Waiting on God: How to Do it Well

We all go through seasons when we are waiting on God. It could be waiting for a promise He made, the fulfillment of a dream He put on our hearts, or the deliverance from a hardship. Whichever the reason, the Christian walk is paved with waiting periods.

We wait because we are like planted seeds and need time to grow into beautiful trees. God does His best works in us in the waiting. He develops us, make us take roots deep into Him, so we can grow and bear fruits that will glorify Him, and others will enjoy.

But let’s be real, waiting on God is tough. And more often than not, we don’t want to do it. I have been praying and waiting for a job for years, and at many times, I wanted to give up. I couldn’t take another rejection letter and another disappointment.

Have you been there?

Feeling so weary of the wait that you tell God from the depth of your pain that you can’t take it anymore? Telling Him with brimming tears that you can’t keep getting your hopes up only to be disappointed? Being frustrated of always wondering when God will show up; or if He will show up?

I have felt that way many times. But whenever I was on the verge of giving up, I stumbled upon a sermon or went through a situation that revived my hope. And through this cycle, I have learned how to wait well because waiting on God is not a means to an end.

On the contrary, it is a critical process that matures us. How we wait will affect our growth and the length of our wait. And here are some ways to maximize our growth during waiting seasons.

Wait without complaining

Waiting on God provides fertile soil for complaints to grow. We complain it’s taking too long, not happening how we want it, others are prospering, and we are not, etc. I am overwhelmingly guilty of this, I have complained way too many times, which isn’t right.

Complaining is a sign of spiritual immaturity and a total lack of reverence for God. It is saying God is not doing a good enough job of running things, and we would probably do it better. As a result of this, God may lengthen our waiting.

Take the children of Israel for example. When they were in the wilderness waiting on God to take them to the promised land, they complained non-stop. It irritated God, and the consequences were devastating. God forbade the older generation from entering the promised land, and the younger generation had to wait forty years.

If it could happen to them, it could happen to us. So, refrain from complaining during your wait, instead, be full of praises for God.

Wait with faith and expectation

When you are waiting on God, it’s important to wait with faith and expectation. For a long time, I waited without expecting God to deliver, and my prayers were mostly wishful thinking.

But that’s not how to wait on God. We are to wait eagerly and with a confident expectation that God will come through. We should expect His promise as a pregnant woman expects her baby to be born; with anticipation and joy.

Waiting with expectation shows trust in God, for we believe what we can see. It’s also a sign of a mature faith, for it’s harder to trust God when we are in the waiting than in the promise.

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

Keep producing good works while waiting on God

God created us to do good works, and faith without works is dead, but the Bible doesn’t say to do good works only when life is good. We can still do good works while waiting on God.

To “wait on” means to attend someone or serve them, as a waiter waits for a table at a restaurant. And that’s how we should wait on God. We don’t wait on God passively but proactively; we wait well by pleasing Him, seeking His will and obeying His commandments.

Never allow any season or pain to prevent you from producing good works. So, in your waiting, serve others, be generous, pray for others, etc.

Participate in what you are waiting on God to do

God likes to involve us in His work. How He performed miracles or answered prayers prove that. For example, When Jesus miraculously fed the crowds, He didn’t make a pile of food for them to eat. The miracle happened as the disciples started sharing the bread; in other words, when they participated in the work. Likewise, while waiting on God, be active, and participate in what He is doing.

The funny thing is, sometimes we think we are waiting on God, but actually, He is waiting for us to move. God will always help us do what we have never done, but we need to make the first step.

For example, if you are waiting on God for a job, keep sending resumes and networking. If He called you to publish a book, keep writing, if you are waiting to conceive, keep trying, etc. Develop your skills, take classes, create things, do what you have to do. Don’t spend your waiting season idly.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

Lamentations 3:25-27

Don’t take matters into your hands

During the waiting, it can be tempting to take things in our hands. It could be because we are weary of the wait and want to hasten it. Or perhaps, we are so excited about God’s promises that we can’t wait for it.

Whichever the reason, don’t give in to the temptation of doing things your way. It will only cause you problems and possibly delay your promise. Moreover, what you create for yourself, you will have to sustain. Whereas when you wait on God to provide, He will maintain it.

When Abraham and Sarai got tired of waiting for the son God promised them, they took the matter into their hands. So, Abraham, with Sarah’s blessing, slept with Hagar the handmaid and had a son with her named Ishmael. But Ishmael wasn’t the promised son, and his birth caused problems later.

You will most likely also have opportunities to shorten your wait. I did, and I was tempted to take it. I knew other Christians who did it, and things seemed to work well for them. But I decided to trust God and wait for His timing.

It can be hard but keep on waiting, no matter how desperate things look, or even if it costs you. And if you are tempted to take shortcuts because others are doing it and are prospering, read Psalm 37.

Draw closer to God in your waiting

Lastly, while waiting on God, draw closer and closer to Him. Since the fall, we are prone to run away from God, particularly during hard times. Many times, while waiting, I pulled away from God. I didn’t want to be in His presence because I was so weary of the wait.

But that’s when we should press on and keep pursuing Him. If you only seek God when He gives you what you want, then God is your sugar daddy, not your good Father. We love God because of who He is, not what He gives us. So, when you keep seeking Him, even in those hard waiting seasons, it shows spiritual maturity and genuine love for God.

We live by faith not by feelings, so keep pursuing Him even if you don’t feel like it. Be like Moses, who refused to take another step towards the promised land if God’s presence didn’t go with him (Exodus 33:15). What would it profit to achieve all your dreams but lose your faith?

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:14

For a while, I did not spend my waiting season well and didn’t do half of the above. But God has been good and provided many opportunities to help me grow rather than giving up on me.

God cares about our lives more than we do. He wants to us obtain His promises more than we do and has given us all we need to receive it. And waiting on Him well is part of it.

If you are waiting on God, I hope this post helps and encourages you. Don’t give up, keep waiting well, and before you know it, God will come through.

 Grace and peace to you!