Habakkuk 1:2-3

²O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
    and you will not hear?
Or cry to you “Violence!”
    and you will not save?
³ Why do you make me see iniquity,
    and why do you idly look at wrong?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    strife and contention arise.

In chapters 1 and 2, Habakkuk is having a conversation with the Lord. He asks the Lord why he stands by and allows destruction and violence. The Lord responds and says that He is doing a work that Habakkuk will not believe if told. He is allowing the Chaldeans to raise for judgement. Habakkuk questions why He allows them to kill the nations mercilessly.

The Lord responds in Habakkuk 2:2-4.

² And the Lord answered me:

“Write the vision;
    make it plain on tablets,
    so he may run who reads it.
³ For still the vision awaits its appointed time;
    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
    it will surely come; it will not delay.

⁴ “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

He tells Habakkuk to write his vision to warn others who may come and read it.

He tells Habakkuk that even though it (vision) seems slow, to wait for it, that it shall surely come and will not delay. He tells him that the righteous shall live by faith.

The word used in Habakkuk 2:3 speaks of waiting which means to wait patiently and hopefully.

I remember learning from the teachings of my pastor about waiting on the Lord patiently and that it’s not about waiting begrudgingly but with joy. There are many times we wait on the Lord in our lifetimes. In general, we are all waiting on Christ’s return. But also, on a personal basis, we wait on the Lord for His word, for him to come through in our times of troubles, for healing, for direction, and so much more. Additionally, we have all seen Him come through for us and others so many times as proof of his faithfulness. So we know He can do it.

God calls Habakkuk to patiently wait even when he does not understand what the Lord is doing, even when he can’t see it. We are called to trust and have faith in God like that. So that even when there is no evidence that He will come through, we can still wait patiently and joyfully on Him. Even when it takes decades of our time to do it, we can still wait joyfully. The righteous shall live by faith, so let us have faith in Him even when we cannot see it.