Waiting on God can feel frustrating and exhausting. Discover what Isaiah 40:31 really means and how to trust God’s timing during a difficult waiting season.
Why Waiting on God Feels So Hard
If we’re honest, most of us don’t mind obedience when it produces immediate results. We’ll pray, trust, serve, and surrender; but when days become months and months become years, waiting on God can begin to feel confusing.
You prayed for the breakthrough and believed for the healing and stepped out in faith, yet nothing seems to be changing. That’s when the waiting season becomes difficult.
It’s not because God has stopped working, but because we can’t always see what He’s doing. The truth is that waiting often feels hard because it requires us to release control. We want answers. We want timelines. We want certainty.
But faith asks us to trust God even when we don’t have those things.
What Does “Those Who Wait on the Lord” Really Mean?
One of the most quoted passages about trusting God’s timing is found in Isaiah: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)
Many people read this verse and assume waiting means sitting still and doing nothing, but biblical waiting is much deeper than that. The Hebrew word used here carries the idea of hopeful expectation. It means remaining connected to God with confidence that He will act according to His wisdom and His timing.
Waiting in Scripture isn’t passive. It’s active trust, choosing to believe God is faithful even when the answer hasn’t arrived.
Why God Uses Waiting Seasons
One of the hardest lessons for Christians to learn is that God often works on us before He works on our circumstances. We want Him to change the situation when God often wants to strengthen the person walking through the situation.
Throughout Scripture, waiting seasons prepared people for what God had already planned.
* Joseph waited years before stepping into leadership.
* David was anointed king long before he wore the crown.
* Abraham waited decades for God’s promise.
* The disciples waited between Christ’s resurrection and Pentecost.
The waiting was not wasted. God was developing character, dependence, wisdom, and spiritual maturity. Sometimes God’s preparation is the answer we don’t realize we’re receiving.
The Eagle Principle: Renewed Strength Through Waiting
Isaiah doesn’t simply say that those who wait will receive answers; He says they will receive strength. That detail matters. Many times we pray: “Lord, change this situation.”
Instead, God says: “I’m going to strengthen you while you’re in it.”
The promise of Isaiah 40:31 is not merely that God removes every obstacle, the promise is that He renews us so we can keep walking faithfully until His purpose is fulfilled.
Notice the progression:
They Shall Mount Up With Wings as Eagles – There are moments when God lifts us above circumstances and gives us supernatural perspective.
They Shall Run and Not Be Weary – There are seasons of momentum when God’s purpose becomes clear.
They Shall Walk and Not Faint – Most of life happens here. Not soaring. Not running. Walking. Just steady faith and daily obedience, taking one step at a time. The miracle isn’t always the breakthrough; sometimes the miracle is having enough strength to keep going.
What To Do During a Waiting Season
Many believers ask: “What am I supposed to do while waiting on God?”
Here are four biblical responses.
1. Stay Rooted in God’s Word
Waiting can create fertile ground for fear, doubt, and discouragement. That’s why God’s Word becomes essential. When emotions fluctuate, Scripture provides stability. Instead of feeding your fears, feed your faith.
Also, always meditate on God’s promises daily. This is one reason I created the 100 Promises From God printable. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves what God has already spoken when circumstances are telling a different story.
2. Keep Doing the Last Thing God Told You To Do
One mistake people make during a waiting season is abandoning the assignment God already gave them. Faithfulness today prepares us for tomorrow. We should keep serving, keep praying, keep loving, and keep showing up. Don’t let delayed answers produce delayed obedience.
3. Resist the Temptation to Force Open Doors
When waiting becomes uncomfortable, we often feel pressure to “make something happen.” But Ishmael was born when Abraham tried to force God’s promise. God doesn’t need our manipulation to accomplish His will.
Trusting God’s timing means refusing to manufacture outcomes God hasn’t authorized. If a door must be forced open, it may not be the door God intended.
4. Learn What God Is Teaching You
One of the biggest mistakes we can make during a waiting season is assuming that nothing is happening. In reality, some of God’s most important work happens while we’re waiting.
Looking back on my own life, I’ve realized that many of the seasons I called “waiting” were actually seasons of preparation.
There were things I wanted God to do, doors I wanted Him to open, and opportunities I was praying for. But the truth is, I wasn’t fully prepared for those answers yet. I didn’t have the knowledge, wisdom, habits, or perspective I would eventually need to steward what God was bringing into my life.
So God used the waiting season to teach me.
He taught me through His Word.
He taught me through mentors.
He taught me through books, experiences, correction, and even mistakes.
Some lessons involved finances. Others involved leadership, relationships, discipline, and trust.
Sometimes He challenged my thinking and exposed areas where I had become stuck in my own ways. He broadened my perspective and introduced me to new ideas that I would later discover were essential for the next season He was preparing me for.
What I once viewed as delay, I now recognize as development.
God is too loving to give us something we’re not prepared to handle. The waiting season may not be punishment. It may be training.
Ask yourself:
* What is God trying to teach me right now?
* What opportunities do I have to grow while I wait?
* What habits need refining?
* What wisdom am I gaining that I’ll need later?
Sometimes the answer you’re waiting for is being prepared at the same time God is preparing you.
When the opportunity arrives, you’ll discover that the waiting wasn’t wasted. God was equipping you all along.
5. Worship While You Wait
Worship shifts our focus from what God hasn’t done yet to who God already is. It reminds us that God’s goodness isn’t dependent upon receiving the answer we want. Some of the deepest moments of spiritual growth happen when we continue praising God before the breakthrough arrives.
If worship has been difficult lately, you may enjoy reading What True Worship Really Costs and spending time with our worship resources here on Adura Worship.
God’s Timing Is Not Punishment
One lie the enemy often whispers during a waiting season is: “If God loved you, He would’ve answered by now.” But Scripture tells a different story.
God’s delays are not necessarily God’s denials. The same God who loves you enough to save you also loves you enough to prepare you. His timing sees what your current perspective cannot.
The answer you’re waiting for may be connected to circumstances, people, opportunities, or growth that have not yet fully developed. What feels late to us is often perfectly timed in God’s plan.
A Final Encouragement for the Waiting Season
If you’re waiting on God right now, remember this: Waiting is not evidence that God has forgotten you, waiting is often evidence that God is still working. Isaiah didn’t promise that those who wait on the Lord would immediately receive everything they wanted.
He promised they would receive renewed strength. And sometimes strength is exactly what we need until the answer arrives.
Keep trusting.
Keep praying.
Keep worshiping.
Keep walking.
The God who called you is faithful, and He is still writing your story.
Prayer for the Waiting Season
Father,
Waiting is difficult. Sometimes I grow weary when I cannot see what You’re doing. Help me trust Your timing even when I don’t understand Your plan.
Renew my strength according to Your Word. Guard my heart from discouragement, fear, and impatience. Teach me to remain faithful in this season and to worship You while I wait.
Thank You that You are working even when I cannot see it. I choose to trust You today.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
