Habakkuk 2:1-4 NLT
“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guard post. There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint. Then the Lord said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. “Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”
If I were to ask anyone that has ever competed as a runner in track and field what the universal call to action is, everyone would exclaim, “runners get on your mark…” And although it’s been half a century since I did any running, I still get a rise from hearing that phrase. It’s an adrenaline rush for sure. And our scripture today speaks directly to runners. So get ready!
When you read the entire book of Habakkuk you will note this book is all about a conversation between Habakkuk and God. In this conversation God mentions His displeasure with the people of Israel and the chastisement He was going to bring upon them because of their disobedience. The Lord even told Habakkuk the Chaldeans (a bitter and hasty nation,) were going to overthrow and torment Israel.
As you can imagine, Habakkuk didn’t want to believe his ears. So he challenged God to give him a reasonable explanation. And God did answer. But before He gave him all the devastating details, He gave Habakkuk some extremely important instructions. God instructed him to write down what he was going to hear. To write the vision. But not only write it, but write it in such plain and simple form that those that are running could carry the message to others.
Of all the text in this book, these instructions are the most important and enduring. Important because they warn, alert, advise, inform and guide the actions, emotions and behaviors of everyone that would hear them. Even in the worst of times it’s comforting to know that God is always in control. Like the old saying says,‘forewarned if forearmed’! And, the text is enduring because not only are we still reciting it today but it’s been included in the writings of Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. The quote, ‘the just shall live by faith’ has for thousands of years been the hallmark of the Church of Jesus Christ.
As significant as this message is, and as anointed as Habakkuk was, keep in mind nothing gets done unless the runners run. God gave Habakkuk explicit instructions to clearly write down the vision. But God never told him to start running with this information. Habakkuk’s role was simply to prepare a message. He was responsible to hand it off to those that would come to compete the mission.
So while we celebrate Habakkuk, and lament the coming of the Chaldeans, the true heroes of this Sacred Word are the runners. Without the commitment and dedication of the men and women of God that had the courage, tenacity, fortitude and determination to ensure that the Word of the Lord reached the ends of the earth, nothing Habakkuk wrote would have ever been heard. That’s the power and importance of those that carry the Word.
Jesus is seeking dedicated disciples. Disciples that speak truth with love and power. It is imperative that we speak only the Words that God gives us to share. It is so important that we not teach, preach or share the doctrines of men. Our rules, regulations, denominations and laws should never have nearly the same significance as God’s Word. The runner (herald) must be empowered to run with the unadulterated true and divine testimony of Christ. Saints of God please understand the vision for the Church of Christ comes only from Christ. It is His Church to run and conduct as He, and only He decides. So runners, get on your mark…
God Bless
