PC3 Devotions

Habakkuk 2:3
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.”

During these last few days, we find ourselves at the peak of anticipation. Kids can hardly contain their excitement over the thought of opening their presents. We are waiting on family to come into town. Each television channel is crammed with Christmas specials. You hear holiday music everywhere.

Christmas Eve is on the calendar simply because it is the day before the one we are waiting for. The closer it gets the harder it is to wait. We are so prone to become impatient and think, “It will never come!”

It is in these times that we must cling to the promise of God and the fact that His faithfulness marches steadily on. He can be trusted to fulfill all that He has purposed. As we wait and anticipate, we remember and celebrate that God is God.  We stop and reflect that His will is unstoppable.  We refuse to doubt.

If we are not careful, anticipation can quickly turn into frustration.  Don’t look past the moment.  Instead, trust in the promise that His light has come into the world and His light is the life of all humanity.  We step into that light to receive His life.

Lord, today I ask you to use all of my excitement about tomorrow to awaken me to a longing for you and your coming!  Give me strength to be patient and wait knowing that the plans and purposes you have for me will come to pass.  They will not fail!  Amen.

Habakkuk 2:3-5
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.

“Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.

“Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples.

God has a vision for each of us and He is at work in our lives each and every day. Yet, our pride causes us to doubt Gods promises and shift our focus onto our circumstances. The more we try to take control the more we are pulled out of alignment with God’s vision; our soul is no longer right within us.

It doesn’t take long to develop an unstable lifestyle of looking for satisfaction in ourselves by feeding our own desires rather than finding the stability that comes from trusting God with our lives. Pride clouds one’s judgement and decision-making ability. Every decision you make is funneled solely through the lens of how it impacts you.

This passage closes with a glimpse of how devastating our own vision can be and the eventual downfall that it leads us toward. The more we feed our prideful desires the larger our appetite becomes and we will continue to feed it no matter what the cost, even if it kills us.

But the righteous will live by his faith. To get our souls back into alignment with God’s vision, we must stop doing what we think is best and start doing what God knows is best, because His vision will not fail.

Lord, my pride can cause me to become consumed with my needs and desires to the point of death. But I know that is not your vision for my life. Help me, in my lack of faith, to find the stability that comes from trusting you with my life today.