Though the Fig Tree

 Though the Fig Tree

August 6, 2026

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NKJV) 

17 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 may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls-- 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 19 The LORD God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s [feet,] And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

This verse reminds me of the orchestra leader we had back in the early days of Covenant Church of Mobile (or probably Gulf Coast Covenant Church back then). Frank Longeno was a great musician who played trombone and piano and taught me a great deal about worship music. Oftentimes, while we were waiting for practice to begin, Frank would sit at the piano and play “Though the Fig Tree Doesn’t Blossom”. It was one of his favorite tunes and he played it in a folksy, blues, jazz style. I still remember how it was a calming melody that set a laid back atmosphere for the practice session. You just couldn’t help but relax while singing about how all your troubles just didn’t matter. In the end, the only important thing is rejoicing in the Lord. When you think about it, these lyrics are a lot like our modern blues and country music; the crops failed, my dog died and my wife ran off with my truck, but I’m ok and can sing about it! 

The following verse was made famous by the inspirational book, “Hinds Feet in High Places”. That also talked about spending time with the Lord and rejoicing in Him in the midst of your daily struggles. All this reminds us that this life is short and is just a training ground for our eternal life with Jesus in His kingdom. One day, we won’t have to worry about about laboring to earn a living and all the things that can go wrong. In this world, lots of things can threaten our sustenance. Thus, Jesus taught us to pray “Give us this day our daily bread”. In Him, we have sustenance and life, and we can cast all our burdens on Him, and rejoice in the Lord.

 

Supplication and Rejoicing

 Supplication and Rejoicing

February 26, 2026

Psalm 28:1 (NKJV) [A Psalm] of David. 

To You I will cry, O LORD my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You [are] silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.

Psalm 28:6-7 (NKJV) 

6 Blessed [be] the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplications! 7 The LORD [is] my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

2 Corinthians 7:9 (NKJV) 

Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

 All throughout scripture, we are urged to rejoice. But an aspect of rejoicing that we may overlook is its connection to repentance. Godly sorrow leads to repentance and that leads to joy. In Psalm 28, the first half is a cry to God to rescue him and help him. It is only after raising his voice with supplications to the Lord that he comes to a place of rejoicing and singing. King David was a demonstrative kind of guy, so I think that all those around him could tell when he was crying out to the Lord and when he was singing and rejoicing. I, on the other hand, am a pretty quiet and reserved fellow, so you might not be able to tell just by looking at me how I am feeling. I need to be reminded to show my feelings of rejoicing. Our worship leader puts it like this, “If there is the joy of the Lord in your heart, let your face know it.” And that is true, not only on the worship platform, but in daily life as well. So my prayer for myself is, “Lord, let me rejoice in your mercy and grace, and let it show to those around me.” 

But back to the initial point about supplication. In the verse in second Corinthians, Paul was rejoicing that that the people were sorrowful. But not just sad, but sorrowful over their sins so that they came to a place of repentance. True joy then is when you confess your sins and experience the grace of God to forgive. Supplication, or crying out in sorrow to the Lord, leads to a cleansing and a lifting of the darkness so that you can rejoice and sing to the Lord. So let this day be a day of rejoicing and a day of experiencing the mercy and grace of the Lord who is mighty to save and merciful to forgive.