“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets…

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay (Habakkuk 2:2-3)

Jesus said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’ ” (Matthew 4:4). We need revelation. Our very lives depend upon it. We need it to give us the proper perspective on life and to set the proper course for our lives. We need the lamp of God’s revelatory word shining light on our pathway through life (Psalm 119:105).

Habakkuk received a revelation from God. In his case, it was a prophetic revelation of things to come. The revelation he was given is instructive because part of it, our verses for today, shows us how we should relate to any of the prophetic revelations of the Bible. There are three things that we should keep in mind.

First, prophetic revelation is valuable. It is worth writing down and remembering. It is something that a herald should proclaim from the housetops like any other revelation of God. In so far as all of us are heralds we should proclaim prophetic truth. For example, “Jesus is coming again!” “The dead shall be raised!” “God will dwell with his people!” and so on.

Second, prophetic revelation speaks truth about an appointed time in the future. Although we cannot see it yet to check it out, it will not prove false. After all, it is revelation from God and if God declares that something will happen, it will happen (Isaiah 55:11). And like all revelation, God’s prophetic word gives us the proper perspective on life and helps us set the proper course for our lives.

Finally, although the fulfillment of prophetic revelation may linger, although it may take longer than we expected, it will surely come at the appointed time and will not be late. We should patiently wait for it and reorder and redirect our present lives according to what it reveals.

God has revealed the main lines of the future for us in the Bible. Let us have faith in God’s prophetic word and live our lives in the light of it.