The Other 12 | HABAKKUK

I have never been accused of having excess patience. ​

It is hard for me to just relax and see what happens. That has its’ place in life, but it can also cause lots of problems. I remember how ridiculously long it took for my butterfly to get out of its’ prison of a cocoon. Obviously, the thing for me to do as a 6-year-old was to get things moving and free it. That didn’t work so well as you can imagine. I felt good for a few hours until I was told that I basically killed my prized monarch due to my impatience. I cried and got over it but didn’t quite learn that lesson once and for all. 

In high school I had a major knee reconstruction surgery. I was given very clear instructions on how to rehab my knee back into working order. I was in a cast up to my hip for two months, followed by crutches for at least a month and possibly two, then six months of very defined exercises. This would bring me back to “full activity” in approximately 9 months if all went well and I followed the doctor’s orders. I would have none of that! I had my own timetable that had me playing basketball in 4 months. That was a really bad decision that I am still paying for today. 

Based on my reading of Scripture I would say that my tendency for wanting things “right now” is not just a Nick Problem. It appears that I am not alone and at least a few of you can relate to wanting things to happen a little quicker. I also have moments where I may struggle to see things the way God does due to my short attention span. Therefore, very often in the Bible God has a simple set of directions for His people – WAIT! 

Therein lies the problem I have with God – I do not want to wait. I do believe that God is a promise keeping God, but I want evidence that He is keeping His promise right now! If I had my way, heaven would be progressively be growing in my immediate world. I don’t want to wait for it in times of brokenness or apparent darkness. I want all God’s good things which is ok, but it is not ok when I come close to demanding them on my timetable. 

This Sunday we will be looking at Habakkuk’s prophecy. It is an amazing picture of God’s people being called to take God at His word. We are called to be people of faith that trust and worship God even when we are tempted to wonder if He even sees what is going on. We might be tempted to think He is sleeping but He is actually working in His perfect time. His sovereign decisions are not only right; they are also perfectly timed! That is why Habakkuk proclaims the following words in conclusion to his prophecy. 

I will wait patiently…  
Though the fig tree does not bud 
    and there are no grapes on the vines, 
though the olive crop fails 
    and the fields produce no food, 
though there are no sheep in the pen 
    and no cattle in the stalls, 
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 
    I will be joyful in God my Savior. 
Habakkuk 3.16-18 

Waiting on God [Even patiently sometimes], 
Pastor Nick