Even if the fig tree doesn't bloom...

Let's go to the book of Habakkuk, Chapter 3. Brothers, perhaps for some of you it is the first time that you have, perhaps if you are very new, it is the first time that you have heard of such a book of Habakkuk. And the first time they see this text. For others, perhaps, you are very familiar with this text, indeed, perhaps it is your lifeline. If you are new to this text, this be your motto text, I ask the Lord that this bless you tonight. Habakkuk, Chapter 3, verse 17.

Lord we thank you for the way you have spoken to us. Spirit of God I rejoice in the way you have softened our hearts. Lord, a breath of your spirit on this word and on our souls. Master, that is enough to revive us and for your name to be exalted in our lives, Jesus. We ask you in the name of Jesus.

Habakkuk, Chapter 3, verses 17, 18 and 19. Amen.

“… Even though the fig tree does not flourish, nor are there fruits on the vines, even though the olive produce is lacking and the fields do not provide maintenance, and the sheep are removed from the fold, and there are no cows in the corrals, I will still rejoice in the Lord, and I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength who makes my feet like servants and makes me walk on my heights..."

Amen. How many has the Lord led you to this verse at one time or another in your journey in the Lord? If I don't commend it, this verse is precious. Precious! The pastor quoted this verse two Sundays ago in his first message after his month-long absence. For him it is a motto text.

But now I am addressing some of you, perhaps you are sitting listening to Pastor Omar's announcement that next Sunday is our Thanksgiving service on Wednesday, sorry. I see that you heard much better than me. Next Wednesday is the day we're going to be celebrating Thanksgiving, and maybe you're saying, I hope the microphone doesn't touch me because I don't even know what I'm going to thank the Lord for. How and from what, where will my thanksgiving song come from.

If you are reading this as precious as it sounds, think well how we rejoice even if there is no harvest. And even if we don't see fruit on the harvest. Let me translate that:

Perhaps you are going through a challenging time in your life. He is here this Wednesday and he has been here Wednesday after Wednesday because there is no fig tree on his plant, there is no fruit on his vine, there have been no cows in their corrals for a long time. You've been going through a dry spell at one time or another and that's why you're here. And you are asking the Lord, “Lord, I want to believe like this, and Master, I want, I long for this to be my song. I long for power with all my heart, to be able to worship the Lord freely, I want to see an end to this desert."

It can be an economic desert, it can be a health desert, it can be a loved one who is suffering, going through a difficult time in your family, here or far away and you suffer with him or her. Whatever it is, this is your thanksgiving season this year, how are you going to do it?

First of all, my brothers, know something, that this is precisely what happened on the first Thanksgiving in the year 1621, about 37 miles from here, 52 km from here, the people who were celebrating that first Thanksgiving, the previous winter, they had buried half of those who came with them on the ship. They were very similar to us, pilgrims. They left their country, their people, what they knew. The Lord had given them a vision of getting here and starting a new life. Sounds familiar to some of you? They arrived at a hostile place, everything went wrong and… amen, there is a pilgrim in the house.

But in what head is it possible that at the sight of the tombs of their husbands, wives, children, parents, these people leave thanksgiving. These people were celebrating before the Lord. Brothers, firstly the focus of this statement, verse 17 is necessary, but know something, what does this verse tell us:

"... Although the fig tree does not flower, nor are there fruits on the vines, although the olive tree produce is lacking, although, although...."

I guarantee you, first of all, even if you are certain of your salvation, even if you are as the pastor has been preaching these days, under the blessing of the Lord, doing the will, precisely in God's purpose, there will be things in your lives about which which you have no control. There will be, in their lives, events that you have no control over, you will never have control over. You have no control over the harvest. You can plant, there is the seed. You do your part, but you don't control the weather, you don't control the rain, you don't control what that land does after that seed is sucked. What control do you have over that? You have no control over the economy. You do not have control over many aspects of your health. You have no control over the life, death of yourself or your loved ones. And no matter how much you love the Lord, you have no control over these things.

How does that make you feel? In most cases it makes us feel afraid, right? we tend to get scared in front of things we can't control. Brethren, that is the point of this verse. You are not celebrating the fact that your house is losing its mortgage. You may not be celebrating the fact that you lost a loved one this year. But do you know what you are celebrating? The focus is on verse 18, it says:

"... With everything I will rejoice..." ─ Pastor Samuel, how am I going to rejoice in these things? read it well

"... I will rejoice in Jehovah..." Amen, Jehovah. “…and I will rejoice in the God of my salvation…”

Brethren, we are not celebrating circumstances that we cannot control. We rejoice in the Lord, we rejoice in God our salvation. In other words, you want to survive this winter. It's all about the presence of the Lord. This is how I am reading this text. That is what I see in this text. Everything turns to him.

You can't control these things, but you can. You have access to the throne of the one who does have control over all things. It is about access to his presence. Brothers, I believe that everything that God did today was from the Lord, even that last song. It was not too much.

What's more, and that's the point, my brothers, why do you think we invest so much time, so much energy, so much prayer to invite the presence of the Lord to manifest? Because? Why so much emphasis on establishing ministries that are sensitive to the spirit of God? Prepare an environment that invites the presence of the Lord. Guarantee that our hearts are ready to enter the presence of the Lord. Because it's all about the presence of the Lord.

You know, one of my favorite ways to pray is to get out and walk. And so I can talk to myself. In New York it is much easier, because many more people talk to themselves walking down the street than here. But here, if I put the headphones on they're going to think I'm singing or talking to myself, rapping or whatever. Praying while I'm walking and just last night I was sharing this right there on one of those streets in Summerville, my list, to the Lord.

And as the Lord does many times, the spirit of God interrupted me and gave me as if it was… it was as if the spirit of God said to me, “Samuel, tell me this. Declare this to me. Sing me this.” And in the midst of that the Lord tells me, “My presence fills every desire. My presence vanishes every fear”. “My presence satisfies every need. My presence conquers every fear. Do you understand, Sam? Yes, now tell me.

Lord, your presence meets every need. Lord, your presence conquers every fear. Amen. Yes, Samuel, tell me again. Amen. Your presence satisfies every need. Your presence conquers every fear. Samuel, keep saying it until I get tired of hearing it, keep going. It is going well.

Brothers, I don't know how many times I declared that to the Lord. But I do know that the moment I got home, shalom, the peace of the Lord, still made me forget the reason why I was talking to him and praying. Because I could only see his presence.

Brothers, in the presence of the Lord as verse 19 declares is his strength, control. The desires that are burning you inside, the hunger that perhaps you feel or have felt for years, the Lord either satisfies you the moment you enter his presence, or dries it up and discards it and burns it. Why litter that doesn't matter, because you have the most beautiful thing in the world in front of you. And the fears that weigh you down cannot survive the authority of the Lord's presence.

Let's stand up. My brother, maybe on Wednesdays we've been playing a trick on you. I'm going to be honest. You arrive and the reason why many of us arrive is because we have needs that only God knows how you carry day after day, the Lord knows. But the idea is that the moment you enter through the doors of this place, and achieve, that's the idea, you arrive and you say, "Lord, I have this need," and those who are leading the praise, and the pastors, and all of us who are here, are saying, amen. Seek his presence. Amen, let us enter into his presence.

But I just said, I have this need, I have this thing that burns inside of me. And we respond the same, and we will respond the same, Wednesday after Wednesday, Sunday after Sunday, amen, let's seek his presence.

Lord, manifest your presence. Lord, pour out your presence. It is so simple, but the moment you achieve your presence, everything else loses its priority and we are transformed.

Lord, we love you because you are always faithful. Sir, you know that we have no control over the fig tree. There are so many things, thank you, Lord, because no one has to explain to you that we are useless servants, totally useless. Jesus we admit it, we are helpless, utterly helpless. We are children. We are children still unable to add a cubit to our height, still unable to change the color of our skin. But yes through the power of your spirit you give us access to your presence. Do it, Lord.

Lord, if anyone is here who does not understand this, not even in these moments that we are about to close, has not managed a moment in your presence, Spirit of God manifest yourself, manifest yourself and minister to his soul, minister to our souls in the name of Jesus.

Cover me, with your love surround me

Take me, I want to be close

And waiting for new strength I will have

And I will rise like eagles by the power of your love.

Cover me, with your love surround me

Take me, I want to be close

And waiting for new strength I will have

And I will rise like eagles by the power of your love.

And I will rise like eagles by the power of your love.

Glory in your name Jesus. You are winner. Lord, you know us, you call us, you are powerful, you are kind, you are the one who heals us, you are the one who lifts our head, you are the one who opens the prison doors, Lord, you are the one who heal the broken heart, you are the one who comforts, Lord, the orphan and the widow. You are beautiful. You are beautiful. And we will never ever have too much of you, our cup will never ever have too much of your beauty, too much of your presence, it is a fountain that overflows for a lifetime and for an eternity. In other words, Lord, you are all that is needed.

You are all that we need, Jesus.