notesbynora

Waiting is one of the hardest parts of the Christian walk. We love answers. We love clarity. We love motion. But waiting? Waiting feels like stillness when we want to go forward. Like silence when we want direction. Like God is holding something back when our hearts are longing to move ahead.

And yet Scripture tells us something surprising:  “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” — Isaiah 40:31

We often think waiting drains us, but God says waiting restores us.

There is something sacred about the in-between seasons — those stretches of time when nothing seems to be happening on the surface, but everything is taking shape beneath it. Like seeds hidden in the soil, much of God’s work in our lives happens long before we see any signs of growth.

Waiting is not God withholding from us. Waiting is God preparing us.

I’ve lived through seasons where I prayed, “Lord, please move… please open this door… please give me a sign.” And all I heard was quiet. I thought the delay meant God wasn’t listening. But later I understood: the delay was the answer. He was aligning things I couldn’t see, softening hearts I didn’t know needed softening, and shaping me into someone who could carry the blessing when it finally arrived.

The truth is, waiting tests our trust. Do we trust God’s timing? Do we trust His wisdom?
Do we trust that He’s working even when we can’t see a single thing shifting?

But waiting also deepens our hope — because hope has nothing to hold onto except Him.

Think about Abraham waiting for a promised child.  Joseph waiting in prison for justice. Hannah waiting through years of heartbreak. David waiting in caves for a throne he was already anointed for.

Their stories remind us: waiting is not wasted. God’s promises are not fragile. His timing is not late. What He begins, He finishes — and what He promises, He fulfills.

Sometimes we think hope means pretending everything is fine. But real hope is far stronger. Hope stands in the gap between the promise and the fulfillment and chooses to believe anyway. Hope whispers, “God is good. God is working. God has not forgotten me.”

If you’re waiting today — waiting for healing, waiting for restoration, waiting for clarity, waiting for a miracle — know this:

God is not delaying to punish you. He is preparing to bless you. He is building something in you that the promise will one day require.  He is shaping your faith so you can stand strong when the answer comes.

And when the waiting ends, you’ll understand that every tear, every prayer, every quiet morning of trust was building something deeper than the miracle itself — it was building you.

Hold onto hope, dear heart. God is moving, even now.  And the season you’re waiting for is already making its way toward you.

Prayer

Father, strengthen me while I wait. Help me trust Your timing even when I don’t understand it. Fill my heart with hope, calm my fears, and remind me that You are working in ways I cannot yet see. I place my waiting season in Your hands. Amen.