In the Old Testament, God told the prophet, Habakkuk, in Habakkuk 2:2-3(NKJV), “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.” Many believers have heard this passage, and they have become very excited about what God is saying here. They’re excited because they have held certain aspirations in their hearts and want very much to know what it will take to bring these aspirations to fruition. They have believed that God is instructing them to write down their hopes and dreams on paper, and He will then bring those aspirations to pass. Upon further examination of this record in Habakkuk, we will discover that writing the vision and making it plain may open up a whole new level of spiritual understanding regarding our purpose in the Will of God.
Writing our aspirations and goals on paper is a very good exercise, and it can help us to remain focused on the prize. But the passage in Habakkuk 2:2-3 speaks to the partnership that exists between God and those He speaks through. Often, God will speak through prophets to deliver a Word from Him to His people. True and faithful prophets are God’s mouthpieces. Seeing and hearing from the Holy Spirit and communicating what they’ve seen and heard to God’s people, prophets are the eyes and ears of the body of Christ. The partnership between Heavenly Father and the prophet is very tightly bound. This man or woman of God is expected to live a holy and righteous life, and this commitment to Godliness allows them to remain spiritually sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is doing and saying.
Because we are so accustomed to modern communication and all the technological devices that connect us to each other, we attribute these amazing modern conveniences to the brilliance of human intellect. We forget that we’re not reinventing the wheel here. God is the Originator of every pattern and blueprint of creative thought. Whereas there are often glitches and malfunctions with technology, the communication system that God put into motion is fail-proof, and the intelligence of it is on a level that is beyond human comprehension.
During this record in Habakkuk’s life, God’s people were yet again behaving poorly and not honoring God according to His commandments. Habakkuk was grieved to see that God’s people had abandoned Godliness and righteousness, and he complained to Heavenly Father about this dilemma. There was much violence and crookedness, and those without prosperity and privilege were undermined and taken advantage of. There was corruption in all the systems. Divisions and breaches were rampant and people that were counted upon to be honorable were unscrupulous. Habakkuk was heartbroken to see everything so unprincipled. It was far from God’s standard of order and peace, and Habakkuk ached to see the disenfranchised so mistreated. He prayed to God about it.
When trouble seems to persist, and we see wrong so blatantly committed and then misrepresented to look as though wrong is right, it is indeed an alarming thing. You can become discouraged because you think to yourself, “Does God see how crooked these people are. Why does He allow it to persist?” We feel helpless to do anything to stop this wrongdoing, and we realize that our only hope is in the action God will take. This is how Habakkuk felt. He cried out to God in Habakkuk 1:13(NLT), “But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?” We must know that no matter the issue, we can be assured that God doesn’t miss a beat. He sees everything, and nothing escapes His perfect timing, attention, and judgement.
After the prophet made his complaint to God, he expected an answer. In Habakkuk 2:1, he stood watch to wait for God’s response. When the Lord spoke, He commanded Habakkuk to write the vision He supplied, and to do so in a very plain manner. We can be assured that God’s communication system was in full effect. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and Jesus Christ tells us in John 16:13-15(NLT), “13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’” The Holy Spirit lives inside our body temples. Through him, we have an internal communication system where we receive information from one dimension to the other.
The Holy Spirit lives inside our human spirit. He and our human spirit are in constant communication and communion with one another. Our human spirit receives from him, and then delivers to our souls. If we spend time in the practice of soaking in the Holy Spirit and quieting our souls in a state of restful intention to hear God, the download will come through. The Holy Spirit also communicates with us through dreams and visions, like the one Habakkuk received.
We must be crystal clear about this process. God speaks to us through dreams and visions, and through peaceful meditation that is intentionally focused on Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. The vision comes from God. It is only when we receive it from Him that we can we run with it. He gives us the faith required to see the fruition of the vision that He supplies. Sometimes, we are so focused on our own agendas that we’re clogging up the channel. Yes, God wants our dreams to come true, but the reward doesn’t come before God’s purpose. He tells us in Proverbs 19:21 that we can make many plans, but only His purpose will prevail. In Hebrews 11:6, He tells us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. God rewards diligent effort.
It is God’s vision we must pursue. Through the Spirit that indwells us, Heavenly Father will provide direction and guidance for our lives. The Spirit knows the assignments we’re appointed to, and it is our destiny to perform them. As we mature spiritually, we must grow to trust and believe that God will give us the vision and all the instruction we need to pursue it. Heavenly Father told the prophet in Habakkuk 2:20(NLT), “But the LORD is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.” We don’t need to do a whole lot of talking or explaining. Our responsibility is to seek God, and to develop the spiritual maturity to quiet our hearts and minds, drown out all the other voices, and wait for the vision. ■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Write the Vision” by Alexandra Copeland. Springfield Fellowship © 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.