The Pain of Waiting on God: How to Endure It
Five colorful bluegills swim in the shallows of the creek. They seem to be waiting for something. I watch them while the kids splash in the emerald swimming hole, and I get to thinking about the pain of waiting on God.
Most of us are waiting on God for something.
We’re waiting to pay off our houses, acquire promotions at work, or step into our dreams.
We’re waiting for summer vacations and weekends away from work.
The Pain of Waiting on God
It’s easy to spend our entire lives waiting for what comes next and miss the lessons that can only happen in the waiting room.
Most likely, you’re waiting for God to answer a prayer or usher you into a new season as well. Perhaps you feel weary and discouraged by the pain of waiting on God. Here are a few words to encourage you while you wait. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you experience God’s presence while you wait on him.
What the Bible Says About the Pain of Waiting on God
1. God blesses those who wait for him.
We can hold onto this promise, found in the words of Isaiah 30:18, which reads, “Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
When we wait patiently on God, he helps us grow in trust.
God blesses those who trust him by imparting his supernatural peace.
2. God gives strength to those who wait for him.
We find this promise a little later in the book of Isaiah: “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).
Do you feel weary as you wait on God?
Are you thinking about giving up?
Don’t give up. Instead, ask God for strength to endure. He is still working in the areas of your life that feel stagnant.
3. God is good to those who wait for him.
We find this promise in the book of Lamentations: “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25).
Right now, God is pursuing you with gifts in his hands. These gifts are his goodness and mercy (see Psalm 23).
Wait on God, and when the time is right, you will see his goodness and mercy showered upon your life.
These are powerful promises, but what do we do while we wait? How do we endure the pain of waiting on God well?
How to Wait Well:
Let’s look at a few ways to wait well.
1. Keep watching for God, and stay engaged with him.
Waiting on the Lord is not a passive activity.
This is where many of us get waiting wrong.
We are to cast our cares upon the Lord, bring our petitions to him, and then wait. However, this doesn’t mean we sit and twiddle our thumbs while we wait inactively for God to do something.
Instead, after bringing our requests to God, we are to stay engaged with him, watching for where he is moving so that we might respond, listening to what he might want to speak, and remaining alert to what he might want to show us.
The command to pray without ceasing reminds us to pray while we wait. Don’t leave the conversation. Stay engaged. Watch for what God is doing.
When we remain engaged with God during times of waiting, we often unlock doors that lead us deeper with him. We learn the way he thinks and moves as we watch for him. We find ourselves hungry for the food of his Word, and when we chew on it as if our lives depend on it, it changes us.
God wants to use our times of waiting as bridges that lead us closer to his heart. The gateway across the bridge and closer to his heart is always open.
God wants to use our times of waiting as bridges that lead us closer to his heart. The gateway across the bridge and closer to his heart is always open. #waitingonGod Share on X2. Keep working hard, even amid the pain of waiting on God.
It’s easy to let crushed dreams sideline us. Waiting can be deeply discouraging, and it’s tempting to give up.
God has called us to keep working while we wait.
The woman who believes she is called to speak to the masses in crowded auditoriums can faithfully lead three women in her living room while she waits for her dream to come to life.
The woman who wants to open her own bakery can put her whole heart into her job behind the counter of the local grocery store.
There is power in working while we wait.
3. Find something to enjoy while you wait.
Waiting is painful. Hope deferred really can make the heart sick.
For this reason, it’s important to chase joy while we wait on God.
Begin each day with a few moments spent relishing God’s gifts.
Start a gratitude journal.
Pause three times a day to give thanks in prayer.
Slow down and embrace the beautiful moments unfolding around you. Pull the car to the side of the road and admire the sunset, pick wildflowers, or roll down the window and inhale the country air.
Lick ice cream cones. Sip coffee slowly. Build a campfire and roast s’mores. Find a reason to laugh today.
We wait well when we cultivate joy in the waiting.
Whatever you’re waiting for today, have hope. God acts in his perfect timing. While you wait, cling to the promise that you never wait alone.
Whatever you’re waiting for today, have hope. God acts in his perfect timing. While you wait, cling to the promise that you never wait alone. #waitingonGod Share on XCalling All Parents (and Grandparents)!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
A Free Devotional to Help You Find Peace in God’s Presence
I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
