Some seasons come in like a flood. A family buries an aunt on Saturday and gets word of a cousin’s death abroad on Monday. By the end of the month there have been three funerals, two nine-nights, and more cooking, travelling and phone calls than anyone can manage. The dining table is covered in programmes and receipts. The spare room is full of relatives. The money set aside for the roof has gone on flights and food. And in the middle of it all, somebody still has to take out the rubbish and pay the light bill.
When loss piles on loss, the house itself can start to feel heavy. Every room holds a memory, every phone call might be more bad news. It is a hard season.
A prophet with nothing growing
The prophet Habakkuk lived through a hard season on a national scale. He saw injustice at home and invasion coming from abroad. His book begins with complaint: “O Lord, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:2, NKJV). He does not hide his confusion.
Yet the book ends with one of the most remarkable songs in Scripture:
“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour 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, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18, NKJV)
Read that list again with a household in mind. No blossom, no fruit, no harvest, no livestock. Everything a family depended on has failed. And still he sings.
Praise that doesn’t pretend
It is important to notice what Habakkuk does not say. He does not say the fig tree is really blossoming if only he had more faith. He does not claim the empty stalls are full. He names the losses plainly, one after another. His praise is not denial. It is a decision about where to put his trust when every other support has gone.
Grieving families sometimes feel pressure to be cheerful too quickly, to say “God is good” at the graveside before they have been allowed to cry. That is not what this passage asks. Habakkuk spent two chapters complaining honestly before he sang. Grief and praise can sit in the same heart, even in the same breath. Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of His friend Lazarus (John 11:35), knowing full well He was about to raise him.
Strength for the next step
The song ends with this line: “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” (Habakkuk 3:19, NKJV). A deer on a mountainside doesn’t see the whole path. It simply finds the next sure footing, then the next.
In a hard season at home, that may be all we can ask for: strength for the next step. Enough to get through this funeral. Enough to cook for the relatives who are staying. Enough to open the envelope from the bank. Enough to sit with the child who keeps asking where Grandpa went.
Keeping the household steady
A few practical things can help a home through a season of loss:
- Share the load. Let church members and neighbours cook, drive, and sit with the children. Accepting help is not weakness.
- Protect a little routine. A regular mealtime or a short evening prayer gives children and adults something steady to hold on to.
- Write down the money. Funerals are expensive. Keep a simple list of what has been spent and by whom, so that nobody is left with resentment later.
- Postpone big decisions. Wait before deciding what to do with a loved one’s house or belongings, unless something truly cannot wait.
- Watch for the quiet ones. Someone in the household may be struggling more than they show. If grief becomes overwhelming, a pastor, counsellor or doctor can help.
The season will not last forever, though it may feel as if it will. Fig trees do blossom again. But even before they do, the God of our salvation remains. That is the ground Habakkuk stood on, and it is still solid.
For reflection
- What would your own “though the fig tree” list include right now? Can you name those losses honestly before God?
- What is the next step your household needs strength for this week?
A prayer
Lord, this is a hard season in our home. You know the names of those we have lost and the weight we are carrying. We will not pretend it is otherwise. Yet we choose to trust You, the God of our salvation. Be our strength. Give us sure footing for the next step, and the next. Comfort the grieving in this house, and let the fig tree blossom again in Your time. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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