Though It Tarries, Wait · Kingdom Culture

Feb 12 (edited) • Teachings

Though It Tarries, Wait

(An entry from Grace and Truth Magazine, written by Halie Asmus)

Habbukuk 2:1-3

1 I will stand on my guard post, And station myself on the rampart; And I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. 2 Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets,That the one who reads it may run. 3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

The Ache of Waiting

We have all been in seasons of waiting. Whether that be waiting for a spouse, waiting for prodigals to come home, waiting for business deals to land, or waiting for doors to open. The scripture says a longing unfulfilled, or hope deferred, makes the heart sick. You see it, you feel it, you’ve experienced it. You know exactly what I am talking about. Habakkuk knows all too well about this too.

A Prophet Who Wrestled With God

Habakkuk was a prophet who lived in Judah, Israel’s southern kingdom. Habakkuk, although a prophet, is unique in the sense that he didn’t speak to Israel on behalf of God. Instead, his writings are written dialogue of his conversation with the Lord, written as poetry. Habakkuk struggled with trusting that God was good with all of the corruption of the world. He also struggled with trusting that God’s promises would be fulfilled.

Waiting in the Middle of the Promise

Through the book, we see that Babylon shall both rise and fall. That justice would prevail, and God’s promises remain. Habakkuk begins to wrestle with this because he has not yet seen any indication of the Lord’s promises being fulfilled. He was in that waiting season. The season that seems to drag on and is full of lamentation. The season that begins to feel like God cannot be trusted, or that perhaps you did not hear God correctly.

The Weight of the Vision

In Chapter two, God tells Habakkuk to write the vision down and make it plain. In Hebrew, this reads as chazon (חָזוֹן), meaning to see, a divinely inspired revelation, something God initiates and releases, not something Habakkuk imagines or invents. Then God says the vision is for an appointed time, moed (מוֹעֵד), meaning a fixed, scheduled, set moment. It is the same word used for feast days and holy appointments, which tells us God already locked in the moment this will unfold.

He continues, saying at the end it will speak, yafeach (יָפֵחַ), meaning to breathe, to exhale, to break forth, revealing the vision isn’t silent, it’s alive, pregnant, and ready to burst out at the right moment, and it will not lie, kazav (כָּזַב), meaning this word cannot prove false. Though it tarries, mahah (מָהָה), meaning to linger or delay, what looks slow to us is intentional, never neglectful. We are told to wait for it, chakah (חָכָה), an active, hope-filled endurance, the posture of someone who refuses to move even when nothing seems to be happening, because it will surely come, a doubled phrase in Hebrew for emphasis, come, come, arrive, arrive, happen, happen, God making it unmistakably clear there is no scenario where this will fail to come to pass.

Choosing Faith in the Delay

Habakkuk continues into chapter 3 in response to the Lord, and eventual praise. The conclusion of the book reads, 18Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk is stating in these verses that God is his strength and that he gives stability in unstable places, grace to stand where others fall, and agility to move through difficulty without collapse. Habakkuk chooses to believe in God’s promises and understands that things must unfold in His perfect timing, and we can trust that timing.

A Call Back to Trust

What does all of this mean for you? For us? The truth of this book remains the same today and forevermore. God is faithful; His promises will be fulfilled in His divine timing. Though it may seem to tarry, it will come, and it will not be delayed. Habakkuk shows us what “the righteous shall live by faith” really looks like.

Church, where has your heart become sick with unbelief? Call to memory all the promises you have received, and I implore you to write those promises down. Hang them up and remind yourself that His promises always come to pass, and nothing shall delay them. For there is an appointed time for everything under the sun. Do not lament any longer. Rejoice in the Rock of your salvation. Be of good cheer.

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