This is for all your yet-to-be-answered prayers, impatience as you try to wait for the Lord, and doubts as to whether you’ll ever see things come to pass in your life… seven compelling reasons to trust God’s timing!
{ This post and the photos within it contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking an affiliate link, my ministry gets a small commission, with no extra cost to you. See my full disclosures HERE. }
What are you waiting on God’s timing to receive? Perhaps salvation for a loved one, healing for a friend, a breakthrough in your own life…?
Whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll agree with me: Waiting is one of the most frustrating experiences in life! Especially if it’s something that can make a huge difference, like waiting to find a spouse, waiting for a season of illness or suffering to end, or waiting for deliverance from a particular sin… it can be almost excruciating to wait. And, the longer the wait, the harder it is to hold onto hope and keep praying and believing for a resolution.
I’ve certainly been there, and still am in many ways… waiting for a possible future husband (at age 38), hoping to be healed of physical maladies, longing to see loved ones come to know Christ, and the list goes on…
…but, I’ve also seen how God’s timing is perfect! After the frustration of waiting, came the realization that God was/is preparing me for something, or teaching me, or holding off the blessing until I’m actually ready for it… and those are just the things that I can comprehend. Just imagine all the details of God’s plan that we can’t possibly understand!
Which is exactly why it’s so important to TRUST GOD’S TIMING! Because there is so much that we cannot comprehend. Only God knows what He’s doing, why He’s doing it, and how He works all things for our ultimate good.
7 Compelling Reasons to Trust God’s Timing
And I think it’s precisely because we CAN’T understand, that we struggle with trusting God’s timing. We need to cling to God’s promises in Scripture, as well as our past experiences with His faithfulness, to stay strong in prayer and keep waiting with expectation!
I hope these points will give you compelling reason to trust in God’s timing—no matter what it is you’re waiting on Him for.
1) He has proven Himself trustworthy!
Even if you can’t recall any past instances of God’s faithfulness in your own life, I guarantee you the Bible is chock full of examples to bolster your spirit! Beginning, of course, with God sending His own Son to save you from your sins and give you the gift of eternal life!
For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NLT)
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV)
And then, as if that’s not enough, there are the many testimonies given by people in the Bible (such as the apostle Paul, and King David), which attest to the trustworthiness of God’s promises…
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the LORD are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
Psalm 19:7-9 (NIV)
2) His ways are higher than ours
Ooh, this is a BIGGIE! Our Heavenly Father is seated on HIGH, and we are way down here… as small as ants. I mean, let’s face it, we really can’t see much at all from our vantage point! But that’s okay—because God has perfect timing, we can trust Him with a future that we can’t possibly see.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)
It’s also important to note, that because God is GOD, and we’re not, we really don’t have any right to demand a certain answer or specific timing… Instead, in seasons of waiting, we should continue to seek Him above all else. Have you ever longed for something, and then God made you realize your motives for wanting it were all wrong? Mmm-hmm, me too. As the verses below state, it’s best to “examine our ways” and “return to the Lord”.
Who can speak and have it happen
if the Lord has not decreed it?
Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
that both calamities and good things come?
Why should the living complain
when punished for their sins?
Let us examine our ways and test them,
and let us return to the LORD.
Lamentations 3:37-40 (NIV)
3) He had plans for us even before we were born
Continuing with the theme of God’s sovereignty… Another great reason to trust God’s timing, is that He’s had plans for us even before our ancestors were born! Seriously, before you even knew that you were alive, God knew the timeline and trajectory of your life. There isn’t any detail that escapes Him!
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:16 (NIV)
“For I know the plans I have for you, ” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. “
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
4) He’s patient with us FIRST
Have you ever stopped and marveled at how incredibly patient God is with you? Just think about it for a moment… through all our fickle ups and downs, our mistakes and sinful disobedience, and so on and so forth, God is still WITH us and FOR us. He longs for us to return to Him, to repent, to seek Him anew, and to submit to His process of growing us and producing fruit in our lives.
Don’t believe me? There is one Scripture in particular, which describes the Lord’s patience and love toward us so perfectly. It’s the best ‘trust God’s timing’ verse that I know of…
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
And if that’s not enough, there’s this one too…
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?
Romans 2:4 (NLT)
5) He hears our prayers, and cares for us
But, even knowing how patient God is with us, sometimes it’s hard to be patient with His timing. Am I right? Even though we know God’s timing is always perfect, it’s hard to see so much trouble, suffering, injustice, etc. in our lives and all around us. I don’t know about you, but I want God to act RIGHT NOW!
But what helps me trust God’s timing in those moments of frustration, is the knowledge that He DOES hear our prayers, and He cares about every detail of our lives! You and I can have faith, that when we make our concerns known to Him (continually, and persistently!), He will act according to His will and His timing. Only our Heavenly Father knows what’s truly needed, and when it truly needs to happen.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us.
1 John 5:14 (AMP)
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:31-32 (NIV)
6) He’s gracious to those who wait for Him
What are the benefits of waiting upon the Lord? According to God’s Word, He is most certainly good to those who wait for Him! Think about it… God is our ultimate Provider, Protector, Savior, Counselor, and much more. Whether you’re seeking guidance, in need of help, longing for healing, or aching for justice, He is the One you need!
Just imagine if, when one of us is needing something, we run to other less-adequate sources to get it. Perhaps those other sources of fulfillment are downright harmful to us, or perhaps it’s simply disrespectful to God. And God is dismayed to see us chasing after the cheapest, easiest, or quickest answer to our prayers… rather than patiently waiting for HIM to fulfill those needs.
And then just imagine, how pleased God is when we wait expectantly for Him! When we trust God’s timing, and exercise faith and trust in Him to provide, He will happily care for us!
The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV)
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)
7) His purposes are GOOD, and they will always be accomplished!
And last but not least, no matter what the timeline looks like, we must remember that God never fails! His purposes for our lives will always be accomplished, whether it seems like there’s a ‘delay’ or not. Even if the blessing seems a long time in coming, and things just don’t happen like we hope for, God’s plans will never fail.
To trust in God’s timing, is to make peace with the fact that we can’t possibly know everything… but we know God can make a way even when there seems to be no way!
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Acts 1:7-8 (NIV)
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
Matthew 16:18 (NLT)
In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28 (NIV)
The bottom line is this: God has perfect timing—He’s never early, and never late! He provides for us in ways we can’t possible anticipate or understand… even above and beyond what we hope for!
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
I hope these Biblical truths have encouraged you, to trust God’s timing for your life. No matter what you’re (still) waiting for, rest assured that God sees you, He cares for you, and He will provide in the proper way and at the proper time. ✝️🙏🏻
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!
Thank you for the encouragement those verses bring. May God bless you as you share these thoughts and verses.
You’re welcome! I am certainly blessed in the process of writing, as I so need to remember these truths myself.
I sent this to like 15 people. You are right. We just need to be reminded of what we have in Christ. Retell the story, the scripture, the testimony. I really appreciated this thoughtfully written message on trust in the Lord. Bless you Barbara!
Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you found this message helpful! It definitely bears repeating, the need to trust God and wait patiently for Him, all day and every day. 🙏🏻
God is always right on time!
Amen! 🙌🏻
Do you have a printable version of this. There are things that you post that I would love to keep a copy of as a reminder at times of need. Not just this one but others as well. Is there anyway you could attach it as a PDF incase people want to keep a copy.
Amazing words
That’s a great idea, I don’t have any printables for this yet, but might add one at some point in the future! In the meantime, I recommend writing them down on an index card that you could take with you wherever you go. 😉