Life often feels like a long string of waiting.
Waiting for change. Waiting for a breakthrough. For healing. A boyfriend. A husband. Waiting for God to be faithful and trying to believe He still is. Waiting for the day when pain doesn’t greet you first thing in the morning and stay with until you go to sleep. Waiting out the ache of a broken heart, hoping that “one day it has to heal, right?”
I’m in a season of waiting right now.
I’m waiting for God to answer prayers I’ve prayed for years. Trying to fully live my single years, instead of looking at my very single status with despair.
This waiting can be overwhelming and discouraging. It can be hard to look at our prayer list and see that it’s longer than our praise list. We want the breakthrough. The change, the healing, the husband, and the pretty bow at the end of the story.
It’s hard to not have that. To instead have a bunch of prayers, tears, and questions of “why, God?” It’s so easy to question God in that moment, to doubt His goodness, and wonder at His promises. Are they true or aren’t they? If they are, why is (blank) happening? Why won’t He fix it?
I don’t have all the answers. But I do want to encourage you, if you’re in a season of waiting, to remember…
1. God Does Not Lie
It’s hard to believe God’s promises are actually true when they’re the last thing we see in the moment.
God, Your Word promises healing . . . where is it?
God, Your Word promises protection . . . why didn’t You protect us?
God, Your Word promises good things for Your children . . . why does everything in my life seem bad?
I can’t tell you why things don’t always turn out the way we think they should, except that God’s ways are higher than ours. His promises are deeper and more multi-faceted than “problem + promise = immediate solution.”
But I can tell you that God does not lie to His children. He doesn’t string us along with a bunch of promises He has no intention of fulfilling or give us false hope. Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
The answer is yes.
He will make it good.
I don’t know when, or how, or if it’ll look the way we think it should, but if He said it, He will do it.
The enemy’s first tactic is to get us to doubt the validity of God’s words. Think of what Satan asked Eve. “Has God indeed said . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1)
The enemy always lies to us. And because he’s a liar, he tries to make us believe God is too.
But God does not lie to His children. “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
2. Not a Word of What He Says Will Fail
Not only does God not lie, but He sticks to His promises like glue.
One of my favorite verses is Joshua 21:45 which says, “Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”
If you think about the context of the story of the Israelites, that’s some statement. Most of these promises would have been made while they were still slaves in Egypt, or during the forty years wandering around the desert. They didn’t just have to wait a few days or weeks or even months. They waited over forty years for this statement to be true that “not a word failed.”
I haven’t waited for forty years. I haven’t even been alive for forty years. But I still find myself doubting “all will come to pass.” But then, is my faith in the outcome? Or is my faith in the God who controls the outcome?
I don’t know if God has promised a husband or healing in this life. I can’t point to this verse and declare that God has promised me a wonderful marriage, adorable kids, a picture-perfect house, and a six-figure income. It doesn’t work that way because not one of those things has been promised to me in His Word.
But I can point to this verse and declare that God has promised to never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5, 6). He has promised me peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6, 7). He has promised to strengthen me as I wait upon Him (Isaiah 40:28-31). He has promised salvation for all who call upon His name (Romans 10:8-13). He has promised that nothing on earth will ever be able to separate me from His unfailing love (Romans 8:38, 39).
I can be sure these promises are true. Because not a word will fail of any good thing which He has said. And I don’t know about you, but to me, these promises are infinitely more precious than the promise of a husband, career, or even a life without struggles. I would rather have Jesus always beside me.
3. God is I AM, His Promises are I Will
Several months ago, while praying, I felt a strange nudge in my heart to read Jeremiah 31. I knew I’d probably read it before, but I’d long forgotten what it was about. I read it through once. Nothing popped out. Okay, God, that was a strange, random thing for me to read, I thought.
That same nudge. Read it again.
I read it again. Nothing. Read it again.
I read it through once more. This time, I noticed something. A truth so powerful it took my breath away.
Everything in this chapter is about what God is promising to do for Israel. He’s saying He’ll save a remnant, even though they’d gone through lots of hard stuff and been unfaithful to Him. Everything is about what God will do. It’s all future tense.
Except for two things: “I have loved you” (Jeremiah 31:3) and “I am a Father” (Jeremiah 31:9).
God is I AM. His promises are I will.
Throughout the Bible, God repeatedly says He is, “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) He says “I am with you” and “I am your God” and “I am the LORD.” He’s reminding us of His character.
Jesus Himself said He was “I AM.” (John 8:58) He also said, “I am the bread of life . . .” (John 6:35), “I am the light of the world . . .” (John 8:12), and “I am the good shepherd . . .” (John 10:11).
These are the things that God is. He is good, His love is strong, He is light and there is no darkness in Him. (1 John 1:5) Because He is I AM we can trust Him.
It comes down to this question: do we trust the I AM character of God enough to believe His I willpromises—even when we don’t see them?
I know it’s not easy. Trust is hard. But, oh, the One we trust is good.
Sweet sister, if you’re battling lies that God is not good or His promises not true . . . if you’re worn down and weary with the waiting . . . if you’re desperate for a glimpse of hope . . . look up. Lift your head and focus not on the obstacles, or the desperate situation, or even the cure you crave. Focus on Jesus.
In Isaiah 55:11, God tells us, “So shall my word be that goes forth from My mouth: It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
That’s our hope.
Look to Jesus. He will fulfill His Word.
And He is good.
I’d love to hear from you!
-Do you feel like you’re in a season of waiting right now?
-Which point is most encouraging?
-Which promise can you pull out and cling to today?
Bio: Sara Barratt is a 19-year-old writer, avid reader, chocolate lover, and lead editor for TheRebelution. Her first book, Love Riot: A Teenage Call to Live with Relentless Abandon for Christreleases May 2020 from Baker Books. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and her website sarabarratt.com.
