When God Says Wait

🌺  Written by Brittany Ann

 When God Says Wait

A few months ago, I visited a church I hadn’t been to in quite some time. Like, five or six years.

On this particular Sunday, they were discussing a cause that was very near and dear to their hearts. The church had been sending people overseas to a war-torn third-world country for years and on this particular Sunday, they were pleased to announce that the fighting had ended!

I remember being at the church years before, when they had first started sending people over. And now, a handful of years later, the fighting was done. They had rescued people. They had made a difference.

I thought about what *I* had done over the same amount of time. I’d had a baby. And then another. But that was about it. I hadn’t saved the world; I hadn’t even saved one person.

 

Related:  How to Wait on the Lord When You Don’t Understand His Plan

 

 

When God Says Wait

 

Many of you may not know this, but I actually went to school to be an elementary school teacher, not a writer. I had this whole career timeline in my mind, and it would have been perfect. Except that’s not what happened.

I got pregnant before finishing college, and while I did eventually go back and complete my last semester, I never became a full-time teacher. Instead, I entered a period of waiting. A time when God said, “Yes, you will do big things. But not yet.”

 

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! –Psalm 27:13-14

 

Perhaps you’re in a waiting season too. If so, you have my sympathy. I know just how tough it can be when God says wait. How it feels when you have big plans, big hopes and big dreams, and you feel stuck on the bench.

But ultimately, we have to trust that when God says wait, He has a good reason.

 

When God Says Wait: 9 Reasons Why

 

Now, I don’t know your specific situation and I definitely don’t claim to know and understand God’s ways, but here are a few reasons I can think of why God may be making you wait. Perhaps one applies to you.

 

  • You aren’t ready yet (either spiritually, emotionally, physically or mentally).
  • God’s plan for you involves other people too, and they aren’t ready yet.
  • You need a stronger support team than you have right now; those take time to develop.
  • God wants to come through for someone else at just the right time, and that hasn’t happened yet.
  • If you get involved in something (or with someone) now, you’ll be too distracted when the right situation/person comes along later.
  • You have other tasks to accomplish before your big task can take place.
  • You need to develop a certain skill set or certain relationships first.
  • You need knowledge or life experience you don’t have yet.
  • The person you are meant to help doesn’t need your help yet.

 

Ultimately, we never know why God says “Wait.”

We simply have to trust that when God says wait, He has His reasons, and they are good ones.

 

 When God Says Wait

 

How to Respond When God Says Wait

 

Hearing a “wait” when you really want to rush forward and save the world can be difficult. After all, it’s good to want to make a difference, right? Well… only if the timing is right. And when God says wait – that’s a clear sign that it isn’t.

Here’s how to cope in the meantime.

 

1. Pray

 

First of all, pray to make sure that the “wait” you hear is actually a “wait” and not just you being lazy. Secondly, pray for more detail. What exactly does God want you to wait on? Is it just one opportunity that you need to hold off on, or do you need a more extensive period of rest where you opt out of all opportunities for the time being?

 

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. –Lamentations 3:25

 

2. Grow

 

Whether you are waiting because you aren’t ready personally or because the timing simply isn’t right yet, periods of waiting are an awesome time to grow and develop in your faith to make sure that you are prepared when the time comes. Spend this time wisely. Read your Bible, pray, rest, build your family, practice putting God first –whatever you need to do to grow as a Godly woman.

 

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

 

3. Discern

 

Waiting may feel torturous at times, but the good news is: it won’t last forever. Eventually you will be called to action, and you’ll have to be ready to figure out what your next steps should be. The next steps rarely come with a huge, blinking “Go this way!” light, however, so you’ll need to do your best to discern which way you should go.

 

Discerning God’s will can be very tricky! This article has some good advice, though, to help you figure it out:

 

 

Waiting may not be easy and it’s rarely fun, but it is always worth it when we trade the temporary pleasures we want now for the perfect plan God has in store for us. After all, someday the waiting will be over, and you’ll likely have something awesome to show for it. And then it will all make sense. You just have to wait.

 

Have you ever been in a time of waiting (or are you currently)? How did you get through it? How did you grow because of it?

 

 

Brittany Ann Equipping Godly Women

About the author

Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author of “Fall in Love with God’s Word” and “Follow God’s Will” and the founder of EquippingGodlyWomen.com, a popular Christian-living website dedicated to helping busy Christian moms find practical ways to go "all in" in faith and family. Her work has been featured on CBN, The Christian Post, Crosswalk, and more.

  1. This is such a helpful post, thank you.

    I surrendered my relationship to God after we had some difficulties 4 months ago and the same day my boyfriend of a year and a half (who I thought I was going to marry) split up with me and I struggle with it everyday still, wondering if that was the big “No” sign or if its part of His plan, although remembering 2 months before when we were still together I heard God whisper to me to “be still, I am working” in prayer for his salvation. I had never heard a definite answer from the Lord in regards to our relationship and being in the wilderness is so hard when your heart is broken but there is a reason for it, your words are very comforting.

    Obedience and trust is key during these waiting periods! Xx

    1. Can I just say — been there. I was in a similar relationship years ago that ended. Now, I’m married to an amazing husband with three kids and I’m SO glad for that split, even though it was devastating at the time. Hang in there *hugs*

  2. I don’t know if you still look at this post. But this is what I needed. I believe that God left it for me to read, which is perfect. Thank you!

  3. I’ve been waiting for a few years now to fall pregnant sometimes my faith gets tested and I feel so helpless but then I recap all God’s promises and I believe that He will bless us with children on His time. Thank you all for sharing.

    1. Awwwww, that must be so tough. 🙁 You’re definitely not alone though. There are quite a few women in the Bible who went through that exact same trial. Sarah and Hannah are two that come to mind…

  4. Hi, Brittany,

    I just wanted to let you know that this post could not have come at a more apt point in my life! Like it’s seriously speaking to prayers on my own heart in ways that I couldn’t make up if I tried… To give you a little background, God has really been doing some amazing things between my boyfriend and I, answering prayers only He could answer in ways only He could do and drawing us closer together after probably about a year of being apart. We’re strongly considering marriage, and while both of us feel as though God’s calling us to that commitment, we’re both still in school. We know that if we were married, we would probably have children. Being that I’m an elementary education major in my second year of school and he’s only in his first as he had military training that made him postpone college last year, we know that raising a family at this point in our lives would be perhaps more difficult financially than if we were to wait. Yet, we can’t ignore the work God’s been doing in both our lives or the pull towards each other and marriage… plus, God never calls us to the easiest path; He often calls us to that which requires the most faith, and I know that no matter how hard this would get, if it’s where He wants us to be, He would sustain us and grow us in ways nothing else could in the process, which is exciting even if it’s quite uncertain… You’ve walked this road. Do you have any advice for discerning and knowing when God says “go” above your own heart’s desires?

    Thank you so much again for sharing your story, and God bless you!!

    In His grace,

    Maggie

    1. That’s a great question! Not sure if I have any super-Biblical advice I can give you on that, but I can tell you my story.

      I was also an elementary education major when I met my husband 🙂 We knew for sure we wanted to get married and that we would get married, but we weren’t patient about it. I ended up moving in with him my senior year because it’d be cheaper, and let’s just say it was NOT cheaper, because I found myself pregnant not long at all after that! We got married very, very quickly and I ended up having to temporarily drop out of school with one semester left so I could stay home and have our baby.

      Since then, it’s always been a bit of a struggle financially. We’ve always had enough, but never felt like it was “enough,” if you know what I mean? I wanted to have all my school loan debt paid off and maybe even buy our first home before we had babies, but we weren’t able to. Instead, our first was born with medical issues and we had crappy insurance. So it’s like we’ve always been playing “catch up.”

      I did end up going back to finish my last semester when my son was 2, but I never ended up going back to teaching and I very likely won’t (now that I have this job of blogging, which I adore!)

      Honestly, I don’t think getting married made a huge difference, but having kids did. While I love our life and wouldn’t trade my kids for the world, it would have been SO much easier if we would have been able to wait just another 2-3 years instead of rushing right in. We would have grown SO much closer as a couple, would have saved ourselves a TON of stress, and would have been in a MUCH better place financially.

      If he’s the right one for you, then he’s still going to be the right one for you two years from now. He’s not going anywhere. You’ll just keep saving a little longer and getting to know each other a little better and all that.

      But that being said, there are plenty of people who married young, struggled, and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I don’t know that there’s a right or wrong answer, other than waiting is probably the easiest route and getting married soon is probably the most adventurous route – especially if you have kids 🙂

      Not sure if that helps at all… but that’s been my experience with it.

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