Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 The Bible tells us that without a vision the people will perish. It is so important to have a vision or several visions throughout our lifetime. God calls us to be visionaries. He created the imagination to be used for His glory. Satan, however, ever since the Fall seeks to use our imaginations for his dirty work. Satan has the power to plant images in our minds that will tempt us to sin. We see this clearly when so many today are involved in pornography. When we set our eyes on anything that is not holy, good, pure, virtuous and lovely, those images we receive will be played over and over again in our minds. The spiritual battlefield is our minds and we must use the mighty weapons of God (His Word, the blood of Jesus, prayer and the name of Jesus) to pull down those vain imaginations that Satan would use to destroy us. God desires our minds to be stayed upon Him, and when they are, we will have perfect peace. The visions and images God wants us to have are of Him and His plans for our lives.
Just recently as someone was counseling my son, he was asked the question: “What is your dream?” This is a good question to ask ourselves, because often we will find the calling God has on our lives when we answer this question. Perhaps God has given you a vision. You may have a recurring dream or a thought that brings images to your mind of God’s plans for you. Maybe He gave this vision to you many years ago, and it has not yet been fulfilled. What do you do while you are waiting on the fulfillment of the vision of visions God has given you? This passage in Habakkuk gives us the answer to this question.
I was in a meeting with Marilyn Hickey when she singled me out of the crowd and gave this verse from Habakkuk to me: “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14) She said, “There is an area in your life you have been praying for years about, but your vision of completeness in this area has not yet been fulfilled. Know and rest assured that this area of your life shall be filled with the glory of God.” I instantly knew the area she was speaking about, and I thought this fulfillment would happen the next day. The truth is, I had to wait nearly twenty years for this vision to be fulfilled. What did I do while I waited for this vision to be accomplished? I learned what to do in this passage in Habakkuk. The prophet Habakkuk writes that although we do not see the tree blossoming or the fruit on the vine and the fields are yielding nothing, we still rejoice in the Lord. We wait with confident expectation of what has been promised. We declare the Lord is our strength, and He makes our feet like hind’s feet to walk on the high places. Deer jump using the strength of their feet, and they can leap great distances in the air because of the springing ability of their feet. Rejoicing in the Lord continually even though we do not see our vision fulfilled right away will keep the spring in our steps as we wait for the vision to be fulfilled. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.
READ: Habakkuk 1:1-3:19; Revelation 9:1-21; Psalm 137:1-9; Proverbs 30:10
Ron Allen 
Mike Shreve 
