Seeking God's Answer

“Though the answer may linger wait for it! It will certainly come, and will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3, NIV).

When I have a question that 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 wait with an impatient attitude declaring his right to have an answer, but waited patiently and humbly with the awareness of God’s faithfulness. Having brought his question to God, he believed He would hear. 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? How do I wait for His answer concerning what I believe is His promise to me? 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 my frustration, and I take no action “to make something happen”. I come confidently to God seeking an answer (Hebrews 4:16), and then I wait to hear. At this point in his life, Habakkuk was completely surrendered to God, and God's answer was for him to wait. At this moment in time, this was God's will for Habakkuk's life.

Consider something. When my heart is completely surrendered and self is not an issue, I yearn to be in God's will. If I am so absolutely yielded to Him, I find His will. When I am renewed in the spirit of my mind, and I am transformed, I discover His pleasing and perfect will without struggling (Romans 12:1-2). If I yearn for His desire to be my desire, I am completely willing to surrender my personal desire 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 sight (Hebrews 11:6). Do I sometimes get so focused on what God's will or promise 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 His will is not my obsession, I will know His will. When I being transformed into the person He wishes for me to become, I am in His will.

Habakkuk heart broke for the world disintegrating around him. He longed to know why evil existed, and always appeared to win. He felt that he had been pushed to His limit, but He surrendered His “right” to know. My heart might break because I have no answer, but I must surrender what I feel is my “right” to know. Habakkuk brought his complaint to God, and waited with a heart that knew God would answer. He humbly refused to give up. God’s answer to Habakkuk is also His promise to me. “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, and He will direct my steps. (Proverbs 3:5-6). Without struggling and without questioning, I shall have discovered His good, pleasing, and perfect will for my life (Romans 12:2).