As Christians, we are all familiar with the concept of waiting.
Waiting for answers to prayer, waiting for healing, waiting for direction in life, and waiting for the fulfillment of promises that seem to take forever to come to fruition.
It’s in these moments of waiting that we often wonder what God is doing.
Is He just ignoring our cries for help, or is He working behind the scenes in ways we can’t see or understand?
Let’s explore what God is doing while we wait, and how we can trust Him in the midst of it all.
God is teaching us patience
One of the things God does while we wait is to teach us patience.
Patience is not just the ability to wait, but how we act and react while we wait.
It’s about trusting God’s timing even when it doesn’t make sense to us.
Perhaps you’ve been waiting for years for a promise to be fulfilled, but it seems like nothing is happening.
In these times, God is teaching us to wait patiently and trust Him, even when the waiting seems unbearable.
God is preparing us for what’s ahead
We don’t always know what’s coming, but God does.
He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
So while we wait, God is preparing us for the future He has in store.
He’s molding and shaping us, teaching us important lessons that we’ll need when the next season of life comes around.
God is refining our character
Waiting can be uncomfortable, and sometimes it exposes areas of our character that need some work.
It’s in these times of waiting that God often refines our character.
He exposes our weaknesses and challenges us to grow in areas where we may be lacking.
This can be painful, but it’s necessary for us to become the person God wants us to be.
God is drawing us closer to Him
Waiting can be a lonely experience, but it’s also an opportunity to draw closer to God.
When we’re waiting for something, we tend to seek God more fervently.
We pray more, read our Bibles more, and spend more time in His presence.
It’s in these moments of waiting that we realize how much we need God, and how much we long for His presence in our lives.
God is using our waiting for His glory
Our wait is not just about us. God is using it to bring glory to his name.
While we wait, people are watching us, and our faith can inspire and impact their lives.
It’s an opportunity to show others how we trust and rely on God.
It’s a time where God can use our story to encourage others who are also waiting for their prayers to be answered.
In John 11:4, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
Jesus used Lazarus’ sickness to bring glory to God’s name. In the same way, God can use our wait to bring glory to him.
Our waiting can be a testimony to others of God’s faithfulness and goodness.
It can be a witness to those around us that even when we don’t understand what God is doing, we can trust Him to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).
God is strengthening our faith
Waiting requires a lot of faith. When the wait is prolonged, and we don’t see answers to our prayers, we might grow weary and lose hope.
But God wants us to trust Him even when things seem impossible.
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Our faith must be grounded not on what we see but on what we know about God’s character.
In the process of waiting, God is strengthening our faith so that we may receive His promises with a heart full of faith and gratitude.
God is walking with us
He is not distant or far away.
He is in every step we take, every breath we inhale, and every moment of our lives.
He is the one who holds our hands and guides our paths.
Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
God is with us in the wait, and we need to trust that He is carrying us through.
Waiting is not easy, but it’s a necessary part of the Christian life.
When we find ourselves in seasons of waiting, we can have confidence that God is working behind the scenes.
He’s teaching us patience, preparing us for the future, refining our character, drawing us closer to Him, and using our waiting for His glory.
Let’s trust Him in the waiting, and know that He’s always working for our good and His glory.
We can take comfort in knowing that waiting is not wasted time but rather an opportunity to grow our character, deepen our faith, and glorify God.
