Learning to Wait with God This Advent

Advent reminds us that God does some of His greatest work in the waiting. We don’t like that truth, but it is woven all through Scripture. God makes promises long before He fulfills them. He prepares hearts long before He opens doors. He stretches us long before He moves us into the next season.

Waiting is uncomfortable because it feels like nothing is happening. But in Scripture, waiting is never empty. It is where God refines, strengthens, redirects, and prepares His people.

Abraham waited for the promise of a son. Joseph waited in prison. Israel waited for the Messiah. The early Church waited for Jesus to return.

And every single time, God used the waiting to shape them.

I have walked through my own waiting seasons, some long and painful, some confusing, some where I felt stuck and unsure. I know what it feels like to pray for something and wonder why God is taking so long. But those seasons taught me something important. Waiting reveals what we trust. Waiting exposes what we cling to. Waiting pulls us closer to God in ways comfort never will.

Advent teaches us that God works in hidden places. Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there were four hundred years of silence where it looked like God was not doing anything at all. But He was. He was preparing everything. He was setting the stage for the greatest miracle the world would ever see.

Waiting is where God prepares us too. When we feel restless, He is teaching us patience. When we feel anxious, He is teaching us trust. When we feel unsure, He is teaching us to listen. When we feel stuck, He is teaching us dependence.

Scripture tells us in Psalm 27:14 to wait for the Lord and be strong. In Lamentations 3:25 we are reminded that the Lord is good to those who wait for Him. And in Romans 8:25 we are told that if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it with perseverance.

Waiting is not punishment. Waiting is formation.

This Advent, God has been reminding me that the waiting is not wasted. Even when life feels slow, or heavy, or unclear, He is still working in places we cannot see. He is strengthening the parts of us that need to grow. He is protecting us from things we are not ready for yet. He is shaping our character to match the calling He has placed on our lives.

If you are in a season of waiting right now, do not mistake the silence for absence. God is not ignoring you. He is preparing you. His timing is never rushed, but it is always right. Advent is proof that God always fulfills His promises, even if the process takes longer than we expected.

Waiting is not easy, but it is holy ground. God meets us in the quiet, strengthens us in the stretching, and grows us in the slow places. And when the time is right, He moves.

Lord, teach me to wait with trust. Help me see Your hand even when life feels slow or unclear. Strengthen my faith, quiet my fears, and shape my heart during this season. I place my waiting in Your hands.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.