Synopsis 07.13.25
Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Habakkuk 3:17–19 (NKJV):

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor 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—

18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 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.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

I.               INTRODUCTION

Life has a way of putting us in situations where everything seems to be falling apart. Have you ever been there? Moments where the things you counted on fail. The job you relied on disappears. Relationships you thought were unshakable begin to crumble. Everything you held dear starts slipping away.

Life sometimes brings us to a place where our plans are derailed by uncertainty—yet we are forced to testify to the depth and breadth of our relationship with God.

This is where we find the prophet Habakkuk. Unlike many prophets who speak God’s word to the people, Habakkuk speaks the people’s frustrations back to God.

He asks hard questions:

• Why do the wicked prosper?
• Why do the righteous suffer?
• Why does it feel like You’re silent, God, in the face of injustice?

By chapter 3, something shifts. Habakkuk moves from questioning to confidence. From frustration to faith. From the natural to the spiritual.

He says, “Though there are no blossoms… no fruit.. . no cattle—YET I will praise God.”

This, my friends, is what we call a YET praise.
It’s not based on what you see—it’s based on what you know.
It’s a defiant praise in the face of adversity.

A yet praise is a pivot in your posture. It’s when God gives you a revelation in your situation—and that revelation creates an expectation that what was revealed will become manifested.

Your language has changed. Your vision has changed.

You may not have the healing… YET.
You may not have the home… YET.
But you believe manifestation is on the way.

Some of you are praising based on a word—not on your circumstance. And that’s what this message is about: praise as a position, a perspective, and a push forward.

II.               PRAISE PROFESS OUR POSITION

Habakkuk’s name means “embrace” or “wrestler.” He wrestles with God’s will, but ultimately embraces God’s plan.

600 years before Jesus, Judah is in crisis. The Assyrian Empire is crumbling, and Babylon is rising. Political corruption, injustice, economic collapse—everything is chaotic. Sound familiar?

Habakkuk is standing in the middle of national disaster, asking: “God, why are You allowing this?”, but chapter 3 is a pivot.

It’s a song. A declaration. A memory of what God has done.

He says, “God has given us deer’s feet… He is preparing us for elevation.”

You don’t get deer’s feet for staying low. You get deer’s feet because you’re going higher.

So let me give you a few things to help you understand how a YET praise can shift your life.

1. PRAISE ESTABLISHES OUR STANCE DESPITE THE STRUGGLE
2. Your situation does not define you—your stance in God does.
3. When you praise in difficulty, you declare that your faith is not circumstantial—it’s steadfast.
4. You’re like a tree planted by rivers of water…
   You’re steadfast, unmovable, always abounding…
5. Foundation matters.
6. Praise is your seatbelt in turbulence.
   You may not be able to stop the storm, but you can strap in and call on Jesus.
7. That’s how you survive life’s turbulence—with a foundation in God.

• PRAISE KEEPS US GROUNDED IN GOD WHEN LIFE IS UNCERTAIN
• Judah was facing the unknown. The Babylonians were coming, but praise lifts your eyes above the chaos.
• “I will bless the Lord at all times” means I bless Him…
• If He opens the door.
• If He doesn’t open the door.
• All times means even when I don’t understand what’s going on, I will bless him.

III.               PRAISE PROVIDES A PROPER PERSPECTIVE

Praise doesn’t just keep you grounded—it shifts your view.

1. Praise Shifts Our Focus from Lack to the Lord
2. Stop focusing on what’s missing.
   Start thanking God for what’s present.
3. Worry stares at the fog. Praise focuses on the headlights.

3. So enjoy today. Protect your peace. Don’t drag tomorrow’s worry into today’s gift.
“This is the day the Lord has made—I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

• Praise Reframes Problems as Platforms for God’s Power
• Your pain is a platform.
  Your struggle is an opportunity for God to get glory.
• Paul and Silas praised at midnight—and the jail shook.
• What if your praise is someone else’s breakthrough?

IV.               PRAISE POWERS OUR PERSEVERANCE

Endurance is not about avoiding struggle.
It’s about having the strength to push through it.

A.    Praise Strengthens Our Steps in Seasons of Suffering

1. Psalm 23 says  “Yea, though I walk through the valley…”
   You may be in the valley—but you don’t have to camp there.

B.    Praise Gives Us Stamina to Press Forward in Faith

1. Habakkuk says, “Even if there’s no fruit, no flocks—yet I will rejoice.”
2. This is agricultural disaster.
   No crops = no food, no income, no survival, but he says, “Even if I lose it all—I still choose to praise.”
3. Like Job: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

V.               PRAISE PROPELS US TO PROGRESS

Verse 19 isn’t just about survival—it’s about elevation.

A.    Praise Accelerates Our Movement Toward Divine Destiny

1. God doesn’t just give you strength to survive—He gives you strength to CLIMB.
2. Deer’s feet = agility to go higher.
3. You were prepared in the valley… for the high place.
   All that trauma? That preparation?
   It was building you for the next level.
4. Tell somebody: “This is the last time you’ll see me at this level.”
5. Praise Shifts Your Mindset from Survival to Success
6. You’re not just surviving—you’re progressing.
   You’re blessed in the city and the field.
7. Worship Prepares You for the Doors God is About to Open
8. Worship is about who God is.
   And that alignment gets you ready for what’s next.
9. Joy in the Lord Strengthens You for the Journey Ahead
10. The joy of the Lord is your strength.
    That’s how you keep moving when others quit.

B.    Praise Positions Us for the Next Level of Purpose

1. You were built for this. That’s why God gave you deer’s feet.
2. There is:
3. Protection – Some things can’t reach you at this level.
4. Provision – God will nourish you in high places.
5. Persistence – You’re equipped to handle the terrain.
6. Perspective – You see clearer at this height.

e.      

C.   CONCLUSION: THE POWER OF “YET”

1. “Though the fig tree does not blossom… yet I will rejoice.”
2. That little word “yet” carries weight.
3. As an English major and theologian, let me tell you—“yet” is a conjunctive adverb.
   It connects two opposing realities: despair and praise.
4. “Yet” says:
5. My faith isn’t tied to the fig tree.
6. My praise isn’t postponed by pain.
7. My revelation is greater than my reality.
8. You may not have the diagnosis you wanted—yet.
   You may not have the breakthrough—yet.
9. But you’ve got a YET praise.
   A praise that says, “God, I trust You anyway.”
10. So if you’re here today and this word reached you—don’t let pride keep you in your seat.

If you need a foundation, come to Jesus.
If you’ve been trying to hold it all together on your own—it’s time to give it over to Him.

This is your moment.
And your YET praise… is your prophecy.