Waiting Isn’t What You Think
Staying With Him When You’re Ready To Move
A Confession To Start With
I’ve never been a great “waiter.”
I’m a ready-FIRE-aim guy. (That is not a misquote)
A get-it-done person.
If something needs attention, I want to move on it, fix it, and move it forward.
So when life slows down—when answers don’t come, or even when I can see the next step but the timing isn’t there—waiting feels like I’m being held back.
Like, I’m ready… and Someone is saying, "Not yet."
What I’m Learning About Timing
What I’m slowly learning is this: waiting is not always about a lack of clarity.
Sometimes I know exactly what to do.
What I don’t always know is the right time, the right way, or what God is doing beneath the surface that I cannot yet see.
He does.
He sees the whole picture—the what, the when, the where, and the how.
And waiting becomes trusting that His wisdom is not only better than mine, but more complete than mine.
What Waiting Actually Is
But they who wait upon the Lord will get new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weak.
Isaiah 40:31 gives a very different picture of waiting than the one I naturally default to.
The Hebrew word for “wait” is qāwâ.
It conveys the idea of being woven together—like strands twisted into a cord, becoming stronger when joined.
Waiting is not stepping back.
It is staying woven.
It is remaining connected when everything in you wants to move ahead. It is choosing not to disconnect just because the pace isn’t what you would choose.
For someone wired like me, that takes intention.
But it’s not inactivity.
Where Strength Comes From
I naturally try to create momentum.
Push a little harder. Move a little faster.
But strength doesn’t come from pushing.
It comes from staying connected.
When you stay with Him, you begin to realize you’re not carrying everything on your own.
Someone is holding you.
What Begins To Change
You start to see differently.
The urgency settles.
The pressure to force things eases.
Your steps become more grounded, not because everything is resolved, but because you realize you’re no longer facing it alone.
Where This Leaves You
You don’t have to force what’s next.
You don’t have to outrun the moment.
You can stay.
And in staying, you begin to recognize something that’s been true all along.
You are not behind.
You are not late.
You are not missing your moment.
You are being held.
And the place you want to escape…
may be the very place God is forming a strength you cannot find anywhere else.
Reflection
Where am I trying to move ahead instead of staying present?
What would it look like to trust His timing, not just His direction?
Where might I need to remain connected instead of pushing forward?
Prayer
Abba Father, You know how quickly I want to move. Teach me how to stay with You in the waiting and trust Your wisdom in every detail. Help me rest in the strength that comes from being connected to You. Amen.