A Pattern for Waiting

The words “please wait” glared at me from the screen. Despite asking kindly, its request tempted part of me to scream in frustration.  I know it didn’t mean to offend me.  After all, it was just a gas pump and had no way of knowing that I already felt as if those words were inscribed over every other circumstance in my life at the time. I suppressed the desire to scream and resorted to a simple sigh and a chuckle that now even the gas pump had asked me to wait.

Perhaps you too have found yourself trapped in a cycle of “please waits.” While we can typically muster up enough patience to endure a short delay, when the waiting drags on with no end in sight, we become like children on a road trip asking, “are we there yet…how much longer?”

The thing is, the pages of Scripture prove that God never promised us an immediately gratifying, easy journey. It may seem like the events in the Bible happened in rapid succession as we read from one chapter and book to another; but, it’s crucial to keep in mind that those events unfolded over thousands of years and many, many people experienced long, painful periods of waiting just as we often do.

One of those people was the prophet Habakkuk who found himself frustrated and confused by God’s delay in bringing forth justice against the wickedness in his nation of Judah.  His angst increased upon learning that God would indeed bring punishment, but he would do so through Babylon, an even more perverse nation.

His gritty question and answer dialogue with God over these matters affords us treasures of truth to hold onto in our own periods of waiting. In this little three-chapter book, he teaches us to:

Cry Out to God– From the start of the first chapter, we see him take his questions and disappointments boldly to God, pleading “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save?” (Habakkuk 1:2)

Watch and Listen – Habakkuk’s cries weren’t just a venting exercise to let off a little steam.  He believed God heard his cry and positioned himself with an expectant heart as he waited and watched for God to respond.  “I will take my stand at my watchpost and station myself on the tower, and look out to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my complaint.”  (Habakkuk 2:1)

When God did respond, he listened.  God’s initial answer of punishing Judah through Babylon didn’t sit well with Habakkuk. But, rather than shut God out, He kept praying through his confusion and listening.

God spoke words of comfort and hope to assure him that despite how things appeared, he is always working, and his timing and ways are perfect.  “For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 1:5b, 2:3b)

Live by Faith – The Lord reminds Habakkuk that “the righteous shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4b) Delays are not an excuse to lose hope, even though that’s often the temptation. The key to pressing on and living fully despite unanswered questions and impatient hearts is faith.  Faith that in the waiting, God is setting the stage for future action that will be for his glory and the good of his people.

Remember and Rejoice – In the third and final chapter, Habakkuk remembers past demonstrations of God’s power and deliverance which allows him to settle down and trust God’s sovereignty.  Although his waiting was far from over and difficult circumstances loomed ahead, his trust in the faithfulness of God, not his circumstances, enabled him to rejoice.  “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.” (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Habakkuk transitioned from a frustrated and confused man to one who found joy and strength as he trusted in the Lord’s timing.  The same can be true for us because the pattern for waiting he illustrated long ago is still relevant today.  God still welcomes our cries of frustration and impatience. He can handle our questions.  Our responsibility is to expectantly watch and listen for his response, actively live by faith, remember his past faithfulness, and rejoice in the strength and ultimate salvation of God.