"For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end — it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." -Habakkuk 2:3
The promise that the righteous shall live by faith has come, the hope of deliverance is given. And still the people wait. For still the vision awaits.
Of course, the promise is of Jesus, that he will come and redeem his people, claim outsiders for his kingdom, and free the righteous to live by faith. He did come, but long after Habakkuk spoke these words. We can now rejoice in the waiting and the arrival of our Savior as we await his return.
Christmas is a season of waiting it out. Rejoicing at the incarnation, that the babe in the manger is the promise of God who would grow to live an obedient life and die in our place. In him, in Jesus, we are redeemed, saved and transformed; we have a new vision given to us, of when he comes to reign and dwell with us for eternity.
It is now this vision, which has an appointed time that will surely come. It will not delay, and we wait for it. We can patiently anticipate its coming because we live in the wake of Jesus' arrival, ministry, and sin-shattering blood.
Today, let the promise that has come be your fuel. Wait upon the promise of an end of suffering and the beginning of forever. Rejoice.