I stared out the foggy window as raindrops raced down the glass. “How long, O Lord?” I whispered.
It had been months since I lost my job, but my prayers for a new one seemed unanswered.
I thought back to brighter days when I felt God’s presence like the warm sunshine. But now, only gray clouds loomed overhead. I wondered if God had forgotten me.
Like me, we’ve all been there – pleading for God to show up as we wait for prayers to be answered. Waiting can be wearying, no doubt. But it doesn’t have to be wasted time.
In fact, God often uses seasons of waiting to shape our faith and reliance on Him. As we’ll explore today, Scripture offers wisdom on how to wait well…with trust, patience, and purpose.
Though the horizon may look bleak, hope is coming if you fix your eyes on God who is always faithful.
The waiting may be long and difficult, but you are not alone. God walks with you in the shadows until the light returns. You need only to reach for His hand and walk in faith one step at a time.
1. God’s Appointed Time
You may grow impatient for the unfolding of God’s promises in your life. But Scripture reminds us that His timing is perfect:
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry”
Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)
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God has an appointed time for every vision He’s planted in your heart. Though it lingers past your expectations, remain confident. His timing is intentional, not accidental.
The waiting time strengthens your faith muscles. As author and pastor John Piper puts it, “Wait for the Lord” is “the calm, clear command simply to live your life in unspectacular obedience until God issues His summons.”
2. Quiet Your Soul
Active waiting before God requires quieting your restless soul:
“My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”
Psalm 62:5 (NKJV)
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This means hushing the raucous chorus of your intellect, will, emotions, and self-interest. It’s tuning your heart to pick up the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Worship is the key to quieting your soul. As you bask in God’s presence and majesty, your limited reasoning gives way to divine wisdom.
3. Exercise Patience
Biblical waiting isn’t passive resignation. It’s patient perseverance. We’re exhorted:
“7 My brothers and sisters, be very patient, therefore, until the coming of the Lord…8 You too must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near.”
James 5:7-8 (NASB)
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Patience strengthens your heart to endure hardship, cling to truth, and stand firm in God’s will when surrounded by temptation.
As Scottish preacher Alexander MacLaren put it, patience is “a persevering continuance in well-doing.”
It’s actively waiting with steadfast hope.
4. Lacking Nothing
One blessing of the wait is that God uses it to perfect you—to free you from relying on His gifts more than the Giver.
“Let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”
James 1:4 (NASB)
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As you learn to find satisfaction in Christ, promotions and resources lose their luster.
You’ll no longer treat God’s blessings as additions to your value. This will break pride’s grip when the wait finally lifts.
5. Proving Your Character
God often uses waiting to prove and purify your devotion. When the world’s approval conflicts with God’s call, the test comes. Whose voice will you heed?
Jesus pointed to this refining fire of the wait when he told Peter:
“31 Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”
Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)
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The sifting of the wait exposes weaknesses God wants to fortify in you through patient endurance.
6. God’s Trust in You
God is never early and never late. He withholds assignments from you until He can entrust you with them—until you’ve been proven ready through tests of character.
Consider David. Though anointed as King of Israel years earlier, he had to wait patiently for the fulfillment. He waited humbly until God opened the door to the palace.
The wait prepared David for the weighty call of leadership. And when promotion finally came, David was ready, responding in reverence rather than self-importance.
The Master’s delay is preparing you too. Keep waiting prayerfully and faithfully. His unveiling of your purpose is right on schedule.
7. Waiting with Hope
Waiting wells up hope in the heart. Biblical hope isn’t wishful thinking but confident expectation in God’s faithfulness:
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
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This active hope will lift your gaze from current setbacks to God’s track record of provision. Like Abraham and Sarah, you should consider “Him faithful who has promised” (Hebrews 11:11).
Your certainty in God’s character transforms the wait into expectant joy. You can say like the psalmist:
“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
Psalm 130:5 (NIV)
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8. Wait in Prayer
Seasons of waiting invite you to deeper prayer. As you bring heartfelt petitions to our faithful Father, the Spirit nourishes persevering hope:
“5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.”
Psalm 130:5-6 (NIV)
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Through prayer, you’ll gain insight into God’s heart and His vision for your life. Your spiritual ears will open to receive His voice afresh.
Remember that ultimately it’s God you should yearn for—not just His gifts.
The wait that seems endless is intentionally engineered by God to draw you close to Him. Let your season of waiting blossom into a rich prayer life.
Key Takeaways
- God waits to fulfill His promises in His perfect timing. Keep trusting Him.
- Quieting your soul in God’s presence is key when waiting on Him.
- Biblical waiting requires patient endurance and perseverance.
- Waiting helps free you from pride and self-reliance when God finally moves.
- God uses seasons of waiting to test and prove your character.
- Remain faithful where God has placed you while awaiting your purpose.
- God prepares you through waiting before unlocking greater responsibility.
- Waiting is meant to deepen intimacy and reliance on God.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How do I know if I’m really waiting on God versus just being passive?
A. Active waiting involves continuing to pursue God’s known will for your life while trusting Him to reveal the next steps in His timing.
Passivity would be making no effort and expecting God to drop blessings in your lap.
Q. What’s the difference between biblical hope and wishful thinking?
A. Biblical hope is confident expectation based on God’s proven character and past faithfulness. Wishful thinking has no firm foundation.
Biblical hope energizes you; wishful thinking often leads to discouragement.
Q. How can I keep hope alive when I’ve been waiting for something for years?
A. Remind yourself of God’s past faithfulness in your life. Reread accounts of biblical heroes who endured long waits before God moved.
Spend time in worship and prayer, immersing your heart in who God is. Ask Him for a fresh perspective on what He’s doing currently.
Q. Why does God sometimes make us wait a long time for something He’s promised?
A. God’s delays are not arbitrary but purposeful. He uses waiting to expand our capacity, build perseverance in us, remove pride, and deepen our longing for Him above all else.
It’s all to prepare us for the gift itself. The wait itself is a gift.
Q. What should I do while waiting on God?
A. Pursue obedience in areas already known. Seek God in prayer and worship. Study Scripture for encouragement and guidance.
Be open to new opportunities God may bring your way to build character. And lean into the Christian community for support. The wait can be lonely without it.
Waiting on God isn’t always easy. But His track record is unblemished. He won’t leave you waiting forever. At just the right time, His purpose will bloom.
Until then, wait with hopeful expectations. The Lord is faithful.
