God Is Still Good When…

…everything fails.

Habakkuk 3:17 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…

This may be more personal than I intend, but here goes.

In March I planted a huge garden along with 150 lbs of potatoes. That 150 lbs isn’t the expected yield, only what was planted. The expected yield is 3-5 times that amount, if not more.

I also planted rows of green beans, squash, collard greens, onions, lettuce and tomatoes. Again, I planted enough to feed our family and at least one or two other families.

And we have 12 hens. That should mean a dozen eggs a day, right?

But all of it has failed all at once. Most of my onions, many of the potatoes, all the tomatoes and squash have all failed to bear fruit. And my hens have stopped laying. Almost all of them at once. Also, we lost quite a few chickens in rather rapid succession (most of them from violent means).

My garden didn’t go neglected. I watered, hoed, chased rabbits away from my collards and lettuce, I worked until I was delirious from sweat and heat. I have enough to feed my family, but no more than that.

I’ve sold a total of 2 book in the last 30 days. That’s less than I sold when I wasn’t marketing.

We make enough to meet our bills, but no more than that.

When I was a little girl, my dad told me that one of the secrets to getting rich is to make sure to tithe. I’ve learned what he meant by this. I probably could make an easy million without tithing, but would I really want to? No.

I remember how God said in Malachi 3:10 to test Him about tithing to see if He would not pour out blessing.

He still will.

I keep reminding myself that the story isn’t finished.

But even in this middle part, even when everything seems to be failing, when all my lack of success is displayed in glaring Amazon numbers, when all my tomato plants die and my kale was eaten by some greedy bunny, even then God is good.

 

Habakkuk 3:17 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

18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 

One of my heroes in the Bible is a quiet farmer from Bethlehem named Boaz. You can read all about him in the very short book called Ruth. Boaz maintained his farm throughout a famine, and that farm prospered after the famine. He had enough resources to support his family and have numerous farmhands. Not only that, he gave generously out of his bounty.

Boaz was no miser. When he had a harvest party, the wine tended to flow liberally. He was a righteous man who blessed (with word and deed) everyone around him. I want to be like that. I want to not only take care of my immediate family, but have enough to take care of others as well.

My story’s not over yet, and God may still open the windows of blessing over my life, but right now, when everything seems to be failing at the same time, God is still good.

Have you ever experienced a time where everything seemed to fail all at once? What happened next? (Yes, I am fishing for encouragement. And maybe your story will bless someone else beyond me as well.)