Strength & Food/Coming Out The Other Side

"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."
Habakkuk 3:17-19

“Remove the dross from the silver, and out comes material for the silversmith.”
Proverbs 25:4

"Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Matthew 4:4

Another pruning this past week in our lives, beloved, can anyone relate?
Habakkuk 3:19 reads : "Sovereign Lord"...this phrase appears multiple times in the prophets' writings; but have you ever given much thought to this adjective, this phrase describing the Lord? "Sovereign" means supreme, above all others, without equal,beyond reproach, the One who "calls all the shots", omniscient, omnipotent.
The second part of this verse reads - "IS MY STRENGTH" ... when life as we know it teeters on the edge and things get a bit dicey, or when it "hits the fan"- God alone is the source of our strength - we can trust Him. God alone is worthy of our trust, is He not? Crops fail, economies may wither, disappointments may come, but as believers we do not, we cannot, live by "bread" alone, but by every word that proceeds from His mouth, His Spirit that draws us, and His love that sustains us. We are being pruned, refined, and polished, being made ready for our Bridegroom, as we keep our eyes locked on Jesus. Our new growth brings deeper roots, and more beautiful fruit. More pruning may come, as our Sovereign God deems necessary for our
eternal benefit-and His glory.
He is enabling us to go on the heights.