Imagine embarking on a journey where the destination is shrouded in mystery, with only the promise of what’s to come serving as a light to the path ahead.
This is the essence of our journey with God; a journey defined by faith, peppered with His promises, and filled with the beauty of patience. A journey where God paints a vivid picture of our future before we even catch a glimpse of its physical manifestation.
Take for example:
Abraham waited 25 years after God promised him Isaac. It took Paul 2 years after he got the promise of witnessing in Rome before stepping into the city. Joseph who had dreams in his teenage years that didn’t happen fully until he was 30 years. David, who was anointed king at 18 but only wore the crown at 30.
The thread weaving through these stories—and yours—is that God often takes His time, allowing patience to shape our character as we wait for His promises to unfold.
In our fast-paced world, it can be tempting to pray away the waiting, to rush the process. Scripture, however, repeatedly emphasizes the importance of patience in our faith:
Romans 8:24-25 reminds us that hope is rooted in what we cannot see. “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope.” It’s that anticipation of what’s to come that keeps our spirits alive.
Hebrews 6:12 encourages us not to be lazy but to emulate those who inherit the promises through faith and patience. Patience, a fruit of the Spirit, allows us to endure, to wait, and to remain steadfast in the face of challenges without succumbing to frustration.
Yet, patience alone can feel daunting without the buoyancy of hope. After all, Hope is that bright beacon of confident expectation, a joyful anticipation of good things ahead.
Being ‘patient in hope’ is about actively waiting with a heart posture that reflects trusting in God’s timing. There is an expectation that the promise we have received from God will come to pass. It’s a process catalysed by Faith.
Due to our human desire to have everything worked out now, we often find ourselves agitated, weary, anxious, constantly looking over our shoulders—almost doing the thing ourselves since God is not showing up.
Proverbs 13:12 says, Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Another translation says,
“Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.”
But God doesn’t disappoint. Our hope in God doesn’t get deferred even when we think it should be at a particular time. This is why Habakkuk encouraged us that the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie. Though it tarry, please wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
What do we do when our hearts grow weary and it seems pressure is mounting?
1. Seek God’s face and lean into His faithfulness: We must be diligent in putting our faith in God daily.
2. Go back to the promise (revelation of God’s intent): Keep beholding it until light dawns in your heart again.
3. Be led by the Spirit of God: Revelational knowledge of what God wants to do is a starting point. To come into the full manifestation requires that we keep following the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of God that has the full intention of God and that will guide us into the truth needed to see the fulfilment of God’s promise.
4. Give thanks: Abraham, when promised a child by God in his old age, staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.
5. Maximise your “now”: The waiting season is not a passive process. It’s a place of resting in God so that we can focus on what God is doing now. This is important because if we are agitated, we are blind to the beauty God is weaving through our story, and to the part we have to play in it.
It’s so easy to assume that where we are now isn’t where we are supposed to be, or is at least not the place of your destiny. It must surely be a different time and place, right? “How could God ever do amazing things in this place?” you might ask.
Henri Nouwen says your destiny may begin right where you are: “Let’s be patient and trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand.
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