Have you ever felt like your life is falling behind? It’s like everything you’re trying to do or accomplish is hitting a brick wall. If you keep applying for jobs, nothing will happen. Maybe you’re trying a new hobby and are having trouble mastering the basics. Or maybe you’re having problems in your relationships, and no matter how much you try to talk them out and solve them, you keep hitting a wall with this or that problem. We’ve all been in a situation like this. It can be frustrating to feel like everything has stopped and life has been delayed forever. But this is when we need to trust God the most.
When the waiting time seems longer than promised
There are times in our lives when we all feel like God’s promises are certain, but the waiting feels endless. You know what Jesus said, you heard it, and you believed it. You may have prayed about this promise, written it down, and held on tight. But as time passes, even years, we ask, “Lord, how long?”
This is one of the most difficult places for believers, between promise and fulfillment, faith and sight, what God has said and what we now see. At these times, the delay cries out louder than the promise, and we wonder if God has forgotten, denied, or delayed for too long.
But we must remember, God’s promises do not weaken over time.
This time can be painful for the following reasons:
● I know the promise, but not the schedule.
● You see others receiving what you are waiting for.
●You wonder if you heard God’s voice correctly.
● Being strong doesn’t change anything, so it’s tiring.
●You wonder if the silence means God has forgotten you completely. Because all you feel is the absence of God.
These emotions are uniquely human and reveal parts of us and our lives that we want to control. It also shows whether we are truly rooted in God or in our expectations of God.
What we have to remember is that he is still working while waiting and delays are not ruled out.
Why Delay Doesn’t Mean Rejection
When prayers go unanswered, doors remain closed, and hope is deferred, it can be easy to think that God has forgotten, ignored, or rejected us. But with faith, delay is not denial. What you need to remember is that there is a reason for the delay. Usually when God delays something, it means:
● God sees the big picture and knows the outcome of what we desire.
● The delay may be a preparation for something that is about to happen. This delay may be God preparing your heart, skills, maturity, and discipline for what you are about to walk.
● God’s timing is better than our timing.
● The slight delay is for your protection.
● Just because you’re late doesn’t mean God has forgotten you.
● Waiting often strengthens our faith.
● That delay may move us in a better direction.
Learn to trust what you can’t see yet
It can be difficult to trust God when the future is uncertain. God invites us to walk before we see, to follow before we fully understand, and to rest in the promises we cannot yet see with our own eyes.
Learning to trust God over the unseen means choosing faith over fear, hope over despair, and surrender over control. We trust that God is at work, even if we cannot see it yet.
finding peace in a season of uncertainty
It’s hard to find peace in a season of uncertainty. In this day and age, uncertainty is not the absence of God, but the place where God meets us: where we are. This doesn’t mean you have to force a smile, deny your pain, and act as if everything is fine. This means we need to learn to rest in God when life feels unstable. We believe that God sees, hears, and walks with us, even when the road ahead is uncertain.
Many people in the Bible faced anxiety. Abraham left home without knowing where God was taking him. Esther steps into danger, not knowing how things will turn out. The disciples followed Jesus through a storm they did not understand.
In times of uncertainty, we must.
● Trust in God’s mercy.
● Trust in God’s timing.
● Trust in God’s wisdom.
We can do this by praying, reading the Bible, and worshiping the Lord.
God’s Timing vs. Our Urgency
We live in a world of deadlines, notifications, and instant results. It’s natural for us to want to move quickly, respond quickly, and stay on schedule. But our faith urges us to move from a rushing rhythm to a slower pace of trust. Our urgency versus God’s timing is one of the greatest conflicts in our spiritual lives. Our culture advertises that we must have it all now. We are in desperate need of God’s guidance, provision, and restoration right now. But God is working on a deeper, wiser, more purposeful timeline. We must always remember that God’s delay is not a denial, and His silence is not an absence.
things to do while waiting
Waiting is the hardest part, but there are some things you can do while you wait.
● Don’t give in to frustration. This can be very difficult if things are not progressing in any area of your life.
●Pray honestly
● Continue to faithfully do the right thing until you get the answer.
● Please be patient.
● Continue to thank God.
● Look for growth by asking God what is growing in you during this season.
● Trust his character.
Keep faith even when you feel like there is little hope
We all go through seasons when hope doesn’t completely disappear, but sadness, disappointment, and anxiety can dampen that hope. In moments like these, faith can feel like small flickers instead of a steady flame. Yet these are the moments when our faith matters most.
Staying hopeful even when your faith wanes doesn’t mean pretending that everything is okay. Don’t pretend you’re not in pain or force a positive attitude. Rather, we turn to God even when we are emotionally drained and the future feels uncertain.
Here are some small acts of trust that will strengthen your trust in God when hope feels slim.
● Pray a simple sentence.
● Read a few lines or passages from the Bible that are meaningful to you.
● Sit quietly and reflect.
● Contact one person you trust.
● Write down one reason to continue.
●Move forward without having clear feelings.
How Delay Builds Character and Trust
Delaying from God can be frustrating, but you can build character and trust in the following ways.
● Delay reveals what we really trust.
●Waiting develops patience and stamina.
● Delay refines motives.
● Delay strengthens our dependence on God.
● Waiting increases your gratitude.
● Delay can protect us.
● People form their personalities invisibly, away from the applause, and through personal choices and invisible loyalties.
● Delay teaches us to live by faith and not by sight.
● Seasons of waiting can shape compassion.
● Our trust grows as we remember all that God has ever done for us.
● We remember that delay is not the end of the story. That often means the timing isn’t right or something better is coming along.
Recognize God’s work behind the scenes
It is important to recognize God’s work behind the scenes. A lot of it depends on perspective. We often focus on the present moment rather than the big picture.
Sometimes a closed door is God’s way of protecting us, and sometimes a detour that may be painful in the moment leads us to something better. What may have been a bummer at the time may seem like a blessing later on. God’s work is not always visible, but here are some signs of God’s work.
● Unexpected peace in the midst of uncertainty.
● Change your desires by giving form to what you want.
●Opening/closing door.
● Unexpected help comes at the right time.
● Grow by overcoming hardships.
These are signs that God is working behind the scenes, so we need to let go and trust.
Rest in the confidence that God is never late
When thinking about God’s timing, the best thing we can do is consider what God has done for us before. We all have many times in our lives when we don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes, and then suddenly something changes. A callback from an interview that may or may not have gone well. Just when you need it, a friend unexpectedly sends you a check in the mail. Job opportunities appear out of nowhere. All of this is proof that God is never early or late. He always comes on time.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes
Carrie Laurence is a freelance writer and author. Her work has been featured in Crosswalk, iBelieve, Huffington Post, and The Penny Hoarder. She is also the author of three children’s books, three pretty romance books, one romance novel, three poetry collections, and one nonfiction book. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, baking, reading, and spending time with her husband and cute cat, Cupcake. For more information about Carrie and her writing, please visit www.carrielowrance.com.
