How to have peace and grow in a season of waiting on God.
If you are in a season of waiting I want to encourage you.
A few weeks ago I was picturing myself as a little girl in the back seat of a car on a road trip with God.
I have grown in my faith over the years and definitely have God in the driver's seat of my life, but there are so many times I’m in the back asking, “Are we there yet?”
Then I wait a little longer, looking out the window, enjoying the view but ask again, “Are we there yet? When are we going to get there?”
Waiting for an answer to prayer or direction in our lives can be hard. We’ve been in a season of waiting for a few things for years and there are so many times I want to just jump in and solve it myself but I know that God has a plan and when I wait, His ways are best.
I’ve learned some things about waiting well and want to share them below but first let’s go back to that road trip with God.
He’s driving the car. He knows where He’s going. I want to go there too. I trust that wherever it is, it’s going to be better than anything I can ask or imagine. I trust Him.
Yet, sometimes I’m back there saying things like:
“Hey, God why are we taking this turn? Did you mean to go the other way?”
“Why is this road so bumpy? Did we have to take such a bumpy route?”
“Can I see the map? Like the WHOLE map of where we are going and ALL the stops along the way?”
“I need a snack. Can we stop? I’m tired.”
Can you relate? It’s hard to just trust God and BE with Him in the waiting.
But that’s what He wants. Relationship.
We are in the back seat, whining and questioning and He’s in the front -fully aware of where He’s going and why He’s taking this route- wanting to spend time with us.
Imagine taking a road trip with your best friend and they just want to question your driving skills and wonder if you really know where you are going. They keep asking to see the map and think you’re not driving fast enough.
But you just want to spend time with them.
I think this is how it is with God. He loves us and wants to spend time with us as He guides us along the path in this life and to the next.
So how do we wait well and spend time with Him?
There are two types of waiting: passive waiting and active waiting.
In passive waiting we feel like we are “wasting time” when we don’t see anything happening.
We live in such a success and results driven society that prioritizes doing over being, growing and developing so waiting seems like it’s not productive. We see it as a passive process.
When we are focused on what we are doing and what God is doing or not doing we get impatient. This causes us to question God, get frustrated, become discouraged and want to just take things into our own hands and get stuff done. We can end up going down a road that is not what God intended for us. We can miss things He wants to show us or develop in us.
It’s during passive waiting periods when we are the child in the back seat with God having difficulty trusting that He’s got this, that He knows the way. We start to question why nothing is happening and look for other ways to solve the problem at hand instead of waiting for His answer and His perfect timing.
In active waiting, we trust that God is working and focus on spending time with Him. We can actively engage with God by talking to him in prayer, praising Him, spending more time in thanksgiving and praying for others as we wait. We can focus on serving others along the way and listening for His voice.
In Isaiah we see that God can use this waiting time to strengthen us.
“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
As we actively wait on God He is renewing us with strength, building our faith and equipping us spiritually for the things He has prepared in advance for us to do.
In James 1 we see that as we go through trials and wait on God we develop perseverance that will make us mature and complete believers.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
We can also have perfect peace when we are steadfast and wait on the Lord.
“You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.”
Isaiah 26:3
As we actively wait on God, we are filled with the fruit of the Spirit and build anticipation for what God is going to do.
He’s planned this amazing journey for our life here on earth and we will be with Him in heaven.
As we pray for things over long periods of time or wait for direction and next steps, we need to let Him be in the drivers seat. We need to spend time in His presence enjoying the moment instead of questioning His timing and His plans.
It’s hard to wait. But it’s so worth it.
I have seen this in my life and I am so thankful for the loving ways God has changed me in the process of waiting so I can become the person He designed me to be for His glory. What an honor to share in His work here on earth.
So the next time you are waiting on God and getting discouraged you aren’t seeing anything, remember to actively wait on Him. Learn to BE with Him even if it seems He’s not answering or taking a really unusual route.
Practically speaking this can mean writing a verse down on a card and reading it out loud to focus on truth, spending time in worship, in nature with God, in silence listening to the Lord, writing to God in your journal, praising Him for his attributes and thanking Him for all that He is and has done, praying for others and serving others around you.
God chooses the stops and often He’s got someone for you to serve or encourage right here. In the waiting.
He is at work.
He’s got this and when you can practice active waiting you can enjoy the ride!
Are you on Instagram? This blog was based on two reels I created. See the one on active vs. passive waiting here and the one on being in the back seat on a road trip with God here.
Want some extra support along the way?
Schedule a call and see if coaching is your next step to get you out of overwhelm and negative thought cycles so you can live with more consistent peace and purpose. Learn more here.