Though the fig tree

  should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vine,

the produce

         of the olive fail,

and the fields

    yield no food,

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 take joy in the God

      of my salvation.

GOD, the Lord,

            is my strength;

He makes my feet

     like the deer's;

He makes me tread

        on my high places.

       Habakkuk 3. 17-19

(Yet.

Even still.

Besides.

In addition.

Nevertheless.

On top of everything else.

Yet is a statement of hope,

   not looking into the future,

   but rooted fully in the past.

Yet is what God's faithfulness

                    looks like.

This scripture should be

   the bedrock verse

               of 2020.

Not just get us through,

but bearing fruit

   even in the unexpected.

Not just surviving

        but thriving,

 no matter the circumstances.

Not a narrow squeak

        but His Almighty hand.

Not "oh you were lucky,"

  but wow, we are so blessed,

             even in this.)

O LORD,

May we worship you,

even in the unusual

         and unexpected

and the mysteries of life.

We can know You.

We can trust You.

We can sing Your song

   in all that we do,

even in unusual situations.

Help us to bring Your name

       to what is before us.

And to seek You in this,

             not just an answer.

Pour over us Your joy,

               O LORD.