Campfire Stories: Week 3 - Wednesday

This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3

I really hate waiting. I have a confession to make. I often read the ending of books soon after I start a new book because I cannot wait to find out the ending. I recently challenged myself to finish my current book without spoiling the ending by reading ahead. I was doing so well until I had about thirty pages left. I decided I just could not wait to finish the book, and I read the ending. Ultimately, I was disappointed because I did not enjoy reading the rest of the book. It was a really shocking ending, and I completely spoiled it.

Waiting can be agonizing. In our world where we have the internet at our fingertips, many of us are not very good at waiting. We want instant results. We become impatient if our internet is down for even five minutes. A two-minute red light feels like ten minutes. We move through life running one-hundred miles an hour until, suddenly, God asks us to wait. We wait for healing, justice, the dream job, the spouse we have been praying for, and that wait is excruciating. Waiting can cause our faith in God to waiver as we wonder if He is still with us and working in our lives.

The prophet Habakkuk was very well acquainted with waiting. In Habakkuk chapter one, Habakkuk laments the sinful behavior of the Israelites and asks God to punish them for their sins. God responds by telling him that the Babylonians will capture the Israelites. After learning this news, Habakkuk asks God if He is going to let the Babylonians completely wipe out the Israelites, and if the Babylonians will also receive punishment for their evil behavior. God responds to Habakkuk's question in chapter two with a command: wait. He tells Habakkuk that the wicked will, indeed, be punished, but he also gives Habakkuk a promise: those who are faithful will live. Although God tells Habakkuk these things, He also tells him to wait for the fulfillment of these promises. The fulfillment of these promises will not be late, He says. They will be perfectly on time.

Sometimes God does His best work when we wait. We learn to trust God and lean into Him for strength. Are you currently in a season of waiting? Have you been praying for something, and it appears that God is silent? Have you waited so long that you question His care and provision for you? Let me assure you, friend, that God is still moving in your life. He has not abandoned you, and there is a purpose for your wait. As you wait, He is asking you to have faith. He is asking you to trust His plan and purpose, even though it can be difficult at times. Will you trust him? Will you live a life of faith, even when God asks you to wait?

Moving Toward Action

What are you waiting on today? In your journal, write down what you are waiting on. Next, answer this question: Are you willing to continue waiting faithfully? Will you trust Him as you wait? If so, spend time praying to God, telling Him you are willing to wait and trust His plan. If not, in prayer, tell God you are struggling to wait faithfully. As Him to increase your faith. Remember, He cares for you and is with you, even when He seems distant and silent.

Going Deeper

Read Habakkuk 2:1-5 (NLT)