Waiting on God is hard. Why?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Waiting on God is difficult. Waiting for an answer from God or waiting for Him to make a way where we want to see Him move tests our patience. In the Old Testament, God promised Abram that his offspring would be “a great nation” (Genesis 12:2). However, after years of waiting for a son, Abraham’s wife, Sarah, gave him her slave, Hagar to have a son with. Still, God fulfilled His original promise; Sarah gave birth to her son Isaac at 90 years old.

In Genesis 39-41, Joseph endured a waiting season. After being wrongfully imprisoned, he interpreted the dream of the cupbearer of the king, whom he informed would be restored to his position. Although Joseph asked the cupbearer to help get him out of prison, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph for two years. Perhaps one of the most powerful examples of trusting the Lord despite a painful wait is Hannah’s story in Samuel 1-2. After years of barrenness, Hannah promised that if she would be blessed with a child, she would give him to the Lord. When Hannah kept her word, God granted her more children in addition to Samuel. Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31, and Lamentations 3:25 offer encouragement to those who wait upon the Lord. In the New Testament, we are instructed to trust God and experience His peace rather than give into anxiety (Philippians 4:6–7). While waiting on the Lord is hard, we can trust Him because He has promised that everything will “work together for good” for those who trust in Him(Romans 8:28), even if it means experiencing a season of waiting.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Abram (Abraham) and his wife Sarah had been unable to have a child (Genesis 12). Although God did not specifically mention a son, it was implied because He promised Abram that He would make “a great nation” out of him (verse 2). According to Genesis 21:5 Abraham was 100 years old when his son by Sarah was born, and she was 90; the couple waited 25 years for the fulfillment of God’s promise. However, the couple struggled to wait for this promise to be fulfilled. Sarah even gave Abraham her slave to have a child with (Genesis 16:1–2). This lack of trust in God caused much pain for everyone involved (Genesis 16:4-13).
• In Genesis 39:19-20, Joseph was falsely accused by his master’s wife and was thrown into prison. Eventually, a cupbearer and baker of the king were put in the same prison as Joseph; while there, the two of them had dreams that he accurately interpreted (Genesis 40:1-13; 16-22). After Joseph told the cupbearer he would be restored to his office, he added, “Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. For I was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit" (verse 14). However, in verse 23, it says that “the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him;” it was not until two years later that the cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and helped restore him out of prison (verses 9-14).
• In the beginning of the book of 1 Samuel, Hannah is a distraught woman. Year after year she was verbally abused by her husband's other wife as she remains barren (1 Samuel 1:2-7). One day, when Hannah was “deeply distressed” (verse 10) she went up to the temple of the Lord and wept bitterly before Him. While there, Hannah surrendered her desires to God by promising that if she would be blessed with a son, she would give him to the Lord (verse 11). After Hannah bore a son, she kept her promise to God and took him to Eli (the high priest of Israel) so he could serve in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 1:20). Later, the Lord blessed Hannah again by giving her three more sons and two daughters (1 Samuel 2:21).
• In Psalm 27:14, King David says: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Courage is needed for us to wait for the Lord.
• Isaiah 40:31 says: "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." Waiting on God results in us being strengthened.
• In Lamentations 3:25, the author (likely the prophet Jeremiah) states: “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” The Lord values our reliance on Him as we wait for His promises to be fulfilled in our life.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Philippians 4:6–7 says, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Rather than worrying about things, we should put our concerns in God's hands and wait on Him. When we do this, we can expect to receive His peace, which surpasses our limited, human understanding.
• In Romans 8:28, Paul says: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Christians can wait on the Lord in the assurance that He will work things out for our good.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

As finite human beings, we typically want things to happen in our view of the right timing. However, because God lives outside time, His timing is usually in opposition to ours. For example, Israel prayed for the Messiah to come for years before He actually arrived. As Galatians 4:4 says, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son …" Throughout our lives, we may be put in difficult waiting seasons that are no fault of our own, like in Joseph’s case. We will also likely have times in our life where we will be faced with either doubting God and doing what we think is best, as was the case with Abraham and Sarah, or surrendering our desires to God and experiencing His peace, as was the case with Hannah. Ultimately, we should hold on to the truth that no matter how bitterly painful our waiting season is, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Instead of wrestling with our sorrow or impatience alone, we should bring our feelings, complaints, and requests to God. As King David put it: “I waited patiently for the Lord, he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Psalm 40:1-2). God’s timing is best. Seeing His hand and goodness through our waiting is important to give our hearts and minds the perspective they need as we wait.

UNDERSTAND

• Waiting on God is hard because we often want our way in our timing.
• God’s ways and timing are best for our good and His glory.
• While waiting on God, we can trust Him and bring to Him our emotions and concerns because He cares for us.

REFLECT

• When have you struggled to wait on God, and how did that experience shape your faith in His timing?
• How can remembering examples of waiting, whether negative or positive like Abraham, Joseph, or Hannah, inspire patience in your own waiting seasons?
• How can you draw nearer to God in your times of waiting, and how would that change your perspective on waiting?

ENGAGE

• How can we encourage others to trust God’s timing when waiting feels overwhelming?
• What biblical promises can we hold onto to strengthen our faith during seasons of waiting?
• How do examples of waiting in Scripture challenge or affirm our views of God’s timing in our lives?