy, and where is their soul-absorbing delight in God? Most religion today seems to be external. Those who do not know God come to the temple. They view the buildings, they see the splendor, they witness the sacrifices, they admire the gorgeous apparel, they participate in the imposing ceremony, and they blindly join in the ritual. But the new and living way into the holy of holies is the way that the great high priest has opened. Oh, their feet have never set foot in there. They have never seen its inner glory. Most people have little or no personal communion with their King. They have had little or no fellowship with Jesus Christ. To them, the glorious things of God are all distant, cold hearsay. They have heard about God by listening to others talk about Him, but their eyes have never seen Him. Now, the prophet Habakkuk had gone beyond the outward service. He went in beyond the veil into the holiest place of all, even into the chamber where the King of Kings was present. In view of all that his spiritual eye, in prophetic vision, saw of judgment and calamity, his soul was calm. His soul was not only calm, but it was intensely wrought up to the most exquisite joy and untold bliss. The prophet knew God and he knew that God has a purpose in all His works.

12. This is the only reasonable state for us to be in. This, and this only, fully answers the demands of our intelligence.

13. Sinners, can you see that you desperately need a change of heart. You know that your joy is not in God. You know perfectly well that you don’t feel that way towards God. You know you cannot be happy, but you still follow your own way, you still gratify your own lusts and passions. You cannot rejoice in God. You cannot let God do what He knows is best to do, and yet, who does not know that rejoicing in God is universal in heaven? How could you be happy in heaven, if you were to go there? You have no sympathy with God. You don’t delight in His will. You would be alone in heaven. Heaven is so holy and so pure, how could the holy in heaven receive you, or how could such holiness be compatible with your selfishness?

14. If this is true, many professing Christians today can see why they are not truly saved, nor likely to be saved. They don’t have that spirit, which is the essential element of a state of salvation.

15. Many seem to rest in their convictions. They see their sins. They are in agony. But, there they rest. Yes, their agony subsides, but that uneasy state produced by a sense of present guilt remains. They need to go beyond their conviction into a state of conscious consecration, conscious forgiveness, and into a state of acceptance, and resting joyfully in God. Many don’t expect this. They don’t look for or seek continual peace and happiness in God.

16. Anyone who thinks that outward circumstances are essential to peace, think so, because they do not know God. “If only things were this way, or if only things were that way, if only I had this and that and that, then I could enjoy religion. If I only had some Christian friends, if my husband were pious, if I were not so poor, if I enjoyed better health, or if I weren’t so severely afflicted, if the Church were only awake and active, if these, and a thousand things were as I wish they were, I could enjoy religion. But as it is, in my circumstances, I cannot rejoice, I am in distress, I am alone, I am suffering persecution, I am in poverty; how can I be glad?” How can you be glad? How could the prophet rejoice? He could rejoice by having God for his all-sufficient portion, and his everlasting home. You could rejoice in the same way. If you knew God as your all-sufficient portion, no suffering, not even the most intense suffering, could shake the fabric of your bliss, and throw your soul from its firm resting place on the everlasting Rock.

17. Sinners seek happiness in vain! Why? They seek happiness where it can’t be found. They look for happiness everywhere but in God. They strive to attain all sorts of knowledge, but the knowledge of God. They push their researches in every direction, but towards God. They do everything else but give themselves to God. They seek the world, its pleasures, its honors, its riches, its fame, and its glory. Can these be an everlasting portion? They pass away like a dream. Can their souls say, “If all these pass away, and disappear, yet my treasure is secure, my happiness is unmoved”? Definitely not! For, if these perishing worldly things are the sources of your joy, how can you be happy? Instead, you will say, “You have taken away my gods, and now I have nothing left”!

Yes, it is true that if the Christian’s hope is destroyed, if God could be dethroned, and Satan could have full rule, then the Christian might say, “All joy is fled from my soul”. But, as long as the throne of God stands unshaken, the person who puts his trust in God remains safe. Can riches make a man happy? Is the richest man in the world happy? No! He is one of the most miserable men, and he grows more miserable every day. How could he more effectively become the sport of the winds and the waves, of every sudden and unexpected change, than by placing his heart in riches? His houses burn down, his ships founder at sea, his tenants fail to pay their rent, he is at the mercy of every wind that blows. Can he say, “Let every penny of my wealth be burnt up, and I will still be happy”? Young man, you are a student here at Oberlin. You are talented, ambitious, and aspiring. You may climb, and climb, and climb the ladder of success, to the summit of greatness. Will you be happy? You will only be multiplying incalculably the vulnerable points of your soul, and from the very peak of your fame, you will topple and fall, and plunge into the lowest deeps of hell. Oh, how mad! Why not come back to God. Why not know God, and be able to say, “He lives, and reigns, and I am happy.”

18. The true knowledge of God completely overwhelms and raptures us. Men think they can be satisfied in some object that they choose. This is a mistake concerning everything around us. But, if we choose God, we truly can be satisfied! In God, we are swallowed up, absorbed, hidden, and lost in an ocean of bliss.

No one should stop short of this knowledge. Please, don’t stop until you reach this high goal. Professing Christian, don’t stop until you arrive at this blissful goal. Do not be content until you can rest in God as Habakkuk did. He was simply in a state of salvation, and in this state of salvation, he was as happy as he could possibly be. This was not the peculiar privilege of a prophet. And suppose it was the peculiar privilege of a prophet. What did Christ mean, when he said that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he? (See Matt 11:11) You may not only be able to say that you are greater than Habakkuk, but, like Habakkuk, you will also be able to proclaim, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

19. Wherever you lack this state of rejoicing in the God of your salvation, you can know for sure that you have unbelief in your heart. If there is anything in which you cannot say, “I rejoice in God”, you have unbelief, and you have no right to remain in unbelief one more moment.

Most professing Christians know little or nothing about this state of confidence and joy, and therefore they represent religion falsely. They represent religion as a gloomy, funeral-like, deathbed affair, and there is no way you can associate that kind of religion with joy and gladness at the same time.

May God deliver us and bring us to this state of joy in Him.