Wait, The Righteous Live by Faith!
"And the LORD answered me: 'Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith'" (Habakkuk 2:2-4, English Standard Version)
It shouldn't surprise the followers of Christ that God operates on a different timetable that we do. Yet, how easily we forget that truth? We lament to someone, "I've been praying for this for three months now!" Yet, the Bible says, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8). Three months to us is like a nanosecond to God. God works on a different timetable than we do.
The prophet Habakkuk was about to find this truth out firsthand. When last we left him, Habakkuk was trying to figure out how a righteous and holy God could use the wicked Chaldeans to judge His chosen people. He closes out his second complaint by saying, "I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint" (Habakkuk 2:1). It's almost as if the Prophet is issuing a challenge to God. Yet, what we really see is a true believer who is diligently and earnestly seeking wisdom from God concerning a troubling situation. This is the kind of seeking that God meets, BIG TIME! Let's look at the text, and draw out the application. The text basically breaks itself down into two major points: 1) Wait; and 2) have faith.
1. Wait ("For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."). After telling Habakkuk to write this vision down, he basically tells him to wait. As noted earlier, God has His own timetable. He assures the Prophet that this little drama with the Chaldeans isn't finished yet. In vv. 6-20 of chapter 2, God spells out that the Chaldeans will be judged for their actions. Make a note of this: God never lets sin go unpunished. Whether in this life, or in eternity, sin will be dealt with. The main thing I want to draw from this passage is that God has a plan, and everything is moving along according to it. Notice the beginning of this passage, "For still the vision awaits its appointed time." God works His plan according to a pre-determined schedule.
Some of you may be thinking,
"Whoa, that sounds a lot like predestination." In a word: YES. A
lot of people don't like to hear this, but that's what the Bible says. We must
understand one thing very clearly: God is sovereign! How dare we sit
here as God's created beings and tell Him what He can and cannot do. As
the apostle Paul says, "But who are you, O man, to answer back to
God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like
this?'" (Romans 9:20). God has a plan, and we are part of this
plan. Again, as Paul says, "In him we have obtained an inheritance,
having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things
according to the counsel of his will" (Ephesians
2. Have faith ("Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith."). The first point logically leads into the second. The only way to live in God's economy is by faith. The writer of Hebrews says, "Without faith it is impossible to please [God]" (Hebrews 11:6). Notice what the Prophet writes down here. This passage notes two categories of people: Those who are "puffed up" (i.e., arrogant, prideful), and those who live by faith. The puffed up person would, in Habakkuk's situation, take matters into his own hands. Whereas the righteous person faithfully waits on God to settle all scores. This verse was used twice by the apostle Paul (in Romans and Galatians) to designate the righteous person.
Faith is so important in the Christian walk. It is the conduit through which God pumps all His blessings. We are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8), and we are sanctified by faith also (2 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 2:6). The good news is that if your faith is weak, it can be strengthened ("For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1:3-4). Just like physical muscles, faith, when tested, grows stronger.
Application Time. OK, how does this lesson download
into our lives? Maybe you're going through a particularly rough season; maybe
the Lord is testing you right now, and you've prayed and prayed, but there is
no light at the end of the tunnel. Can I exhort you right now to be patient
and wait on the Lord? Remember the promises of God to His children. He
promises that He won't put you through more than you can handle (cf. 1
Corinthians
Perhaps you're a self-starter and you don’t like waiting? Maybe you've prayed for something and you've grown impatient? And now you’re like, "Bag, this 'waiting on God thing,' if something's going to get done, I'm going to have to do it myself." Let me tell you right now in the Lord, that's a bad plan! God's glory can't shine through if we're working in our flesh. Neither can we ensure our ultimate good the way God can. He's omniscient and we're not! Be patient, and wait on the Lord!
Bottom Line. Think about how awesome our God really is! He knows exactly what you're going through, and He's working in your life, pruning and molding you to produce greater effectiveness. Faith in the character and nature of God is the key to weathering the trials of life.