Five Lessons on Waiting from the Bible 

What does it mean to “wait well?” 

I had to wait on some test results a few weeks ago and I commented to my friend, “I don’t think I waited well.” 

She replied, “I think you waited great!”

“I don’t think so! You didn’t see my crying several nights ago before bed.”

“That’s normal! You are human and have feelings….” she told me. 

After that conversation I began thinking about that and realized I (once again) was being too hard on myself. Waiting well doesn’t mean we wait like stoics and have no emotions. We are allowed to feel things and if God made us with feelings, then feelings are not bad. 

Waiting also allowed me to slow down. At first I thought I was being “unproductive.” But in reality my body and mind and life needed slowing down. Of course I did the normal things like laundry, dinner, and driving to basketball games. I didn’t stop all activity, but I did take a break from writing and planning and working. 

I couldn’t concentrate and so I was forced to slow down. I spent time reading, actually.  At first I felt I was being so “unproductive” and “lazy.” But those are not correct terms. I was not being either of those things. I was slowing down. 

Waiting well doesn’t mean we wait like stoics and have no emotions. We are allowed to feel things.

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Waiting forced my brain to take a break. And I’m so thankful it did. I should probably take a break with my brain more often. But it made me do a deep dive into scripture and look at the Bible verses that talk about waiting. What does it mean to “wait well” according to the Bible? 

Lessons from Waiting

Here are some things I’ve learned: 

Lesson 1:

Psalm 27:14 – When I’m waiting, I’m really waiting on God to do His good work. He isn’t inactive! God reminds me that while I wait, He isn’t sitting idly by. In fact, God is at work and often I don’t even see Him working. God works mostly behind the scenes. This is evident in the stories we have in the Bible, but we must also remember that God works in our own lives, behind the scenes. Waiting is an opportunity for me to look for God and see His working things out in my life. 

Lesson 2:

Isaiah 40:31 – God isn’t so concerned with my pace (I can walk!) but about my relying on Him for my strength. I often think that I must gather up the strength to wait well. When in fact, God is asking me to trust Him and wait on him to move. I don’t have to be active, but I also don’t need to be running. It might seem like I’m not moving ahead in my life but I am. I still still moving forward even when life feels like a standstill. God isn’t concerned with my pace, He’s concerned with my heart. Is my heart relying on God or is it trying to get strength on its own? Waiting on God means He will renew my strength. 

Lesson 3:

Psalm 33:20-22 – God is good to me while I wait. Sometimes we forget to see all of the good God has around us while we wait for that “one thing.” If we find ourselves in a season of waiting, I hope we can see all of the good things God is giving us during this seemingly inactive time in our lives. God is actively giving us good things. Look around. Start noticing how God shows up for you and provides for you and gives you glimpses of His love. 

Lesson 4:

Psalm 46:10 – I can learn about God while I wait. Be still and know. I can learn and grow during this season of waiting. I can look to God and look to the Bible to help me grow and mature during my season of waiting. I say season because all waiting is for a season. God doesn’t make us wait forever. But God does help us grow in our knowledge and intimacy with God while we are waiting. Are we willing to be still and know? 

Lesson 5:

Hosea 12:6 – I have things to “do” while I wait! This verse in Hosea gives us at least two things we can do while we wait. We can love. We can seek justice. The children of Israel had rebelled against God and the book of Hosea is a letter to them, inviting them back to God and His ways. Two things the people of Israel didn’t do during this rebellious time: they sacrificed to foreign gods and they forsook justice. God is concerned with justice and loving others. How are we loving others and seeking to offer justice while we wait? 

There are more things to “do” while we wait – but let’s remember that waiting is often a way God can teach us lessons. Are we willing to listen? If you find yourself in a hard season, I invite you to learn from my own hard season in my book: Lessons in the Desert.

Your wilderness season can teach you a lot about God! Order a copy here.