(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 is so intentional!

Everyone wants to know their calling, but very few people are willing to say yes before they know what it is. When God asked, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah did not ask for details or wait until he felt ready. He answered with surrender: “Here am I Lord. Send me.” Calling does not begin with perfect clarity. It begins with a heart that is willing to obey. God is not searching for impressive people. He is looking for people who are available.

The Hebrew word hesed is one of the most powerful words used in Scripture to describe the love of God. It appears throughout the Old Testament and especially in the Psalms. The word itself is difficult to translate into a single English term because it carries a depth of meaning that goes beyond what we usually mean when we say love. Hesed describes covenant love. It is loyal, faithful, and committed love that is rooted in relationship and promise rather than emotion. When Scripture speaks about God’s hesed, it is revealing a love that is steady and dependable, a love that does not disappear when circumstances change. This kind of love is tied to covenant. God binds Himself to His people and remains faithful to them because of His own character. In Book of Exodus 34, when the Lord reveals His nature to Moses, He describes Himself as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in hesed and faithfulness. This moment is important because it is God defining His own character. He wants His people to understand that His love is not temporary or fragile. It flows from who He is. The Psalms repeat this truth again and again. Many of them declare that the hesed of the Lord endures forever. This repetition is intentional because Israel experienced seasons of failure, rebellion, and hardship. In the middle of those realities, the writers continually reminded the people that God’s covenant love had not changed. A beautiful picture of hesed can also be seen in the relationship between David and Jonathan in First Book of Samuel. Jonathan made a covenant with David and asked him to show hesed to his family in the future. Years later, after Jonathan had died and David had become king, David remembered that covenant and sought out Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth in order to show him kindness. Mephibosheth had nothing to offer David and could not repay him, yet David honored the covenant and extended mercy and provision to him. This is a human reflection of hesed because it is love that remembers covenant and chooses faithfulness.

Christian dating should not look like the world with a Bible verse sprinkled on top. We do not date for entertainment. We do not date to fill loneliness. We do not date to test drive chemistry. We date with intention. We date with community. We date with accountability. We date with the fear of the Lord and the fruit of the Spirit actually leading the relationship. The world says follow your heart, scripture says guard it. The world says test compatibility physically, scripture says honor God with your body. The world says move in together and see if it works…. Wisdom says build on covenant not convenience. Christian dating should look set apart. It should be rooted in identity not insecurity. If you love Jesus, your dating life should reflect it…. So let’s talk about it. What is the best Christ centered dating advice you have ever received or learned the hard way? I want to hear it.