Neville Goddard on Habakkuk 2:3

Executive Summary

According to Neville, the scripture from Habakkuk reveals a fundamental principle of consciousness: every imaginal act has its own inherent and unalterable timetable for fulfillment. Once you have successfully assumed your wish is fulfilled, that 'vision' or 'seed' has been planted. Your only remaining task is to wait faithfully for its 'appointed hour,' trusting that its manifestation is certain and will arrive precisely on time.

Key Concepts

• The 'vision' is your imaginal act, the scene you have accepted as true in your mind's eye.
• Every vision has its own 'appointed hour'—a specific, natural interval of time it needs to mature and become an external fact.
• This interval cannot be forced, just as the gestation period for a child or an animal cannot be rushed.
• After creating the vision, you must wait with patience and confidence.
• The fulfillment is sure and will not be late for its own appointed time.
• You must remain faithful to your assumption, even if your senses and reason currently deny it.

Detailed Explanation

Neville Goddard interprets Habakkuk 2:3 as a statement of certainty and divine timing regarding the creative power of imagination. The 'vision' spoken of in the verse is the reality you construct and accept within your own consciousness. Once you assume that your desire is an accomplished fact, you have planted a seed that contains all the power and plans for its own externalization.

This seed, like any seed in nature, has a specific and appropriate lifespan from conception to birth. Neville uses the analogy of gestation periods: a chicken takes twenty-one days, a horse twelve months, and a human nine months. Each has its own appointed hour. Similarly, your imaginal acts have their own natural time to ripen and flower into reality. A greater desire may take longer to mature, but its fulfillment is just as certain. You cannot force a normal birth, and you cannot force the timing of your assumption's fulfillment.

Therefore, the proper state after a successful imaginal act is one of confident waiting. You do not need to anxiously look for confirmation or 'dig up the seed' to see if it is growing. Instead, you remain faithful to your assumption. Neville compares this to ordering a shipment; once the order is placed, you have complete confidence it will arrive. Whether it comes by slow freight or air express, it will come. Your job is to order it in imagination and then wait, knowing the vision is maturing and will not be late.

Important Quotes

The vision has its own appointed hour, it ripens, it will flower; if it be long, well, then wait, for it is sure, and it will not be late

— No Other Gods

So, every little seed has its own appointed hour.

— The Potters House

If something is great, it may take two years or a year or even longer. What does it matter? It will come if I am confident that it will come.

— The Potters House

So, when you know what you want, remain faithful to that assumption, and the assumption, though at the moment it is denied by your senses, and denied by reason – if you persist in it, it

— Live In The End

I have complete confidence in a shipment coming if I have ordered it; so you order, and then you wait!

— Order Then Wait

Related Concepts

This teaching is a direct consequence of the Law of Assumption. After you successfully perform the central act of the Law—assuming the feeling of the wish fulfilled—Habakkuk 2:3 explains the natural process that follows. The 'vision' is the product of your Imagination, and the entire process begins with a Desire that you decide to make real. Your role is to formulate the desire, live in the end through imagination, and then allow the appointed hour to arrive.

Common Misunderstandings

• You can force the timing. The source material explicitly states that you cannot force the fulfillment, anymore than you can force a normal birth. Each imaginal act has its own natural time to mature.
• You should look for immediate signs. Neville teaches that you should assume your desire is true without waiting for confirmation. You do not look for external proof but simply trust that the seed has been planted and will sprout on its own schedule.
• If it takes a long time, it has failed. The verse is quoted specifically to counter this idea. If the vision 'seems long,' you are instructed to 'wait,' because it is 'sure.'

Practical Applications

To apply this principle, you must first decide what you want and construct a scene in your imagination implying it is already true. Persuade yourself of the reality of this scene until you feel its truth.

After this imaginal act is complete, you are to release it and wait with confidence. Do not interfere with the process by worrying or looking for signs. Treat it as a seed you have planted or a shipment you have ordered. Your work is done. Remain faithful to your assumption, knowing that your vision has its own appointed hour and will ripen and flower in its own perfect time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Neville mean by the 'vision' in Habakkuk 2:3?

The 'vision' is your imaginal act. It is the reality you have reshaped and accepted as true in your mind's eye.

How long will it take for my desire to appear?

According to the source material, every desire has its own unique 'appointed hour.' The time interval could be short or long, but its fulfillment is certain and will not be late for its own natural time.

What is my role while I am waiting for the 'appointed hour'?

Your role is to wait with confidence and remain faithful to your assumption. You do not look for confirmation but simply trust that what you have done in imagination is a fact that must appear.

Can I do anything to speed up the process?

The source material suggests you cannot force the timing, just as you cannot force a normal birth. The seed you have planted will ripen and flower in its own time.