Several months ago, we considered what trusting God means and how it is presented in the Bible. In that article, I stated that trust is ‘to rely on and have firm belief in the character of a person to do as they say’ and that I think of it more as an action, rather than an object or thing. Based on that, we have put our confidence in God because I believe he will do as he says.

Yet trust seems to be hardest when I am waiting. Generally, we wait in expectation, we have prayed about: something that we see coming (a promotion, our kid moving into middle school from primary school), something that we see missing from our lives (a spouse, financial stability), something we are in the middle of (illness, harassment), or something else. And we expect God to respond.

We want God to tell us exactly what to do or how to handle something. Sometimes he does answer us directly – a sense of peace, a new job offer, a good car at a great price, and so on. Sometimes he tells us no just as directly, by closing doors or not having that sense of peace. Other times we don’t hear anything and don’t know if we go on or go back.

We wait.

Waiting for a few days is not usually the problem, at least for me. I find it easier to put wing to prayer when my issues come to mind again. I tell myself to stay the course and He will answer soon.

But when he doesn’t answer soon, I waver.

My mind fills with doubts and questions, like: Am I supposed to just do something? I need an answer now. I can’t wait forever. If I miss this chance, then how will things turn out? I want this, isn’t it good? Eventually, I may begin to think like David did, ‘I am cut off from your {God’s} sight’ and he has forgotten me.

It is when we waver that we must double down on our trust. Trust grows; I guess that is a by-product of it being a verb, an action. It is like a runner who just starts out and can only go 1 mile before almost collapsing by the roadside.

When I began training to run a marathon, years ago, I studied first. I sought out the best methods to train: was it just running, was it cross training, how much did I need to run and how often? But eventually I had to get started on the practice. Some days I ran shorter distances and some distances I ran longer, all building up to the longest day of my running on the actual day of the marathon.

People are always surprised to hear that I had not run the full distance of a marathon before the actual day of the Berlin marathon. The practice building up to that day was all I needed, each week going a longer distance than the week before.

Trusting God is like that too. Each time we go a little bit further than we did before.

Each time the finish line is just beyond and then we pass it! We are relieved and we recover our strength and go on after that yet again. I am not trained or in ready condition for a marathon, but I think I can go the distance with God, because I do trust in him.

I trust God

I trust that he will do what he says, just as Elizabeth had a child even beyond her child-bearing years (Luke 1).

I trust that he will do it when it is needed, just like the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17).

I trust that he will care for my loved ones, as he does the sparrows (Matt. 10:29-31).

I trust God is far better at choosing what to do than my ‘just do it’ answer, for his ways are higher than my ways (Is. 55:9).

I trust that I will not wait forever, because God is not slow in keeping promises (2 Pet. 3:9).

I trust that God does not withhold good from me, but he works for my good and am his beloved (Rom. 8:28).

I trust that God does not withhold good from me but he ‘richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment’ (1 Tim. 6:17).

Lean on Scripture

I can call out each one of my doubts and cover them with the security of his promises in the word. The verses above are all in response to the doubts and questions that were raised above. He has already answered my concerns in the waiting.

We also find accounts of men and women who waited a long time for their prayers to be answered or for their purposes to come to visible fruition.

God seemed to take a long time between the anointing of David and the crowning of David, from 1 Samuel 16:13 to 2 Samuel 2:4 and 3:10), estimated at 15 years.

Moses first sought to free his Hebrew brethren in Exodus 2, when he killed an Egyptian. Instead of freeing anyone, he fled as a murderer. It was some 20 years later that God called him go back to Egypt and free the Israelites.

Mary and Martha had lost their brother and waited four days for Jesus to come and visit them in their grief. When he arrived, in his good time for the glory of God, he raised their brother to life.

Joseph was given a dream he would rule over his family but was instead sold into slavery, sent to a foreign land, imprisoned and made his way without family around him. It was about 17 years that Joseph waited for this dream to come true.

Not only do we see that God was never late in these biographies, but that God was working in these men and women during the time they were waiting.

We grow in the waiting.

I have heard it described as a waiting room, the time that we wait on God. I must say that it a terrible description. In a waiting room we do little more than sit and twiddle our thumbs, maybe play a game on our phone. But when we wait on God, he expects us to keep on. The life we live does not wait for us while we wait for God. God is still there, with us all during the wait.

Consider each of the above biographies:

David ‘waited’ 15 years, but in that time, he apprenticed under a king, fought and won armed battles, formed a group of men and led them, and handled diplomatic relations. He faced adversities in which he turned to God and grew his relationship with God, as written in the psalms. He was getting the training necessary to become a good king, one after God’s own heart.

Moses ‘waited’ 20 years, during which time he established himself outside of his privileged upbringing in the palace, learned to shepherd, began his own family, matured in life experience and trusting others, such as his father-in-law. All of these skills he uses in leading the people of Israel.

Mary and Martha wait for Jesus to come and share in their grief, thinking there is nothing left for Jesus to do to answer their prayers. They even think there is nothing for Jesus to do but grieve with them. Company in our mourning is valuable yes, but so is the lesson to not give up when all hope seems lost; God can do the impossible.

Joseph waited over half his life for his dream to be reality. He was humbled more than I can imagine in each of the circumstance he faced, yet never wavered in wisdom and hope. Adversity seemed to be at every turn for him, he grew in hope and trust in God in hard times.

6 Actions for when you doubt God’s timing

So, when it seems that God has tarried to answer and kept you too long in the waiting, remember that he is faithful, and he works in you.

1)     Keep praying. He does hear you. He cares about you. He answers you.

2)     Write down your doubts and questions and consider how the Word responds to those concerns. Be specific and look up the verses that come to mind or that you research.

3)     Recall God’s faithfulness. He answered these Bible figures, he also answered you. Jot down a list of when he has been faithful to respond to you, starting with your cry for salvation.

4)     Share the weight and wait. Tell a trusted friend or your small group that you are waiting on God so they too may encourage you and pray for you, too. Ask them for stories to add to your stories of God’s faithfulness.

5)     Trust God. The widow of Luke 21:1-4 gave more than all the rest because she trusted in God for all her needs. He abounds in his giving and is never late.

6)     Persist in praying. The persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) keeps begging for her situation to be addressed and the judge eventually does respond. Just as an evil father knows not to give a snake when the child asks for a fish, God in heaven gives good gifts (Matt. 7:11).

When I trained for the marathon, each week I ran a greater distance than the one before. Each week with God as our Father, we go a bit farther and trust a bit more. Each week, stretching our capacity to trust. God is faithful and trustworthy; we have nothing to fear. He shows up, in time, every time.