Waiting on the Lord is what transforms prayer from a ritual to a relationship. Be bold – ask the Lord the difficult questions, and confidently wait for His reply.
Scripture
Habakkuk 1:12-13; 2:1-4 – the prophet’s conversation with the Lord about the cruelties of the Chaldean’s
12 Are you not from everlasting, O LORD? My God, my Holy One, we shall not die. O LORD, you have ordained [the Chaldeans] as a judgment, and you, O Rock, have marked them for correction. 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?…
1 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. 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…”
Observation
- Israel suffers under the cruelty of the Chaldeans. How does the prophet find comfort in verse 12?
- Paraphrase the prophet’s plea to God in your own words (verse 13).
- How does Habakkuk prepare himself to get an answer from God in verse 1?
- How does God tell Habakkuk to prepare for the answer? (verse 2)
- What is [the beginning of] God’s answer to the prophet’s question? (verse 4; to read the rest of the chapter)
Personal Reflection and Application
To wait on the Lord means to confidently expect God to respond to your plea, and to respond favourably. It speaks of a trust in the faithfulness, goodness and power of God. The prophet Habakkuk shared his troubled heart with God, and confidently waited for God to answer him.
Is there an injustice, a problem or crisis that troubles your heart? Let’s follow Habakkuk’s lead in prayer:
- Confess your confidence in Who God is: his nature and relationship to you (verse 12).
- Confidently share your dilemma with God, and freely ask what you want to know (verse 13).
- Resolve to wait faithfully “on your post” until the Lord answers you (verse 1). (i.e. come back daily, ask God and search the Scriptures until He answers you).
- When the Lord speaks, through either Scripture a vision, in a dream, through His Still voice, etc, write it down (verse 2)! Listen for any instructions.
- Thank God for the answer and continue the conversation. Share this experience with a friend.
Shofar Durbanville Bible Studies 