Trusting God’s Timing
If there’s one lesson that God keeps teaching me over and over again, it’s that His timing is not my timing and if I’m being completely honest, that’s not always easy to accept. I want things now. I want prayers answered quickly. I want doors to open when I knock, not months or years later, but the longer I walk with Christ, the more I’m learning that waiting isn’t punishment. Waiting is part of God’s process of shaping me.
We live in a world of instant gratification. With a few taps on our phones, we can order dinner, book a ride, or stream a movie. We’re not used to waiting anymore. So when God asks us to wait, it can feel like He’s ignoring us or withholding something good. I’ve been there. Praying for something with all my heart and feeling like heaven is silent. Wondering, Did I do something wrong? Is God even listening? Why hasn’t this happened yet? But Scripture reminds us over and over that waiting is not wasted.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)
“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:25)
God works in seasons, not seconds, and trusting His timing means believing that He sees what we cannot, and He knows what we need better than we do.
When I look back at my own journey, there are so many moments when I wanted to rush ahead of God. I’ve prayed for breakthrough and felt frustrated when nothing seemed to change. I’ve compared myself to others, wondering why they seemed to get the answers, opportunities, or blessings I was still waiting for. There were seasons when I was on fire for the Lord, only to feel like He went quiet when I needed Him most, but with time, I’ve seen why He didn’t answer right away. Sometimes I wasn’t ready. Sometimes the situation wasn’t ready and sometimes God had something better than what I was asking for. One of the most freeing realizations in my faith has been that delayed doesn’t mean denied. Just because something hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it never will. God’s “not yet” is still a promise that He’s working.
Waiting on God isn’t passive. It’s a deeply active learning experience. In the waiting, God shapes us, strengthens us, and draws us closer to Him. So what are some things God is wanting us to learn in the waiting?
Patience. We learn to trust God beyond our own timelines and let Him teach us endurance.
Dependence. When we can’t control the outcome, we lean harder on His strength.
Faith. Waiting builds our belief that God will keep His promises, even when we can’t see how.
Character. God uses waiting seasons to refine us, pruning away pride, fear, or impatience.
Think about Joseph in Genesis. He had dreams of leadership at 17, but he didn’t step into that role until over a decade later, after betrayal, prison, and disappointment. Yet every waiting season was preparing him for the calling God had planned. One of my favorite reminders is 2 Peter 3:8: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” God doesn’t measure time the way we do. He’s never late. He’s never early. He’s always right on time. When we surrender to His timing, we also surrender to His wisdom. God, You know what I don’t. You see what I can’t. I trust You with this timeline, even if I don’t understand it.
If you’re in a waiting season right now, here are some ways I have learned to anchor myself in trust.
Stay in the Word. Fill your heart with promises that remind you of God’s faithfulness. (Psalm 119:105, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 40:31)
Pray with honesty. God can handle your frustration, tears, and questions. Don’t stop talking to Him.
Practice gratitude. Thank Him for what He’s already done—it shifts your focus from lack to abundance.
Serve where you are. While you wait for what’s next, be faithful in the season you’re in.
Remember past faithfulness. Look back on other times you thought God was “late,” only to realize later that His timing was perfect.
If you’re waiting right now, please hear me when I say this. God has not forgotten you. It may feel like nothing is happening, but God is always working behind the scenes. The people who hurt you, delayed you, or walked away from you don’t get the final say. God does and His plan for you is still good. Waiting is hard, but waiting with God is holy. It’s in those moments of trust that we learn He’s not just the God of the destination. He’s the God of the journey. So hold on. Stay faithful. Keep trusting. When the time is right, God will move in ways you couldn’t have imagined and when He does, you’ll realize the wait wasn’t wasted. It was preparation for something far greater than you could have planned.
In grace and gratitude,
Brianna
