Habakkuk 2:3 - WAITING TO SOAR!
Habakkuk 2:3: WAITING TO SOAR!
Habakkuk 2:3b (NLT) If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
COMMENTARY PEARL
God's Word fills us with hope. He has given us a multitude of
promises assuring us of His fullness, abundance, and peace. His Spirit
highlights those promises for us when we come to Him in need. When we
believe Him, were filled with expectancy about the specific
provisions He has sworn to us. We set all our hopes on Him.
The problem we often face is the gap between promise and
fulfillment. God's predictions always come about, but they aren't always
immediate. His Word is always fulfilled, but usually we have to wait.
Whether the promise we believe concerns the deliverance of a nation (as
with Habakkuk), the coming of Christ and the end of the age, or the
supply for this month's needs, God usually has a schedule for it. And
His schedule usually takes longer than ours.
We don't always understand why God's processes are so
lengthy. We know He's very thorough, but we often don't see Him working
on the hidden details while we wait. But the Word is full of
instructions to "wait on the Lord," and it gives us promises even for the
waiting. Those who ask Him for direction and then wait for His answer
before moving forward will be led into victory. Those who can be
patient and rest in their faith will have renewed strength and begin to
soar.
Most of us would love to soar, if given the offer. And in
fact, that's exactly the offer God gives as. Hope in God's promised
guidance, deliverance, and provision is meant to drive us to faith. Faith
is meant to mature into "rest - the kind of trust that stops
fluctuating with each moment and worrying with each sleepless night. What
begins with "I hope God can" ends with "I know He will."
Waiting is excruciating when the end is in doubt. It can be
exhilarating when the end is certain. Let the integrity of God's promises
assure you of the end. Let faith bring you into a place of rest. While
you wait, learn to soar. [The One Year Heaven On Earth Devotional by
Chris Tiegreen]
COMMENTARY
Habakkuks mission was to make it clear to people that even if
Gods justice seems slow in coming, it will come. [NLT SB 2008]
The Lord reminds the prophet that sometimes He asks His people
to wait before they see the fulfillment of His word. However, His
word is certain and there is no doubt it will be fulfilled in
accordance with His own plan and on His schedule (Matt. 24:35). [Andrews
SB]
Evil and injustice seem to have the upper hand in the world.
Like Habakkuk, Christians often feel angry and discouraged as they
see what goes on. Habakkuk complained vigorously to God about the
situation. God's answer to Habakkuk is the same answer he would give us,
"If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take
place." It isn't easy to be patient, but it helps to remember that God
hates sin even more than we do. Punishment of sin will certainly come.
As God told Habakkuk, "Wait patiently." We must trust God even when
we don't understand why events occur as they do. [Life Application
SB]
Human Perplexity and Gods Purpose
Habakkuk had a candid relationship with God: The prophet felt
free to bring his honest concerns to the Lord, and God did not rebuke
him for doing so. From Habakkuks perspective, God seemed inactive
in the face of the violence and social injustice plaguing Judah
(1:2"4). God then revealed that he would take action: He was going to
raise up the Babylonians"a nation even more wicked than Judah"to
punish Judah (1:5"11). This perplexed Habakkuk, yet Gods assurance
that justice would be done and a vision of Gods glory brought the
prophet to settled faith (cp. 2:4) and praise (3:16"19).
Habakkuks spiritual journey is similar to that of most
believers. When times of doubt and discouragement come, believers need to
approach the Lord and share their concerns with him. Like Habakkuk, we
need to search Gods word for a fresh glimpse of who God is and
what he is like in order to renew our trust in the One who alone is
truly God.
Habakkuk 2:2"20 reminds us that the Lord is not an absentee
god; he acts sovereignly in all that comes to pass so that everything
might work toward his purpose (2:3, 14; see also Ps 47:9; Acts
17:24"26; Col 1:15"20). The Lord is a holy and merciful God who acts in
history to redeem his people (3:2"15; see also Eph 1:3"10; 2 Pet
3:15) so that all may ultimately see his glory (2:14) [NLT SB 2008 re
Hab. 2:2"20]
Redeeming Time
Habakkuk was confused by God's delay. He had to look at the
injustice and brutality, the sin and suffering around him, and he wondered
why God didn't do something about it. This God who said He hated
sin, would punish disobedience, and would deliver from the enemy was
strangely silent. Was He suddenly tolerant of evil? Did He enjoy letting
people suffer the consequences of their own mistakes? Did He take any
pleasure at all in the conflict of His people? Surely the answer to all
these questions was no. But if the answer was no, where was He?
We have the same questions. We see sin and suffering around
us, conflicts that end in violence, immorality that devastates
lives, and abuses of all kinds. We all know people who are depressed
and lonely or angry and bitter. We see societies that are lost and
drifting, aimlessly going in directions no one understands. And we have
our own complaints, either overtly or subtle and internal, about the
situation. We wonder why God doesn't do something. God has done something,
of course. He has already won the victory and redeemed the world.
He sends us into it with the promise of victory. While we wonder
why God doesn't do something, He wonders why we don't do something.
He has given us the power of the Resurrection. We aren't helpless
if we have faith in Him.
Still, there's a promised deliverance coming when Jesus will
fulfill His Kingdom work. The end of all suffering is coming. The pain
of the world has an expiration date. Creation is being made new.
Don't forget that we are participants in the prophecies of
the end. We don't sit silently and wait for Jesus' return.
Deliverance comes on the heels of people with faith and a promise. And
faith, as we are told, is always active. Work with an eye on the end.
Habakkuk saw the fulfillment from a distance and rejoiced. You can too.
[The One Year Heaven On Earth Devotional by Chris Tiegreen]
The Passion Of Patience
Patience is not indifference; patience conveys the idea of an
immensely strong rock withstanding all onslaughts. The vision of God is
the source of patience, because it imparts a moral inspiration.
Moses endured, not because he had an ideal of right and duty, but
because he had a vision of God. He "endured, as seeing Him Who is
invisible." A man with the vision of God is not devoted to a cause or to any
particular issue; he is devoted to God Himself. You always know when the
vision is of God because of the inspiration that comes with it; things
come with largeness and tonic to the life because everything is
energized by God. If God gives you a time spiritually, as He gave His Son
actually, of temptation in the wilderness, with no word from Himself at
all, endure, and the power to endure is there because you see God.
"Though it tarry, wait for it." The proof that we have the
vision is that we are reaching out for more than we have grasped. It is
a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually. "What shall I render unto
the Lord?" said the Psalmist. "I will take the cup of salvation." We
are apt to look for satisfaction in ourselves - "Now I have got the
thing; now I am entirely sanctified; now I can endure." Instantly we
are on the road to ruin. Our reach must exceed our grasp. "Not as
though I had already attained, either were already perfect." If we have
only what we have experienced, we have nothing; if we have the
inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience.
Beware of the danger of relaxation spiritually. [My Utmost for His
Highest by Oswald Chambers]
ILLUSTRATIONS
When I was six years old, I was diagnosed with scoliosis,
which was later revised to "only" a symptom of Marfan syndrome. Thus
began six years of visits to the hospital, the chiropractor's office,
and the deep end of having to "grow up quickly.
When I was seven, I accepted Jesus into my heart and
immediately began having dreams about living in a place where men wore plaid
"skirts." As a young girl, I had no idea where this place might be. Still,
I knew God was calling me there. Later, when I learned about the
Scottish tradition of kilts, I realized that God had a place for me in
Scotland.
When the pain became almost unbearable as my body
deteriorated from the effects of Marfan's, God's promise to Habakkuk became
my lifeline. The verse confirmed that I wouldn't die soon but would
live and reach the goal to which God had called me. Thirteen years
and two back surgeries later, I emigrated to Scotland and worked as
a missionary for several years, until I met my Swiss husband
there. Bonny Scotland is still my land of "homesickness," though God
has called us on to other tasks. That beautiful country will always
be a reminder that God is faithful and that his timing is perfect,
no matter what the circumstances might look like. No matter how
dark the night, the dawn will come.
Stephanie Husler, originally from Kansas, is a writer,
teacher, and recording artist who lives in Zurich, Switzerland, with her
husband, Stefan. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
My husband, Steve, pastored a church in Ravenna, Michigan,
that closed because of a lack of finances. It was a letdown for
both of us, but the vision for ministry that God had given Steve
never wavered. Though many churches called and expressed interest, we
had a long wait, during which we had to move out of the parsonage
and into my deceased mother's home in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas. One
day I was feeling very depressed about Steve's inability to find
another pastoral position, and I cried out to God for encouragement.
Later that same day I happened to be reviewing a fiction book
by Gayle Roper. As I was reading, I came across Habakkuk 2:3, which
talks about waiting on God. The verse spoke to me, encouraged my
broken heart, assured me that I was not alone in my despair, and gave
me renewed strength to carry on.
Even though Steve did have a long wait before another church
called him, the vision was fulfilled. I'm so happy that we serve a God
who cares enough to minister to broken hearts"even through
fiction!
Laura Hilton is the author of Hot Chocolate, Shadows of the
Past, and more than a thousand published book reviews. She and Steve
and their five children reside and minister in Arkansas. [The One
Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Be Faithful to the End
We must cherish and cultivate the faith of which prophets and
apostles have testified--the faith that lays hold on the promises of God
and waits for deliverance in His appointed time and way. The sure
word of prophecy will meet its final fulfillment in the glorious
advent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as King of kings and Lord
of lords. The time of waiting may seem long, the soul may be
oppressed by discouraging circumstances, many in whom confidence has been
placed may fall by the way; but with the prophet who endeavored to
encourage Judah in a time of unparalleled apostasy, let us confidently
declare, "The Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence
before Him." Habakkuk 2:20. Let us ever hold in remembrance the
cheering message, "The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the
end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it;
because it will surely come, it will not tarry. The just shall live
by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:3, 4). PK 387, 388 [Remnant SB]
The faith that strengthened Habakkuk and all the holy and the
just in those days of deep trial was the same faith that sustains
God's people today. In the darkest hours, under circumstances the most
forbidding, the Christian believer may keep his soul stayed upon the source
of all light and power. Day by day, through faith in God, his hope
and courage may be renewed. {PK 386, 387} [Remnant SB]
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo [old, but one of the best]
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Last Day Prophecy: His Other Sheep by Pastor Gerald Babanezhad:
https://vimeo.com/162267518
