If I Seek I Will Know

When I have a question I believe needs to be answered right away, how do I respond when I have to wait for the answer? Consider Habakkuk, and his need for an answer from God. Habakkuk waited for God’s answer. He stood firm, and believed He would hear. God didn't immediately give the answer Habakkuk desired, but what He told Habakkuk, speaks of the faithfulness of a God who is never late. “Though the answer may linger,” God said, “wait for it! It will certainly come, and will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3, NIV). Habakkuk stood firm, and declared he would not move until He had heard from God. He did not stand in an attitude of his right to have an answer, but one of humility in the awareness of God’s faithfulness. Having brought his question to God, he believed He would hear. He stood, and he waited. He did not struggle for an answer. He waited, and knew God's promise that an answer would come in God's time.

How do I “wait” for the answer of God's will for my life? Do I wait like Habakkuk for my answer? Do I wait in anticipation of His answer? Do I trust in His faithfulness even though I don't understand the delay? I may be frustrated like Habakkuk, but I know God is faithful, and I take my frustration to Him just as Habakkuk did. I let God have it, and I take no action until I hear from God. In honesty, I boldly come before Him and seek my answer (Hebrews 4:16). When I am broken and spilled out in my heart for Him, I know His will, because I yearn with all my heart to be in His will. When I am renewed in the spirit of my mind, and I am transformed and seeking His will, I discover it without struggling (Romans 12:1-2). If I yearn for His desires to be my desires, I am absolutely willing to surrender my personal desires for His. I am willing to wait as long as necessary for His will or His promise to come into being. I am willing to believe in that promise even if that promise doesn't come into my sight (Hebrews 11:6). Do I sometimes get so focused on what God's will is for my life that I miss the truth that the spiritual growth I receive in seeking Him, is actually His will for me right now? If He is the focus of all my desire, and not His will, then I will know His will. I find His will, and I am in His will when I seek Him.

Habakkuk felt He has been pushed to His limit. His heart broke for a world disintegrating around him. He longed to understand why evil existed, and always appeared to win. Habakkuk boldly brought his complaint to God, and then waited for God’s answer. He waited with a heart that knew God would answer. He humbly refused to give up, but he didn't struggle. God’s answer and the promise it offers is timeless. “Though the answer may linger,” God said, “wait for it! It will certainly come, and will not delay.” I will seek the Lord with all my heart. I will wait patiently for His direction. I will not try to figure the answer out for myself. In all I do, I will put Him first. He will direct my steps. And I will find myself in His will (Proverbs 3:5-6).