What Do You Do When God Says Wait?

Waiting is one of the hardest things we can experience, especially when it feels like we’ve done everything right, and still, God says, “Wait.”

What do you do in those seasons when you are asked to hold your position despite every fibre of your being wanting to move forward? How do you manage when God’s timeline doesn’t align with yours?

Recently, I found myself walking through a waiting season—not my own—but one I had to witness in my son. I watched him wrestle with the disappointment of not getting something he sincerely wanted. His sadness pulled at my heart.

As a parent, you want to fix things. You want to make the pain go away and shield your child from hurt. But no matter how much I longed to change the outcome in this situation, I couldn’t.

I had no fancy words to offer him. There was no way to soften the reality that sometimes, God says, “No.”

In these moments, I realised that my role wasn’t to fix it but to hold him through it. There’s a raw honesty in simply sitting with someone in their pain. As much as I wanted to offer solutions or explanations, my son needed my presence the most.

Holding Firm to the Truth in Seasons of Waiting

Holding firm to the truth that God is still God—especially in seasons when He asks us to wait—can be a challenging lesson for children and adults. I had to help my son see the bigger picture and remind him of God’s faithfulness in other areas of his life.

Sometimes, when waiting, it’s easy to focus solely on what we want but can’t have. It becomes all-consuming, and that’s where the danger of slipping into feelings of hopelessness and despair lies. I helped my son remember the pattern of God’s goodness in his life. It wasn’t about denying his pain or dismissing his feelings; it was about acknowledging that he was hurting but encouraging him not to lean too heavily into depressive thoughts.

As I watched him struggle, I saw myself.

Recognising Myself in My Son’s Struggle

It was like looking in a mirror. How he processed his disappointment, frustration, and sadness mirrored how I used to be—and sometimes still am—in seasons of waiting. Is this what he saw in me all these years? I couldn’t help but reflect on my own experiences with disappointment, how I, too, have had to fight to keep my emotions from spiralling, to manage my thoughts so that I wouldn’t blame God for the things I didn’t understand.

I know these moments are not easy, no matter how old you are. But I’ve learned to handle them much better when fear doesn’t take over. When fear wins, I collapse under the weight of it—anger, confusion, and hopelessness soon follow. But I’ve learned to hold on to God’s promises; in those times, fear doesn’t win. I can trust that even though I don’t understand the “why” or the “when,” God is still in control.

The Temptation to Rush God

One of the most significant lessons I’ve learned in these waiting seasons is that fear often leads to prayer, but not the prayer that seeks to align my heart with God’s will. No, it’s the type of prayer and fasting designed to get God to do what I want on my terms and in my timeline. It’s as if I’m trying to manipulate the situation—attempting to rush God out of my discomfort, pushing for the season to end before its time.

But I’ve come to understand that we cannot rush God.

No amount of fasting or pleading will change His timing. That doesn’t mean prayer and fasting aren’t valuable; they are, but not when the motive is to speed up God’s plans. Waiting is not just about the outcome but what God does in us during the process. It’s a time of strengthening.

Choosing Our Response in the Waiting

During these seasons, we have a choice. How will we respond to the waiting? Will we be angry and bitter or allow it to mould and strengthen us? It’s not easy to sit in the tension of an unanswered prayer. I’ve been there many times, feeling the weight of waiting for something I desperately wanted, only to realise later that God was preparing me in ways I couldn’t see.

It’s about paying attention in the waiting so that we are ready when the answer comes—or when God redirects us to something better—. We must stay prepared and remain open to God’s leading, trusting He knows what is best for us, even when it’s hard to see.

Listening While I Wait

One practice that has helped me navigate these seasons is “listening while I wait.” When we think of prayer, we often think of talking to God, pouring out our hearts, asking for guidance, or simply telling Him how we feel. But in the listening season, the focus shifts from talking to hearing.

In those quiet moments, I ask God to speak to my heart and reveal what I need to know in this waiting time. Sometimes, the waiting season is a time for reflection; other times, it’s a time for preparation, but it’s always a time for listening.

In this quietness, I’ve learned the most about myself and God. Waiting seasons can strip us of our pretences, facades, and a false sense of control. In the waiting, we face our limitations and are reminded of our dependence on God.

Conclusion

Waiting seasons are hard. They test our faith, challenge our patience, and stretch our ability to trust in God’s plan. But they are also growth opportunities. When God says, “Wait,” it’s not because He’s withholding good things from us. He is preparing us for something greater than we can see now.

Watching my son navigate his disappointment reminded me once again that the waiting season is not wasted time. It’s a time of moulding, strengthening, and listening. So, in those moments when God says, “Wait,” let us hold on to His promises, trust in His timing, and be open to what He is teaching us through the process.