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 2:3

Time is often the greatest test to seeing God’s promises come to light. Throughout scripture and today, many people who lacked patience to wait on God’s promises have taken matters into their own hands and have swayed away from the path of the Lord. This is not to say that waiting isn’t distressing. It is a difficult thing to just sit still and wait for God’s promise to come to light. Abraham, the father of faith; succumbed to the temptation of taking matters into his own hands by having a child with Sarah’s maid. This is testament that waiting on God is no mean feat.

In our verse for today, God directs prophet Habakkuk to write down a revelation about an impending judgement over Judah for their wickedness. In the subsequent verse, the prophet cries out to God, probing why He watches on idly as evil and wickedness triumph in His Holy land. God responds with a revelation and directs Habakkuk to write it down. He tells the prophet that the revelation is set for an appointed time, and though it tarries, it will happen. He the Lord will see to it.

Many of us today face challenges and are counting on the Lord for deliverance. However, we have a hard time believing we are in God’s plans because we’ve had one bad break after another. Nothing seems to work. We’ve prayed and waited, and yet we see nothing. The sickness gets worse, we’ve missed deadlines, we’ve had stillborns, we’re having a hard time finding a job, or a God-fearing partner. Some of us are plain stagnant and aren’t making any progress in life.

Today, I don’t want us to just encourage ourselves with this verse. I want us to personalize it. It is a sure word that God’s promises are “ye and amen.” I want us to challenge ourselves even more, and proclaim with faith that we are over-comers, even if it doesn’t look like that. Let us proclaim with all the faith in us that we are counting entirely on God, that we will not take matters into our own hands. We will wait on Him, even if He lingers; we will wait. Let us proclaim that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. God will see to that. Amen.