Waiting on God can be one of the most difficult things for Christians. Even when we know that God’s timing is perfect and His plans are for our good, it’s still not easy to be patient when we want something now or don’t understand why God is allowing circumstantial hardships. The Bible has a lot to say about waiting on the Lord that can encourage and strengthen our faith when waiting seems unbearable.
We Want Instant Gratification
One major reason waiting is so hard is because we live in a culture of instant gratification. Technology, on-demand services, and constant stimulation have conditioned us to expect everything immediately. The slightest delay frustrates us. This makes it very difficult to wait on God’s perfect timing, especially when we don’t see immediate results from our prayers and petitions. We get anxious, wondering if God even hears us (Psalm 94:9). But God tells us His timing is perfect even when it doesn’t align with ours (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He works on an eternal timeline, not a human one. Learning to override that impulse for instant gratification requires trust that God knows and wants what is best for us (Jeremiah 29:11).
We Doubt God’s Faithfulness
Another reason waiting on God is challenging is that we start to doubt His faithfulness. When prayers go unanswered for what feels like a long time or circumstances don’t seem to be improving, we wonder if God even cares or is paying attention. Worse yet, the enemy plants lies that God has abandoned us or is punishing us (Isaiah 49:14-16). But the Bible reassures us that He never leaves or forsakes His children (Deuteronomy 31:6). His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). He is constantly working on our behalf, even when we can’t perceive it (Isaiah 64:4). We must choose faith in His eternal compassion and care rather than doubt.
We Lose Sight of God’s Bigger Plan
As finite humans, it’s easy to get tunnel vision focused on our own circumstances and lose sight of God’s bigger eternal plan. When we want something right now, it’s hard to consider that God may be working something greater that we can’t fully perceive in the moment. But He reminds us that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). His ultimate goal is our eternal good and His glory, not granting all our temporal wishes. Surrendering our limited vantage point to trust God’s broader providential perspective requires humility and faith that He truly does know best.
We Grow Impatient and Lose Hope
The longer we wait on God for answered prayer or relief from circumstances, the more impatient and hopeless we can feel. Unfulfilled expectations and dashed hopes can breed bitterness, resentment, or even despair. But God does not want us to lose heart as we wait on Him (Luke 18:1-8). He encourages us to persevere in faith, finding strength by remembering His faithfulness in the past (Psalm 77:11-12). He wants us to live in hopeful expectation that He will act when the time is right (Psalm 27:14). Fixing our eyes on Jesus gives us endurance to not give up (Hebrews 12:2-3).
We Start Trying to Make Things Happen
When God’s timing doesn’t match ours, we often get impatient and start trying to make solutions happen in our own strength instead of waiting on Him. But nothing we force in our own power can achieve what God desires to do through us in His strength (Zechariah 4:6). Anything not done through His Spirit is wood, hay, and straw destined to burn up (1 Corinthians 3:12-13). The Bible consistently reminds us that it is foolishness to rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). Our role is to wait on the Lord so that He can renew our strength to walk uprightly before Him (Isaiah 40:31).
We Don’t Fully Trust God’s Good Plans
At the root of all these reasons waiting is so hard is a lack of complete trust in God’s goodness and His plans to prosper us (Jeremiah 29:11). Feelings of doubt, despair, bitterness, and resentment when God makes us wait expose places our faith needs to grow. His desire is to transform us to share in His holy character (Romans 8:28-29). That happens as we learn through waiting experiences to trust His unfailing love and wisdom. As our faith in who God is grows, waiting gets easier. We can rest knowing He is sovereign over every circumstance and will work all things for our eternal good if we submit to His will (Romans 8:28).
How to Wait Well
Waiting on God well requires faith and patience to align our hearts with His perfect will and timing. Here are some biblical strategies to wait well:
- Pray for the patience, strength, and grace to wait (Psalm 40:1).
- Trust in God’s faithful character and past provision (Psalm 145:13).
- Renew your hope through God’s Word (Psalm 119:81).
- Focus on pursuing God’s kingdom rather than instant solutions (Matthew 6:33).
- Release expectations and desires to God in prayer (Psalm 62:5).
- Look for what you can learn spiritually in the waiting (James 1:2-4).
- Give thanks that God is at work behind the scenes (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
- Allow waiting to deepen intimacy with God (Psalm 130:5-6).
The Blessings of Waiting
Waiting on God is very difficult by design because it builds our faith muscles and refines us spiritually as we learn to trust Him more. But the Bible promises blessings to those who wait patiently on the Lord that make it worthwhile:
- Renewed strength (Isaiah 40:31)
- Satisfaction of desires (Psalm 37:3-4)
- Joy in God’s presence (Psalm 16:11)
- Fulfillment of His perfect plans (Proverbs 3:5-6)
- Development of Christlike character (Romans 5:3-4)
- Greater intimacy with God (Psalm 130:5-6)
- Confidence in His sovereignty (Psalm 27:14)
The next time waiting on God feels impossible, remember that His timing and plans are perfect because He is faithful, loving, and all-knowing. Surrendering our impatience to His sovereignty allows His grace to shape us into Christ’s image as we learn to trust His providence. While incredibly difficult, the eternal blessings far outweigh the temporal trials as we submit to God’s refining process. We can wait with confident hope knowing that God’s purposes through us will come to pass right on time.