Who enjoys waiting? We skip ads, scroll through social media apps at stoplights, and opt for overnight shipping to avoid delay. Yet, waiting marks many seasons of life. From test results and job applications to a change in relationship status—waiting abounds. In our microwave culture, God cultivates patience in His people through delayed gratification, promising His presence as the clock ticks on. Yet, the question remains: What are we to do in the meantime?

Followers of Jesus can take these three fruitful actions to embrace the wait. 

3 Ways to Wait Well

1. Recount God’s Faithfulness 

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12, NIV). 

When we crave forward motion, looking backward feels counterintuitive. However, Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). While we can’t predict what lies ahead, we can count on God’s unchanging goodness to meet us wherever the path may wind. 

When waiting feels unbearable, pause your planning and create space to reflect. 

Abraham waited for a son. Joseph waited for freedom. Job waited to hear from God. Time after time, God provided. Just in time, God provided. With timing that may never make sense on this side of heaven, God provides.

Now, ask yourself where you have seen God show up in your life. What answered prayers, whether life-changing or seemingly small, come to mind? How has God proven Himself trustworthy? In what ways has He surprised you when you needed Him most?

Remember these moments. Write them down. Share them with a friend. Recognizing God’s works strengthens us to wait well, entrusting unknown outcomes to an unchanging God. 

2. Cultivate Daily Dependence 

“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 the day long” (Psalm 25:4-5, ESV). 

I used to wish for a remote that would allow me to fast forward to the next season. Can you relate? I wanted to skip to the good part, not realizing that the filler scenes were essential to the plot.

God is with us today. He gives us grace for the present moment. In the wilderness, the Israelites collected manna every day. Could God have given them a year’s supply? Yes. But God was at work, displaying His provision and setting a pattern for daily dependence. 

As a culture, we crave tomorrow’s manna. We want to know how and when God will provide for the next week, month or even year. But God doesn’t promise answers. He promises His presence (Matthew 28:20). His presence transforms us as we draw near, coming with open hands and leaving filled with strength for the day. 

In the words of hymn writer Josiah Conder, “Day by day the manna fell; O to learn this lesson well! Still, by constant mercy fed, Give me, Lord, my daily bread.”

Look to God for daily mercy. When the wait drags on, may we find our fill in the God of our salvation. 

3. Anticipate Future Hope

“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope” (Psalm 130:5, ESV). 

At the risk of being melodramatic, waiting can feel like death—the death of a dream, the death (or at least delay) of timelines and expectations. But as believers, we do not grieve like those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

God’s promises never fall short. His word gives us reason to hope. While He doesn’t promise a particular grade, job, financial status or relationship, He does promise His comfort during trials (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) and His peace through prayer (Philippians 4:6). Further, Scripture tells us that all things work together for the good of those who love God and have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). One day, God promises that he will make all things new (Revelation 21:5). 

When we fix our eyes on future promises, we gain strength to face both the unknown and the mundane. 

No matter the moment, believers wait for the reality to come (Romans 8:23). Christ has already come to save and redeem. Yet, we will not fully experience the extent of this salvation until the age to come. In the meantime, God doesn’t waste a single second of our waiting. He is not slow in keeping his promise (2 Peter 3:9). Through the wilderness of waiting, God sanctifies His people, teaching anew His faithful and trustworthy nature. As we adopt a posture of patience, we embrace God’s past provision, daily mercy and future hope—all the while discovering that He is worthy of the wait.

This article was originally titled “Waiting Well” in the January 2025 issue of Peer.