“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18).

Joy—an emotion we all crave—can often feel elusive. C.S. Lewis described joy as something glimpsed in one’s peripheral vision, suggesting it cannot be grasped by effort alone.

In Habakkuk 3:18, the prophet proclaims his joy in the Lord because he knows that God is the one who saves. While this truth seems obvious to believers—God saves through the birth, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus—many still struggle to find joy, even in light of the Good News. Habakkuk’s story offers guidance for those seasons. 

As a prophet, Habakkuk lived in a time when those seeking to honor God were persecuted by the wicked in Judah. He cried out to the Lord for help, but God’s reply was startling: He would use the wicked nation of Babylonia to punish Judah’s unfaithfulness. Habakkuk was confused. Why would God use a nation more corrupt than Judah to bring justice? God’s answer left him with a choice: trust in God’s wisdom or rely on his own understanding.

Habakkuk chose trust. In doing so, he found joy. Even while the prophet admitted his fear and dread about what lay ahead, even amid his turmoil, he rejoiced in the salvation that he knew God would bring.

During Advent, when challenges or sorrow may cloud our hearts, Habakkuk’s response reminds us that joy is not the absence of fear, but the presence of trust. As C.S. Lewis observed, we may be “surprised by joy”—finding it not by striving, but by choosing to trust God’s saving grace.