Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV) … “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.”
The immediate reference here seems to be not only to the coming of the Babylonians, but also to the end of the captivity. The principle involved in this verse applies to many divine prophecies. Their fulfillment often seems remarkably slow, giving scoffers ample time to exhibit their unbelief. But God’s clock is much bigger than ours. Prophecies regarding the first coming of Christ took many centuries to be fulfilled, but in the end all of them were proven to be accurate to the letter.
Prophecy also often has an early, partial, illustrative fulfillment and a later, complete, detailed, literal fulfillment. Prophecies concerning the second coming of Christ have slumbered in the womb of time for thousands of years. Today they are stirring into remarkable life and end-time events will unfold swiftly when the time comes. It certainly seems that now His coming must be reckoned in terms of decades rather than centuries.[1]
Delay is not denial. God in His divine wisdom knows best as to what needs to happen and when. Until our faith is fixed on the unfailing promises of God.
[1] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring the Minor Prophets: An Expository Commentary (Hab 2:3). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.
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