Living By Faith
6/17/26 Bible Thought (Habakkuk 2)
Main Idea: The righteous one lives and awaits God’s promises by faith.
A Look at the Text:
The text yesterday left off with the prophet’s second complaint. First, Habakkuk wasn’t able to see what God was doing. Then, when he was told, he didn’t like what God was doing.
So, the prophet determined that, like a watchman on a tower, he would stand and await God’s response (Hab. 2:1).
To this, the Lord replied:
“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” (Hab. 2:2-3).
Habakkuk was commanded to write down God’s revelation and to write it clearly so that you could read it while running. While some may live by pride, the one righteous in God’s sight would live by faith (Hab. 2:4). Faith, by implication, is humble for it looks to another. God would be faithful to His promise. He would be faithful to His nature. His actions were merely going to come in His time.
God was going to deal with Judah first (Hab. 1:6-11), but then He was going to deal with Babylon too (Hab. 2:6-17). There was coming a day when God’s glory would be undeniable (Hab. 2:14). Yet that day was not yet. In contrast to idols, the Lord was the living God (Hab. 2:18-20)—certainly, He would act. It just awaited His time.
Bringing it Home:
The Christian is not only justified by faith (Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8; Gen. 15:6), but we are then expected to walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7). The Christian never moves beyond faith until this earthly life is swallowed up with life eternal.
The prophet Habakkuk’s dilemma is a great example to us of trusting God in the waiting. God’s promises to us are certain. He will keep His Word. We must simply believe Him in the in-between.
Let us always remember that every individual in God’s story has found themselves somewhere between promise and fulfillment. We can look back at history now and see God’s hand in bringing judgment upon Judah, upon Babylon, upon countless nations and at “the fullness of time” sending His Son to die for sins (see Gal. 4:4).
Every individual in God’s story has found themselves somewhere between promise and fulfillment.
If we can see the faithfulness of God broadcast in every Bible story, etched into every page, can we not trust Him in the twenty-first century when things still seem so crooked?
Challenge:
Do I trust God’s promise-keeping nature even when the promise seems impossible or far off?