It was a troubled time in Habakkuk’s day. Why? Because the Lord had allowed a heathen nation, the Babylonians, to surround and ultimately overtake the southern kingdom of Judah—God’s people. The chastening rod was bearing down heavily upon the Israelites.

Habakkuk did not understand why a good God would allow bad people to chasten His people. Isn’t that what people are thinking and saying today? “If your God is so good and powerful, then why doesn’t He do something?”

But He really does. He is in control, even though we might not understand what He is up to until later. That is where we must trust Him (Romans 8:32).

Once a word is given, do not miss it. Howbeit, we may not want to hear it. Nevertheless, obedience is the key. Without it, we cannot get any new light.

Do you need more light? Obey the light that you already have.

Hurry up and wait! It is hard to wait patiently—but we must. God works on His timeline. Meanwhile, we must learn to exercise longsuffering (Galatians 5:22–23).

Conclusion: Did you notice the chronological order in these verses? One might think that DECISION would come first, then VISION, and finally PROVISION. However, it is reversed.

First comes WATCHING for a WORD — the PROVISION.
Then comes WRITING it down — the VISION.
And finally, after watching expectantly and writing obediently, comes WAITING patiently — the DECISION.

Makes sense?