Have you been waiting for God to answer questions about your vocation or career? Have you applied for a big college scholarship and are trying hard to entrust the unknown outcome to the Lord? Are you waiting to meet your future husband? Are you waiting for clarity on a health issue—yours or a loved one’s?
Throughout life, there are many seasons of waiting.
These seasons are an invitation from the Lord to trust His will, His timing, and His promise of faithfulness to flourish in our lives.
Settling Into a Season of Waiting
Some years ago, already well into my vocation as wife and mother, I yearned for something God had planted in my heart years beforehand: the seeds of my heart’s desire. And I wondered if they would ever bloom.
Then, an amazing opportunity came my way. It was a dream come true. I was so excited, and I couldn’t wait to dive in.
But soon afterward, it became quite obvious that the project itself, as well as the timing of it, were not quite right. I had no peace about it, and anxiety overwhelmed me. At my very core, I knew God was asking me to wait.
At first, I was very disappointed.
Wait, Lord? Why? This is my heart’s desire!
But in reality, some health issues had worn me down. And God knew I could not add one more thing to my plate.
God’s prompting to wait gave me a profound amount of courage and grace to turn down the project.
And while my heart’s desire remained, I settled into a season of waiting.
Waiting: So Much More Than We Think
Often when we think of waiting, we assume it is a waste of time. Like the type of waiting that happens in a long checkout line or in traffic. That type of waiting is filled with anxiety. We want to be anywhere but in the waiting.
Waiting for God, however, is a completely different type of waiting, because it is not meaningless or idle. Rather, this waiting has purpose; it is active. It is a personal invitation from Jesus to come to Him and be attentive to what He is doing within us while we wait.
When we wait for God, of course we are hopeful about what we are waiting for. But there is something good and desirable in the waiting itself.
Yes, sometimes God has to do something within us before He can do something for us.
For in the silence and stillness of our waiting, He comforts and consoles us. He brings us peace in the quiet of our hearts. He whispers what we need to hear.
We Do Not Wait Alone
If we can settle into the waiting, we realize that the waiting no longer seems unbearable.
Because we are not waiting alone. We are waiting with.
God’s invitation to wait gifts us with a closeness to—a “being with”—God that is truly worthwhile. In the waiting, we can pour our hearts out to Him. And we can listen to His message of love, mercy, peace, and hope—the message we may only hear while we wait.
Scripture Verses to Pray During Times of Waiting
The Bible is full of stories of God’s people enduring seasons of waiting. The Old Testament unfolds the narrative of their waiting for the Messiah to finally come. There is also the tale of waiting on the Lord while they were enslaved in Egypt, and of how God provided for them as they waited to enter the Promised Land.
Sometimes, we need to remember how God fulfills His promises to help us through seasons of waiting, and the Psalms overflow with these reminders.
Yes, the Bible abounds with verses that express what it’s like to entrust our waiting to the Lord. And they guide our own prayerful posture in the midst of waiting.
Below is just a sampling of Scripture verses to pray during times of waiting.
Wait Quietly
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long. // Psalm 25:4-5
For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. // Psalm 62:1
The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. // Lamentations 3:25-26
Wait Courageously
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! // Psalm 27:14
But those 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
But as for me, I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. // Micah 7:7
Wait Patiently
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. // Romans 12:12
Blessed is anyone who endures temptation. Such a one has stood the test and will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. // James 1:12
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. // 1 Peter 5:10
Wait Hopefully
I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope. // Psalm 130:5
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord . . . // Jeremiah 29:11-14
Be astonished! Be astounded! For a work is being done in your days that you would not believe if you were told. // Habakkuk 1:5
After the Waiting
Reflecting back, that season of waiting I went through was hard but also blessed. While it did not result in what I had originally hoped for, God used that time to conform my heart to His. So that when a tiny bud blossomed from those seeds of my heart’s desire, I recognized His attentive handiwork. And I truly knew it was worth the wait.
HIS WORD CHANGES LIVES
God is speaking to you through His Word. In this personal study, you will learn to hear God's voice by reading slowly and praying deeply.
Sarah Damm is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She is a Catholic wife and mother of six children, living in Minnesota. She spends her days running errands, helping with homework, and keeping up with laundry and the family schedule. Sarah loves her faith, coffee, and good books. You can find out more about her here. Read all of Sarah's posts here.
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