“After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.”

Hebrews 6:15 (NIV)

When you’re waiting on God, remember that you’re in good company.

Millions of saints before you have sat in God’s waiting room. You’re not alone! In fact, if you’re in the waiting room right now—maybe you’re waiting on a job, on an answer, or on a result—there are a lot of people around you who are in that same situation.

Hebrews 11:2 says, “People who lived in the past became famous because of faith” (ICB)—and every one of those people had to wait.

Think about Hannah, who had to wait years to have the baby that she was praying God would give her.

Think about Joseph, who had a God-given vision of being a ruler from a very young age but spent 14 years in a prison for a crime he did not commit.

Think of Moses, who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years while he waited for his next assignment and to know his purpose in life.

Think of Abraham, who waited a hundred years before he had Isaac, the child God had promised him years before.

Think about Noah, who waited 120 years before it rained.

Think of David, who was told he would be king but then was sent back to the pasture to shepherd for years before he ever saw the inside of a palace.

God waited thousands of years before sending the Messiah that had been promised. And he spent 400 years in silence before Jesus was born, with no message for the people who were waiting for deliverance.

Your wait may seem too long for you to handle. But there were many faithful people throughout history who waited far longer than you and still trusted in God’s goodness and promises.

We get in a hurry. But God is never in a hurry. Waiting is essential to your faith, so God is going to use all the time it takes to make you into the person he wants you to be.

Hebrews 6:15 says, “After waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised” (NIV).

While you’re waiting, remember those who have waited faithfully before you who saw God answer in ways even bigger than they imagined. Ask him to help you wait faithfully too.

Talk It Over

  • How does being in community with other people help you persevere through the waiting periods of life?
  • What are some of God’s promises that you can claim while you are waiting?
  • Why is waiting essential to your faith?

Where will you spend eternity?

The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. You can’t earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).