Finding God in the Waiting
Waiting is one of the most misunderstood seasons in the life of faith. We often see it as delay, silence, or even denial. Yet Scripture reveals something far deeper: waiting is not God’s absence; it is often God’s activity hidden from view. Many of the most decisive moments in the Bible did not happen in movement, but in stillness—when nothing seemed to be changing, yet everything was being prepared.
The Bible never treats waiting as wasted time. Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” Strength is not only renewed after the waiting; it is renewed in the waiting. This tells us that waiting is not passive. It is a spiritual posture—an active dependence on God when outcomes are beyond our control.
One of the hardest truths to accept is that God often works slowly on the outside because He is working deeply on the inside. Waiting exposes what movement hides. When progress stops, motives surface. Trust is tested. Control is challenged. Psalm 27:14 captures this tension clearly: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.” Notice the order. Courage is required before the breakthrough. Strength is formed before the manifestation.
Scripture shows that waiting is often the space where God clarifies identity. Abraham waited years between promise and fulfillment. Genesis 12 records the promise; Genesis 21 records the birth. In between were years of silence, mistakes, and adjustments. Yet Romans 4:20 says Abraham did not waver in unbelief. Waiting did not weaken his faith; it matured it. Faith that survives waiting becomes unshakeable.
Joseph’s life reveals another dimension of waiting. He received dreams early, but fulfillment came late. Prison was not Joseph’s destination, but it was part of his preparation. Psalm 105:19 says, “Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.” Waiting is often God’s testing ground. Not to destroy us, but to refine us. God tests the carrier before releasing the promise.
Waiting also strips away false dependencies. When Israel stood before the Red Sea, there was nothing they could do. No strategy. No escape. Exodus 14:13 records Moses saying, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” God deliberately positioned them where human effort was useless so that divine intervention would be undeniable. Waiting teaches us the difference between helping God and trusting God.
In the waiting, God often speaks differently. Elijah expected God in the fire and wind, but God came in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12). Waiting quiets the noise so discernment can sharpen. When life moves fast, God’s voice can be drowned out by urgency. Waiting slows the soul enough to hear Him clearly. Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stillness is not inactivity; it is awareness.
Many people struggle in waiting because they mistake silence for rejection. But Scripture shows that silence is often protection. Jesus waited thirty years before beginning public ministry. Those years are barely recorded, yet they were essential. Luke 2:52 says Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor. Growth happened in obscurity. Waiting seasons are often hidden seasons because premature exposure can destroy destiny.
The waiting season also reveals where hope is anchored. Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Waiting and seeking are connected. If waiting pushes us away from God, we are waiting wrongly. Biblical waiting draws us closer. It shifts focus from when to who. From outcome to relationship.
David understood this deeply. In Psalm 62:5 he said, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.” Expectation determines experience. When expectation is tied to timing, disappointment grows. When expectation is tied to God, peace increases. David waited not because life was easy, but because God was trustworthy.
Waiting also protects us from shortcuts. Saul lost his kingdom because he could not wait (1 Samuel 13). He offered a sacrifice he was not authorized to give because pressure overtook patience. Waiting tests obedience under tension. God often delays not because He is unwilling, but because we are not yet ready for what we are asking for. Proverbs 20:21 warns that an inheritance gained hastily will not be blessed in the end.
In the New Testament, Simeon and Anna embody faithful waiting. Luke 2 shows them waiting for the consolation of Israel. They were not idle; they were faithful. And when Jesus arrived, they recognized Him immediately. Waiting sharpens spiritual sight. Those who rush often miss God’s visitation because they are looking for movement instead of presence.
Waiting is also where God heals impatience disguised as faith. True faith can wait. Hebrews 6:12 tells us that promises are inherited through faith and patience. Faith believes; patience endures. Without patience, faith becomes impulsive. Waiting teaches us to trust God’s process, not just His promise.
Perhaps the deepest revelation in waiting is this: God is often the gift before the breakthrough. Many come to God for answers, direction, or change—but leave when waiting feels uncomfortable. Yet Scripture shows that the greatest reward of waiting is not what God gives, but who God reveals Himself to be. Psalm 130:5 says, “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope.” Hope is sustained by God’s character, not by clocks.
Even Jesus experienced waiting in Gethsemane. He waited for the Father’s will to be confirmed, and He surrendered to it (Luke 22:42). Waiting led to obedience. Obedience led to the cross. And the cross led to resurrection. Waiting may feel like death to our plans, but it often precedes resurrection power.
If you are in a waiting season, Scripture does not tell you to rush, panic, or force doors. It invites you to trust, listen, and remain. James 1:4 says patience must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing. What feels like delay is often completion in progress.
God is not distant in the waiting.
He is not inactive.
He is not undecided.
He is shaping character,
aligning timing,
closing wrong doors,
and preparing right ones.
When the waiting ends,
you will realize that God was not withholding from you—
He was with you,
forming you for what comes next.
And often,
you do not just leave the waiting with an answer—
you leave it knowing God more deeply than before.
