Worth Repeating - June 10, 2017

Habakkuk 2: 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; . . . Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.

The waiting is the hardest part.*

In our minds, a delay is a matter of inconvenience – not a matter of centuries. But, if we know anything about God, we know that his schedule is not the same as ours. Not only is his schedule a mystery to us, what he reveals isn’t always what we expect. In Habakkuk’s case, God’s first promise was to send the Babylonians to punish Judah. Not what the prophet wanted to hear at all! When Habakkuk complained about the news, God revealed that he would eventually take care of the evil empire as well, but Habakkuk would just have to wait until the time was right.

The promise God made in this time and place is a promise that we can claim as well. In Hebrews 10: 36, it is written, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (And the next verses go on to quote Habakkuk!)

Like Habakkuk, we may have to wait awhile for the fulfillment of God’s promise. He does what he does when the time is right. Sometimes his delays allow him to do more for us than we expected.* But his most compelling reason for delaying can be found in II Peter 3: 9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

I am thankful that God is in charge of his own schedule!

Sometimes God answers quickly. Other times he leads us to a prolonged season of waiting.*