Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay
in Habakkuk 2:3
I’ll be honest, I’ve never taken the time to read Habakkuk before. In fact its such a small book in the Bible I wouldn’t blame anyone for not even knowing they flipped past it before. I do believe, though, that when something is brought up enough coincidence needs to be ruled out, and it’s time to start listening to what is trying to be taught to you. That is exactly what caused me to open up Habakkuk and start reading. My home church is starting a sermon series on it, and a friends church down in Texas also started a sermon on it at the same time. It seemed like it was a good time for me to dive in and find out what was speaking to me. I listened to the book on my Bible app several times yesterday (the whole Book takes about 10 minutes to listen to) and this one line kept captivating me. Then this morning, without any difficulty – you know, the frantic scurrying you use to do in church to find the verse the pastor was asking you to flip to – Habakkuk was in front of me and the words popped out like they were glowing on the page. (yes, a slight dramatic effect)
Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
There is no question about it right now. We are in a time where everything seems to be lingering. Questions that have no answers are abundant, and while the people in authority try their best to makeshift answers, they are about as well off as a child trying to build a bird house by themselves without instructions. We look day in and day out to see a glimmer of what it all looks like light on the other side of this tunnel, but every time we think we see a light it seems to be nothing more than our imagination at this point. Some people are without jobs, some people are stuck at home completely alone, and some people are trying to lead teams from home. The list of painful inconveniences can go on and on, but the fact of the mater is everyone is effected in some way by this situation right now. My situation is not nearly as severe as others, but I put how I am feeling about where I am right now in a Facebook post. I put it this way:
There is something surreal about being tasked to look after a church building in such a period as this. The building had life in it not long ago, and even though it is a place of worship; without the living tabernacles (us) inside of it, it feels like a void. I know this time will pass, and the church will be filled with life again. However, as I walk the halls the strangeness lies in the void. The memories of the past and the hope in the future all paused by a moment of absolute stillness that can’t be defined.
Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
I wrote that post on the 14th of this month (April), and I think it becomes more clear, with this context, as to why the words almost jumped off the page to me. Besides the words I posted there are other things in my life that are floating in a state of lingering right now, as I know everyone else has also. 2020 was a year that was met with excitement in its beginning. It seemed like everyone was ready to just take the year by storm and make it a kick off to an awesome decade. After 2019 (which was a very intense and brutal year for me) I was certainly ready to attack the new year head on. I wrote out 52 things I wanted to accomplish this year. Everything from perfecting my body, to spending more time with my brothers, to doing more exciting things with my wife. When my brother, Cade, died in the beginning of the year, it was clear that my list was off to a horrible start. Then a series of injuries and infection made me realize that perfecting my body just wasn’t going to happen this year. Then the world wide shut down made it clear that exciting date nights weren’t in the cards either. As horrible as some of this sounds, the brutality of 2019 prepared me to be able to take all of these things in stride.
Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
What is so powerful about these words is that they speak to the core of everything we need to know about the beautiful way God works in our lives. To me when I hear these words it almost erases any fear in my heart. These words speak, loudly, that God is always at work, and that our timing is not His timing. While we may feel like we are all in a moment of lingering, God is not idle. His plan is in motion, and it is coming to fruition when He planned it to be. It may feel like we are waiting on Him, but there is absolutely no delay in when things will happen according to how He needs it to happen for us.
I often picture God’s timing for us like the scene in The Matrix where we first meet Morpheus. He is on the phone with Neo. Neo has never met Morpheus, but he had heard of him. When he gets the call from him he has two choices. Listen to him and have faith that this voice on the phone is actually going to get him out of the situation he is in, or face arrest. As the voice on the phone somehow knows exactly where everyone is, and the exact timing that needs to happen to make the plan come to fruition it becomes clear (to us watching) that Neo needs to do everything this person is telling him to do. Now the end of the scene could be used for a whole different lesson about hesitating with God’s commands, but that is for another day. My point in bringing this up is that while we feel like we are the one’s hiding in the cubicle, not being able to see the threat, or the timing that is necessary to make the plan come to fruition; we have our own voice on the phone that knows the exact timing.
Though it lingers, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
Wherever you are today, if you’ve taken a moment to read my post also take a moment to let these words from God pour into your soul. Allow the peace that comes with having faith in God’s timing quell some (if not all) of your anxieties. Let the words make the waiting not seem so extreme, and if it starts to rise up again, memorize these words so that they can bring rest to your soul when the anxiety starts to take control. There is no denying that we are in a place of uncertainty from our point of view, but the one who created us is never uncertain. He is absolute, and He knows the things to come that we can’t even see. It will certainly come and it will not delay.
Imperfect Faith 