5 Keys For Waiting on God When His Promises Look Opposite
I’ve been waiting on God for 12-16 years for many of His promises to come to pass. I’ve gone through seasons of doubt, disappointment, frustration, and anger. It’s hard to believe and wait on God when our circumstances look completely opposite, but that’s where faith comes in.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 ESV
Or as another translation put it, faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1 NET).
And faith is important because it pleases God (Hebrews 11:6).
Waiting on God Is Hard
Let’s be real. We want to please God, but at times, it’s hard to believe and wait on Him when everything in our life screams the opposite.
Waiting on God is hard when you’re waiting on promises such as…
- Healing of your heart.
- Saving a family member who wants nothing to do with God.
- Healing your marriage when there’s been nothing but strife and pain or there’s been adultery.
- Rescuing a wayward child who’s addicted to drugs.
- Fulfillment of your calling when you’re nowhere near even the beginning of it.
- Creating a thriving business when you have no skills or ideas on what that would look like.
This is when we have to choose to believe and wait Him in spite of how we feel.
That’s when we exercise our faith muscle. Muscles only grow with hard work, resistance, burning and tearing so the muscle rebuilds.
So it is with faith. Faith must be exercised and experience resistance to strengthen and grow.
Abraham and David Waited Years
Abraham believed that through him and his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. He believed God would give him a son even though he and Sarah were way past child-bearing years. He believed and waited on God – in spite of how he felt or what his circumstances told him. And it was accounted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3).
Then there’s David. He was anointed to be king and waited some 10-13 years (possibly more according to some scholars) before he actually became king. But in that process of waiting on God, he allowed God to shape and refine him. He learned to strengthen himself in the Lord in the midst of extreme pressure and difficulty (I Samuel 30:6). He served and acted like a king long before he became king.
The Purpose Of The Waiting
I believe the time of waiting on God and our preparation is an act of faith as well. Preparation is to allow God to refine us, purify us, and test us AND to move in the direction He’s called us in. Like David, we can serve and act like a king (your calling) before becoming a king (your calling).
When we trust God in the waiting and when we move forward in what we know He’s called us to – even if they’re baby steps and even in the face of contradiction – we’re walking by faith and not by sight, and that pleases Him.
I’ve received some powerful promises/prophetic words from God directly and through other people and things have looked completely opposite for years.
I’ve gone through two major seasons of disappointment which were painful and draining and thanks to God, I was able to process that pain and release the disappointment. It’s now a part of my story that I’m sharing with you so you can hopefully avoid the same mistakes and pain.
It’s better to process pain and disappointment immediately rather than let it sit and accumulate because then it’s harder and sometimes longer to overcome. I knew this, but somehow I let it accumulate and it was a process to conquer.
Five Keys For Waiting On God
So here are five keys for believing and waiting on God.
- We spend time in His presence. We do this during our daily quiet times where we encounter Him through the Word, in prayer, and in worship. But we can also turn our attention to Him throughout the day and when we’re assaulted with doubt or discouragement. We run to Him – our stronghold, our refuge, our ever-present help in time of need.
- We process pain, offense, and disappointment, allow God to heal our hearts, and work hard to renew/rewire our minds. We must carve out time to pour out that pain with Him.
- We fight with His promises – by faith in spite of how we feel. Speak them out loud daily and use them as a weapon when the doubt or lies come.
- This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight. I Timothy 1:18 NASB
- We dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness (Psalm 37:3) – by remembering all the ways He’s been faithful in the past, by feeding on our own past testimonies, and on the testimonies of others.
- When it comes to our calling, we can start taking steps in the direction He’s called us to – even if they’re baby steps (more on that in another post).
Waiting On God In The Face Of Contradiction
Here I am on the other side of those seasons of disappointment and things still look opposite in some ways, but my heart is right and my perspective is on God and His promises.
I’m believing and waiting on God in the face of contradiction because when He says something it’s a done deal. And nothing is too hard for Him.
- He spoke the universe and everything in it into existence with the sound of His voice (Genesis 1; Psalm 33:9).
- He’s a promise-keeping, covenant-keeping God, and nothing, absolutely, nothing is too hard for Him (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17, 27).
And I’m taking baby steps toward the things He’s called me to – knowing the steps are part of the preparation. Part of that is finally launching this blog.
This is faith that pleases Him. And He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
And when the time is right, He’ll open doors, He’ll do a suddenly (Genesis 41:37-40; Acts 2:2), He’ll bless the work of my hands (Genesis 39:3; Deuteronomy 28:12; Psalm 1:3) – as I remain faithful and obedient.
The same is true for you. If God has promised you some things you can be sure it’s a done deal, but you have to do your part, and also there may be specific directives or conditions He gives to you.
I hope this encourages you with some tools for waiting on God for the fulfillment of His promises and destiny for your life.
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