The Foolishness of Waiting Upon the Lord – When It Seems Nothing Is Working
Waiting on the Lord is one of the most misunderstood spiritual disciplines in the Christian journey. To the natural mind, waiting looks like inactivity. It feels like delay. It appears foolish. When nothing seems to change, when prayers linger unanswered, when doors refuse to open, when progress feels frozen, waiting looks unreasonable. Yet in Scripture, waiting is not foolishness at all—it is faith in its highest form, trust in its deepest place, and obedience in its purest expression.
Psalm 27:14 commands, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart.” Notice the instruction: waiting requires courage. It takes boldness to stay still when everything around you pressures you to move prematurely. It takes strength to remain in alignment when impatience whispers, “Just do something.” It takes faith to trust God’s silence more than your own understanding.
The waiting room of God often feels empty, but it is full of divine activity. Isaiah 64:4 declares, “No eye has seen a God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” God works for those who wait. While you wait, He moves. While you trust, He aligns. While you stand still, He is fighting battles you’re unaware of. Waiting is not a pause—it is a process.
But to the watching world, waiting looks foolish. Noah looked foolish building an ark for a flood he had never seen. Abraham looked foolish waiting for a child at an age where biology mocked his faith. Joseph looked foolish holding onto dreams while serving in prison. David looked foolish waiting for a throne while hiding in caves. Even Jesus looked foolish waiting thirty years before stepping into public ministry. Yet every one of these “foolish” waiters stepped into divine fulfillment.
Waiting becomes foolish only to those who measure life by speed instead of purpose. God is not bound by time; He governs it. Psalm 31:15 says, “My times are in Your hand.” If your times are in God’s hand, then delay cannot destroy you, waiting cannot waste you, and stillness cannot stop you. When God holds your times, He holds your elevation, your breakthrough, your promotion, your blessing, and your unfolding story.
What appears like delay to you is often preparation to God. Isaiah 40:31 reveals the secret: “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.” Waiting revives you. Waiting heals you. Waiting strengthens you. Waiting elevates you. Eagles do not rise by flapping— they rise by waiting on wind. Likewise, believers rise by waiting on God’s Spirit, not their own momentum.
Waiting seems foolish because God rarely shows His hand while you wait. Joseph waited thirteen years without seeing a hint of the palace. Hannah waited years before she heard Samuel’s cry. The disciples waited in the upper room without knowing when the Spirit would fall. But when God comes, He comes suddenly. Psalm 126:1 says, “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like those who dream.” Waiting feels slow until God moves, and then it feels sudden.
The foolishness of waiting also exposes the idols of our hearts. Waiting reveals whether you trust God or your own timing. Whether you want His will or your plan. Whether you seek His instruction or your speed. Waiting detoxes the soul. It strips away impatience, pride, fear, and impulsiveness. It teaches surrender like no other spiritual discipline.
Waiting is also a furnace where God shapes character. Romans 5:3–4 says tribulation produces patience, and patience produces character. Abraham learned belief. Moses learned humility. Hannah learned surrender. David learned worship. Joseph learned stewardship. The furnace of waiting forms kings, intercessors, prophets, and leaders. Waiting does not weaken a person—it strengthens the spiritual spine.
Waiting seems foolish because you can’t see what God is doing. But God often hides His work in the dark. Seeds sprout underground. Babies grow in the womb. Foundations form before buildings appear. God works in hiddenness to produce lasting fruit. Jesus said in John 13:7, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” Waiting is trusting that “later” will make sense.
Sometimes waiting becomes painful. Psalm 13 opens with David crying, “How long, O Lord?” This is the honest cry of a weary heart. Waiting tests emotions. Waiting tests strength. Waiting tests hope. But verse 5 reveals David’s anchor: “But I have trusted in Your mercy.”
The pain of waiting must always meet the mercy of God.
Waiting becomes difficult when life seems to move for others. When friends marry and you remain single. When colleagues advance and you remain unseen. When others build and you are still dreaming. When testimonies surround you but your prayer request hasn’t shifted. In those moments, waiting looks foolish—until God steps in. Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.” God inclines toward those who wait.
Waiting looks foolish because you believe without evidence. Hebrews 11:1 says faith is the evidence of things not seen. Waiting is faith stretched over time. It is the fight to keep believing even when nothing is happening. Abraham “hoped against hope” (Romans 4:18) because faith outlives delay.
Waiting may look foolish, but rushing ahead always becomes regret. Saul lost his kingdom because he couldn’t wait for Samuel (1 Samuel 13:8–14). Esau forfeited his birthright because he couldn’t wait for food. The Israelites built a golden calf because they couldn’t wait for Moses. Waiting protects destiny where impatience destroys it.
Though waiting is painful, it is pregnant with promise. Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him.” Goodness meets those who wait. Isaiah 30:18 declares, “Blessed are all they who wait for Him.” Waiting births blessings. Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Waiting is resting, not striving.
Waiting looks foolish until God moves. Then everyone sees that waiting was wisdom.
And the testimony of every believer who waited is this:
God came. God answered. God remembered. God restored. God made it worth it.
When it seems nothing is working, God is working the most.
When it seems nothing is moving, the unseen is shifting.
When it seems heaven is silent, divine alignment is happening.
When it seems foolish to wait, faith is being perfected.
Waiting on the Lord is never foolish—it is faith obeying Heaven’s timing.
And whenever God asks you to wait, it is because what He is preparing is worth the wait.
