Waiting for God's Answer
Pastor Tan Thai · Apr 22, 2018
This sermon, based on Habakkuk 2:1-4, guides the congregation on the meaning of waiting on God — patiently, in the right posture, in obedience, and according to God's appointed time. Through the example of the prophet Habakkuk questioning God about injustice and evil in society, the sermon teaches that genuine faith is expressed through hopeful waiting rather than despair or taking matters into one's own hands.
The sermon opens with a review of the historical background of the book of Habakkuk, one of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. The prophet Habakkuk lived during the final years of the kingdom of Judah before the Babylonian empire conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC. He posed two major questions to God: why God remained silent in the face of evil and injustice in society, and why He would use a nation even more wicked to punish His own people.
The central theme of the sermon is four dimensions of waiting on God: (1) waiting patiently — not giving up or falling into despair; (2) waiting from the watchtower — viewing all circumstances through the lens of Scripture and God's perspective rather than the world's; (3) waiting in obedience — like a guard who does not leave his post regardless of fatigue or boredom; (4) waiting until God's appointed time — resisting the urge to take matters into one's own hands in order to accelerate God's plans. Each dimension is illustrated with biblical references and real-life examples.
The sermon uses vivid illustrations throughout: a psychological experiment with young children and a marshmallow testing their ability to delay gratification, the image of a tree passing through four seasons in natural obedience, and the story of Abraham and Sarah taking matters into their own hands by using Hagar to conceive Ishmael instead of waiting for God's promise — producing consequences that persist to this day. Jesus Christ is also held up as a model through the repeated refrain in the Gospel of John, 'My hour has not yet come,' emphasizing that all things unfold according to God's predetermined timing.
The sermon concludes with a practical call to action for the congregation, especially for parents concerned about a younger generation growing up in an instant-gratification culture that tolerates no delay. The message calls each person to relearn the discipline of waiting on God in faith, for as Hebrews 11:1 teaches, faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not yet seen.