If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably found yourself asking, “God, what are You thinking?” While we have His Word yes, but it’s in those real-life moments of waiting—on love, healing, answers, or change—that we struggle the most. So how do we handle waiting on God? I want to take a different approach today—not by telling you how to wait, but by showing you what can go wrong when we don’t wait God’s way.

Here’s where we often get it wrong: we wait on God for a moment but then somehow, somewhere it turns into worry. In 1 Kings chapter 18, God uses the prophet Elijah at the battle of Mt. Carmel. I would say that he was trusting and waiting on God to show up, full of godly confidence and the victory came. Then in chapter 19 something happens or should I say someone happens. Enter Jezebel stage right. (Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”) In verse 2 Jezebel threatens the prophet, and we can relate to what it says in verse 3: “And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there.” Like Elijah, how many times have we tried to retreat from life—not out of obedience, but because fear, frustration, or weariness got the best of us? Writing to his spiritual son, Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” Elijah’s fear made him run, just like our own fears often tempt us to retreat, give up, panic, or act on our own. But this verse helps us to learn that fear is not from God—and neither is fretting in the waiting. What the world calls FOMO (the fear of missing out) God simply calls fear- and we aren’t called to live by it but to have faith in God!

Another way we often get it wrong is this: we wait…but we also doubt. I love the story in Mark 9 of the father with the demon possessed son. This father brings his son to Jesus after the disciples fail to heal him. Now, the father has been waiting, and I am sure doubt has been set in. At this point, the father’s words reveals hope, hesitation, and doubt as he pleads, “If You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” (verse 22). This example shows us how our hearts can be torn between faith, prolonged doubt, and lies the enemy whispers to us. But the story continues in verses 23 and 24 when Jesus says, “All things are possible to him who believes,” and the father cries out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” This shows us that we will struggle with doubt, but we can’t live there, we can’t park our “doubt cars” there regardless of if the situation changes or not. The key to waiting is that we must continue trusting God’s timing and hold to the trustworthiness of His sovereignty.

Our encouraging takeaway: Waiting on God is never wasted time. Yes, it may be hard, scary, or bring on feelings of doubt and frustration. However, I can testify that trusting in God’s perfect timing and His sovereign plan will lead us closer to Him no matter what.