When God Works in the Waiting
"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." – Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
We don’t like waiting. We tap our foot in the checkout line, refresh tracking numbers for our online orders, and get frustrated if a video takes longer than three seconds to load. In our world, speed feels like progress.
But God isn’t in a hurry. And often, the seasons when we feel stuck—when our prayers seem unanswered, when doors remain closed—are the very seasons when He’s working most powerfully behind the scenes.
Think about a seed planted in the ground. For weeks, maybe months, nothing appears to be happening. But under the soil, hidden from view, roots are forming, strength is building, and the foundation for future growth is being set. When the sprout finally breaks through the dirt, it’s the visible sign of a process that’s been going on all along.
David, who wrote Psalm 27, understood waiting. Anointed as king while still a teenager, he waited years before actually taking the throne. In that time, God was shaping him—teaching him to lead, to trust, to worship in caves as well as in palaces.
You might feel like you’re in a holding pattern right now. You’ve prayed. You’ve prepared. You’ve done all you can. And still, God says, “Wait.” That’s not wasted time—it’s training time. The waiting is where trust grows deep and faith becomes unshakable.
When you can’t see what God is doing, remember: roots don’t grow on the surface. They grow in the hidden places. And what He’s growing in you now will sustain you when the next season comes.
Reflection Questions:
What area of your life right now feels like it’s “stuck in waiting”?
How has God used a past waiting season to strengthen you for the future?
What spiritual “roots” do you think He might be growing in you right now?
Prayer:
Father, help me to see waiting not as wasted time but as Your time to prepare me for what’s next. Teach me to trust Your timing, even when I don’t understand it. Grow my faith in the hidden places, so that when my season changes, I will be ready to stand strong in You. Amen.
