Thank God Anyhow - James Woodley and The Upper Room Church

Something to praise God for this morning. Amen.

If it had not been for God on our side,

where would you be? Just think about it.

Amen.

If you just think about it and you'll find yourself

start thanking God, praise God, and thank God for all

of his blessings.

Praise God how he brought you through danger, seen and unseen. Amen.

He was there to protect you. Amen. Praise God. Praise God.

I want to minister to you, share with you this

morning a message that Thank God Anyhow.

Thank God Anyhow.

And I'm going to be scripture coming from Habakkuk chapter 3,

Habakkuk 3:17–19

verse 17 to 19.

Amen.

It says, Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither

shall fruit be in the vine. The labor of the

olive shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat.

The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and

there shall be no herd in the stalls. Yet I

will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the

God of my salvation. Subject is thank God anyhow.

Amen.

Habakkuk, praise God, is looking at a situation that is

not pleasant.

That is not advantage.

There was no advantage in the situation that he's looking at,

that he's foreseeing here.

Praise God. In other words, he's a lot like Job.

Praise God.

He augurs his case with God because he sees what's

going to come on the land.

He sees what's happening, praise God, in the nation. Praise God.

But he augurs his case, but in the end of

him auguring his case, he realizes that God is to

be worshiped, not merely because of material or physical blessings

in your life, but God is to be worshiped because.

Of who he is. He's God.

He's a true and living God. He's to be worshiped

in spite of everything. Praise God. And so, therefore, he

end his word with a song of thanksgiving to God

for who he is and for the unchanging benefits that

belong to those who know him.

Amen.

Habakkuk has a reason to fret because when you think

about the fact that he's talking about the agriculture, you know, failing.

Praise God. And you know, agriculture fails. Praise God. That

affects everything. Praise God. It affects your life, your livelihood.

Praise God.

In an agricultural environment, you need the harvest in order

to be successful.

Amen. Although we're not part of.

A strong agricultural society, the way we are today, but

praise God, but we still need the blessings of God.

Amen.

But when things don't turn out the way that they

should or the way you expect, praise God, Habakkuk letting

us know, praise God, thank God anyway.

Praise God. Hallelujah. Thank God anyhow. Amen. And so we

thank God for who he is. Praise God. Hallelujah.

And so Habakkuk, realizing that he sees all these things

taking place, he's saying, I'm going to thank God anyhow.

Amen. And that's the approach that you and I need

to have. Praise God. He chose to be thankful.

Anyhow, he chose, praise God, in spite of all the

things that was happening, that was taking place, that was

falling apart.

Praise God. Hallelujah. He says, I'm going to thank God anyhow. Amen.

That should be our position this morning. Amen.

There are two key words, praise God, in that scripture

that I want to point out. He starts the scripture

off with, although.

Then he says, yet. Amen.

He says, although. Praise God. Although the fig tree shall

not blossom. In other words, the fig tree is not

going to produce any fruit. Although the fruit on the vine,

that's not going to be in the grapes on the vine.

He says, although the labor of the olive tree shall fail.

He said, although the fields will not yield any substance,

the flock shall be cut off under her. In other words,

he said, although, but then he says yet.

Amen. Hallelujah.

That's an approach that you and I need to have.

Although things may not be like I want it to be. Although,

praise God, I may not have what I want to have. Although,

praise God, things are not working out in my favor.

Praise God.

Although yet I will trust him. Yet I will thank

God anyhow. Praise God. We need to be able to

thank God. Praise God in all circumstances, even when our

circumstances change.

Praise God. Hallelujah.

One of the things about it, if our circumstances change,

God never changes. He told us in Hebrews 13 and 8,

Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.

Praise God. Hallelujah.

So things may change, but yet we need to praise

God and thank God anyhow.

Amen. The economy may go up and down.

The price of gas goes up and down every time

the president says that the straight is going to be open.

Praise God, the gas go up and down. Amen.

The groceries going up and down, though they are going

to get some beef from overseas. Praise God, the Lord

beat the price of beef. Praise God, whether it goes

up or down, we need to be able to be

in a position to thank God anyhow.

Amen. Hallelujah.

We may not be able to rejoice in our situation,

but we can always rejoice in our God.

Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God.

So Habakkuk in this particular scripture is painting a very dark,

bleak Picture or portrait of the future of the way

things look, but he looks away. Praise God to a

God who's always the same.

Things may go up. Things may change. Praise God. Opportunities

may change, but God does not change. Praise God. Hallelujah.

God is the one that we can depend on in

all times, in desperate times, in good times. We can

trust God even in troublesome times. We can believe God

doing unbelievable times. We can lean on him.

Praise God. Guess what? At all times. Amen. Praise God.

Thank God anyhow. Amen. Praise God. We may not always

know what God is doing. Amen.

Because he says in Isaiah 55 and 8, he said,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your

ways my ways, said the Lord. For as the heavens

are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher

than your ways. and my thoughts than your thoughts. For

as the rain cometh down in the snow from heaven,

and returneth not hither, but water the earth, and maketh

bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to

the sower, and bread to the eater. So shall my

word be that goeth out of my mouth. It shall

not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that

which I please, and it shall prosper in.

Praise God. So we can always trust God to do

what is right.

We can always trust God to take care of his people,

to take care of his saints. That's why, praise God,

we need to get in the position to be able

to thank God anyhow.

Amen.

We may not always understand his plans, but one thing

we can do is trust him.

Number one, to have the best plan. Amen. Hallelujah.

You can always depend on God to have the best

plan for us. Romans 8, 28 says, we know that

all things work together for good to them that love God.

to them who are called according to his purpose. Are

you called this morning? Are you called according to the

purpose of God? Well, all things going to work together

for good.

Amen. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. So no matter how things

may appear, God is still in control. Amen. And he

still knows what's best for us. And he always does

what is right. Praise God. Hallelujah.

And we always, we were told in the word to

pray without ceasing. That's what we should do. But Habakkuk,

not only did he pray, but the scripture says, I'm

going to praise God and thank God anyhow.

Amen. Amen.

So in 1 Thessalonians 5.18, he says, in everything give thanks,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus

concerning you.

Talking about us. Amen. Hallelujah.

He will always be God and we can be thankful anyhow.

Thank God anyhow.

Amen. Thank you, Jesus. Praise God.

Things might be bad in life, but things do not,

praise God, affect your, listen to, but this is important here.

Things may not, may be bad in your life, but

things do not affect your salvation. If you're saved, it

does not affect your salvation. You see, your salvation does

not depend on things going well. Your salvation does not

depend on things, praise God, being exactly like you want

it to be. Your salvation rests solely on the grace

and the power of God in your life. That's where

your salvation is at.

Amen. So life itself is uncertain, praise God. Amen.

At its best, it's uncertain, praise God, because all it

takes is one phone call to throw everything off. Or

I can just take one doctor's visit to change everything.

But salvation is eternal.

Praise God. Salvation. Amen. Hallelujah. It does not change. Amen.

No matter if circumstances change. That's why we can thank

God in the house. Praise God.

Hallelujah.

The salvation that we're talking about is more than just

the saving of the soul.

The word salvation means deliverance and rescue. Praise God. Hallelujah.

And so when we think about what's going on in

our society, praise.

God, we realize that this world is not our home.

Praise God. Jesus is coming back. Praise God to deliver us.

Praise God.

Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. So things may get bad here.

But the world is not our home. Praise God. We

are headed to a better place.

Our salvation is going to take us, praise God, hallelujah,

to heaven. Our salvation in God, hallelujah, is going to

take us, praise God, where there's every day, the old

song says, every day will be Sunday. We'll say, you know,

every day will be like Sunday and howdy, howdy every

day and all those things. Well, you know, once we

get in the presence of God, amen, everything will be

taken care of. Praise God. But we have to praise

God For his mercy and his grace down.

Here while we're here. Praise God.

We need to be like Habakkuk says. I'm going to

praise him and thank God anyhow.

Amen.

Things may get bad here, but things can't take away

our salvation.

Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. And so, praise God.

We'll save unto the uttermost according to Hebrews 7.25. So

that is about as saved as you can get when

you're saved to the uttermost.

Praise God. Hallelujah. To the utmost. Hallelujah. We are saved. Amen.

We may lose everything here, but we can't lose God. Amen. Hallelujah.

Praise God. Be like Job. Job lost everything. Job lost

the family farm. Job lost his family. Job lost everything.

But Job held on to his integrity. As a matter

of fact, the scripture says when things start hitting Job,

praise God, the Bible says, what did he do?

He worshiped. Amen.

He worshiped. In other words, he had that attitude just

like Habakkuk. I'm going to thank God anyhow.

Amen. God's salvation never ceases.

Therefore, we can be thankful for anyhow.

Praise God. Hallelujah. Praise God. And God will sustain us

and he will take care of us. Amen.

When we are unable to stand, God will strengthen us

so we can stand. When we can't go on, he

will help us to go on. When we are in

a deep valley, he will lead us to higher ground.

Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God.

If you hold on to God's unchanging hand, follow God.

Habakkuk is telling us that God enables him to rise

above his circumstances.

Praise God.

To the point that he says, I'm going to give

God thanks and praise anyhow.

Amen. In the midst of all of this, Destruction in

the midst of all of this loss.

Because you know, when the farmer can't plant his field,

when the farmer's not producing the harvest, there's a loss.

But you know what Habakkuk says? I'm going to praise

God and give God thanks in the house.

Amen. Hallelujah.

Praise God. In other words, praise God. Habakkuk believed this.

He believed that God would turn his doubts into shouts. Amen.

I want to say that again. God will turn your

doubts into shouts.

Amen.

If you just give God praise and give God thanks,

praise God. He'll give you peace in the midst of

all your problems.

Amen. Hallelujah.

That's what God did for Joe. That's what God did

for Paul. And this is what he can do for

you and I.

Amen. Hallelujah. God is able, praise God, to make his

children to stand. Praise God. Hallelujah.

When that strength fell, praise God, we can praise God.

The scripture said, mount up as wings of evil.

Praise God. You walk and not faint. Praise God. Hallelujah.

So in conclusion this morning, praise God, pray and praise God.

Give God thanks anyhow. In his trials, Habakkuk learned a lesson.

He learned, praise God, that all of God's children need

to learn.

Praise God.

He learned that God is both our salvation and he's

our song.

Amen.

He learned that he had nothing to fear from life,

but what he learned was to give God praise and

to give God thanks anyhow.

Amen. Hallelujah.

And if you're saved today, you possess every reason to

be thankful, just like Habakkuk was.

Amen.

Hallelujah. So regardless of what you might be facing today,

no matter how it looks, no matter, praise God, what

the situation may be, you and I can lean on

God and be thankful in a hound.

Amen. Praise God. Hallelujah. And so, praise God, be thankful

in a hound.