Wait for 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.” —Habakkuk 2:3

Sober now for over 30 years, my friend remains fully engaged in “the program,” gaining daily strength against addictions while coming alongside others battling their own. From time to time, they share among themselves this helpful adage, a perspective that lifts one’s gaze beyond the crisis of the moment and to the victory that awaits those who persevere: “Don’t give up five seconds before the miracle.”

As we mature in Christ, our faith— “the certainty of things hoped for”¹— deepens, strengthens, and grows. The more we recognize God’s work in and around us, the more we trust He hears our prayers and answers them. What leaves us unsettled, however, is the matter of when. It is one thing to trust in God’s goodness and power; it is quite another to rest in His timing. As a friend recently observed, “We can be impatient with God’s patience.” So true. When facing the vast Philistine army, for instance, King Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice that Samuel—a seeming no-show at the time— was to offer upon arrival. “As soon as [Saul] had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.”² Said Samuel to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God . . . Now your kingdom shall not continue.”³ The king had given up moments before the miracle, and with tragic results.

God’s plans and promises have a time element to them, and they will be fulfilled soon enough. Saul’s successor David understood the pain of waiting— “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”⁴ Yet he trusted not only in God’s faithfulness to His promises, but also in the wisdom of His timetable. “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”⁵ This faith —faith that waits—does not give up before the miracle, rather it endures to see its manifestation and then rejoices in its timing. For God “acts for those who wait for him.”⁶

Have you ever seen God answer your prayer on schedule different than you expected? Do you now see wisdom in His timeline? Then what is it today that you might submit both to God’s power and to His timing?

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.⁷ Lift my gaze to the victory that lies beyond any crisis I may face today. In Christ I pray. Amen.

¹ Hebrews 11:1 NASB
² 1 Samuel 13:10
³ 1 Samuel 13:13-14
⁴ Psalm 13:1
⁵ Psalm 130:5 NIV
⁶ Isaiah 64:4
⁷ Psalm 5:3 NIV