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

Habakkuk was a prophet who had a lot of questions for God. He saw that the rulers of Judah were wicked in their dealings with the people, especially the poor. It disturbed him greatly. So in verses 2 and 3 of Chapter 1 he posed the following questions: “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you ‘Violence!’ but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?” Do you sometimes feel like you have the same questions for God? As Habakkuk saw it, “The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.”

The Lord answered Habakkuk but the answer was quite disturbing because God shared with Habakkuk that he would send in the feared and ruthless Babylonians to punish Judah. This did not seem right to Habakkuk because in his view the wickedness of the Babylonians surpassed anything Judah was guilty of.

Habakkuk complained again with another series of questions but it is interesting to me that there seems to be a change in his tone. His questions are still urgent but he is not throwing a tantrum to the same degree as at first, instead he is full of reverence: “O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die …” (Habakkuk 1:12). He is still most puzzled when he asked: “Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?” (Habakkuk 1:13c) There was now the recognition of God’s sovereignty – an understanding that God is everlasting and holy. While he waited for the answer he contemplated how he would respond should the Lord rebuke him. He had taken a step back and his questions now arose out of the depth of his relationship with God. Then the Lord responded and instructed Habakkuk to write down the revelation so the herald could run with it. But the Lord said “the revelation awaits an appointed time.” You see, it is not that God doesn’t have answers, but that the answers will manifest according to God’s timing.

In our relationship with God there is often a time of waiting for an answer to manifest. We ask God to intervene in situations and the answer seems to be taking forever. Sometimes the wait even follows a revelation of what will be, but oh, it is painful to wait! In such a circumstance our response to the situation has to be wrapped up in this: “the righteous will live by his faith”. That faith has to be grounded only in what God has said. Change will certainly come but in God’s appointed time.