How to Wait For God to Answer Your Prayers

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What is the purpose of waiting on God? What does God say about waiting?

Full transparency – I count myself among the many who wrestled with mustering up the willpower to wait well. I’m a fixer. I thrive on finding simple solutions to big problems. Most people would say that’s a good thing. In my eyes its also an obstacle because we can become so dependent on ourselves that we forget to be led by God.

What are the advantages of waiting on God?
How do you patiently wait on the Lord?
How do you pray while waiting on God?

In this article, you’ll learn how to wait on God for answers to prayer. We’ll look at Scriptures on waiting, Bible stories about waiting on God, and talk about the biblical benefits of waiting upon that Lord. You’ll learn to understand the power of waiting and provide practical advice for how to wait for God when waiting on God becomes difficult.

What Does It Mean to Wait on the Lord?

If we could consolidate the Bible into one solid theme; waiting would be one of them. Stories about waiting on God start as early as Genesis 3 (when sin entered the world). From that point on people have been waiting for God to make things right in the world and restore creation to the wholeness that only Adam and Eve got to know. Waiting is a constant part of our walk with God.

Part of the reason we struggle so much with waiting is that we associate it with laziness and being irresponsible. We feel like we’re doing nothing, and because most of us have been taught that faith requires action (see James 2:14) we feel like we have to be DOING something.

Contrary to what most of us assume, waiting IS something. Waiting on the Lord is an act of faithfulness. It is the exact opposite of throwing in the towel. It is surrendering our fears, anxieties, problems, solutions; our ways, and our timeline – so that He can have His way on His timeline. That’s what it means to wait upon the Lord.

What happens when you wait on the Lord? You give Him space to produce something good from the hardships and trials you face.

What is God doing while we wait?

We’re all waiting on God for something.

Maybe you’re like Abraham and Sarah, waiting on the Lord for a promise that seems so impossible, you wonder if you heard the words correctly.

You might be like Daniel, desperately waiting for God’s help and direction.

Or maybe you’re awaiting the salvation of a loved one…

Whatever your circumstances you can rest assured that while you are waiting God is working. It doesn’t always look that way in the moment. In fact, sometimes it looks exactly the opposite and we get overwhelmed with the “lack of progress” in our circumstances. But God has shown us time and time again through the Bible that even when we don’t see it, He’s working. Need a refresher? Check out these stories about waiting on God in the Bible.

• Abraham and Sarah waited 80 years for their son Isaac to be born.
• Joseph waited 13+ years for the dreams God waited for to come true.
• Israel waited 400+ years for freedom from Slavery (a promise God made 400 years earlier).
• Daniel waited 21 days for God to respond to His prayer request for “next steps.”
• Hannah waited years for her son Samuel to be born.
• I can’t even tell you how many years the people of Israel waited for Jesus to be born but you’ll find faithful prayer after faithful prayer for it in the Bible.

Even today, you and I are waiting for the day that Jesus comes back and restores heaven, earth, and all creation. The wait isn’t always easy. On the surface, it’s filled with a lot of hurt, frustration, and uncertainty. But if we look at God’s track record in the Bible, we see that He has always been faithful.

In his letter to the believers in Rome, Paul sent this encouragement,

Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 (TLV)

When waiting becomes difficult, remember that God is working even when you don’t see it.

What are the advantages of waiting on God?

Waiting is hard. God knows that. I believe that’s why He’s so eager to serve us in our waiting.

Are you exhausted? Let me restore you.

Feeling weak and overwhelmed? Lean on me. Borrow my strength.

Are you anxious? Let me give you peace.

God knows that His ways are often beyond our comprehension. And partnering with Him requires endurance beyond what we can muster up alone. This is why it’s easy for us to fall back on our own plans and understanding. King Solomon recognized this tendency in mankind and admonishes us,

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Psalm 3:5-6

What are the benefits of waiting on God? God promises through the prophet Isaiah,

… those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Here are just a few of the spiritual benefits of waiting on God.

• When we wait on Him He renews our strength.
• If we wait on the Lord we are more likely to experience His peace.
• His timing and His ways are perfect (see Psalm 18:30-36).
• He sees the whole picture.
• This is how we strengthen our faith.

Things tend to get messy when we try to force our solutions and timelines into God’s hands (think Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar). Consequences of not waiting on God can include; loss, confusion, broken relationships,

When we wait on the Lord – we acknowledge His kingship and prioritize His will in our lives above our own. In addition, we’re training ourselves to trust His sovereignty.

How do you pray while waiting on God?

The Bible doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on what we pray (what words we use), but God does use the Bible to teach us how to pray while waiting on God.

James, one of Jesus’s disciples, wrote a letter to the people of Israel that carried some pretty important instructions regarding prayer. He has a lot to say about our perspective on trials too. Let’s explore both points.

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-3

Trials expose where our faith and security truly lay. When our faith is in God, trials produce the endurance we need to continue through hard stuff without losing our faith. We stay “Anchored.”

Fun fact: If you’re ever wondering where the inspiration for the title of my prayer book; Anchored: A Woman’s Guide to Steadfast Prayer came from; this is it.

What James has to say next is key for answering the question, how do you pray while waiting on God?

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all without hesitation and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting—for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord — he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:5-7

Related Post: 30 Short Prayers for Hard Times

When we’re praying and waiting for God to bring us through a situation, we have to pray like He IS the answer. We have to honestly believe that God is going to provide a solution and we have to be open to HIS answer for that solution. Doubt doesn’t always keep God from intervening, but it can definitely hinder us from seeing His solutions and provisions. When we are truly confident in the Lord – it’s easier to discern His presence and work in our lives.

Ok, so we’ve talked about the importance of waiting on God. Now it’s time to get practical. In the remainder of this article, you’ll learn 6 practical approaches for how to wait for God.

6 Biblical Approaches for How to Wait for God

How do you patiently wait on the Lord? We’re all waiting for something – we have that in common with so many of the people in the Bible. There’s a lot we can learn from examining their stories and God’s teachings. Here are 6 practices we can adopt that show us how to wait for God and build trust in the process.

1. Remember who God is.
2. Commit to Praise and Gratitude.
3. Watch Expectantly
4. Confess What God Promised
5. Pray
6. Guard Your Thoughts

Remember Who God Is

The first piece of advice I would give for how to wait for God while going through a trial is to keep your attention on who God is.

When you need inspiration (which if you’re like me is daily) open up the Bible and let His Words tell you who He is. The way my Bible is set makes this quick and easy; all the verses that speak to the character of God are highlighted in purple. You can set your Bible up the same way using this free Bible Study Key.

What you’ll find time after time is that when people needed God, in His perfect timing, God showed up in greater strength and glory than anyone had anticipated.

This is the God who splits the sea in two and led the people of Israel on dry sea ground (see Exodus chapter 14).

He makes armies out of dry bones (see Ezekiel chapter 37).

He provided mana from heaven (Exodus chapter 16), held the sun in place until the armies of Amorites were defeated (Joshua 10:12), devoured an altar with fire from the sky (1 Kings chapter 18).

Most of us aren’t looking for God to show up this extravagantly (though maybe we should be). The point is, the God of the Bible is the God of the miraculous. And if He can do the miraculous, certainly we can trust Him with the “lesser things.”

Remembering who God is is essential for understanding how to wait for God.

Commit to Praise and Gratitude

Another worthwhile strategy for learning how to wait for God is to practice praise and gratitude. I always point to the life of David when making this point.

We know him as King David, shepherd boy, giant slayer, anointed king of Judah. Interestingly enough, if you study the scriptures, you’ll find his life was messier than most care to reference. His family was all sorts of dysfunctional. He had a bounty on his head from the time he was a young boy, through his kingship, and into old age. He hid in caves, ran from a mutiny attempt. Got caught in the consequences of rape, murder, and adultery. Suffered the loss of a child. Escaped a murder attempt from another. Not all in that order of course. David did a lot of waiting. He waited for salvation, redemption, forgiveness, restoration. Yet in the midst of all of it he prayed and sang songs like this,

I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul\ shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Psalm 34:3

While you wait on the Lord; worship.

Watch Expectantly

Another lesson from David. Do you hear the hope in his words?

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14

I love how here, David is putting all the emphasis on what He expects to see from God. A lot of times in our waiting we do the opposite. focus our thoughts on what we don’t want to happen instead of looking to the future with anticipation of what God is going to do. When we pray for one thing but expect the opposite, scripture describes that as being double-minded (James 1:8). That behavior does not serve us well.

Instead, we stay hopeful. Steadfast. We expect the goodness of the Lord to shine through whatever situation we may be facing. For His glory and on His terms.

Step 3 for how to wait for God – wait expectantly.

Confess What God Promised

There’s something about making a verbal declaration that is just good for the soul. I’m reminded of Joshua. Shortly before entering the promised land Joshua and a couple of Israelite spies were sent to scout out Jericho. Among the really exciting and uplifting things they saw while scouting, they also witnessed giants living in the land. And suddenly God’s promise to give them that land started to seem a lot more distant; to everyone except Caleb and Joshua.

Caleb and Joshua were so solid on the promise of God that was all they were willing to confess with their mouths. Do you know what’s out of this world crazy about their confession? It caused a revolt! People literally wanted to stone them because what was before them challenged their belief in what God had told them (see Numbers 14:10).

Regardless, Joshua and Caleb were not about to doubt what God had spoken. As a result and reward for their faithfulness, when the time came to enter the promised land, they were the only men of their generation who actually got to go in.

Step 4 of how to wait for God – Confess what God has promised.

Pray

Prayer is key for waiting well. It keeps us listening to God and is a primary way that we receive instruction from Him. The account of Daniel and the angel illustrates this story really well.

Daniel had received a message from the Persian king about a war. In his distress, He ran to God in prayer asking for wisdom, guidance, and protection. He sought God, praying and fasting for 21 days, and heard… nothing.

He was weak, frail, and continually losing strength. But on the 24th day, this happened,

The man said to me, “Daniel, you are highly respected. Pay attention to my words. Stand up, because I’ve been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, trembling. He told me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. God has heard everything that you said ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in front of your God so that you could learn to understand things. I have come in response to your prayer. The commander of the Persian kingdom opposed me for 21 days. But then Michael, one of the chief commanders, came to help me because I was left alone with the kings of Persia. I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the last days because the vision is about times still to come.” Daniel 10:11-14

Waiting is part of the battle.

Sometimes we forget that there is a very real spiritual battle happening around us. Prayer teaches us to respond to spiritual battles with spiritual weapons.

Step 4 of how to wait on the Lord – be persistent in prayer.

If you’re struggling with how to pray while waiting on God, this article is full of short prayers you might find helpful.

Guard Your Thoughts

Our thought lives are probably the biggest hindrance when it comes to confidently waiting on the Lord. Thankfully, God gives you and me the authority and freedom to cast our fears and anxieties down and our cares on Him.

We don’t have to be discouraged while waiting. When your thoughts begin to contradict the faithfulness of God or begin to disrupt your peace while you wait – cast them down! We learn this lesson from Paul in His letter to the Christians in Corinth.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Our God is holy and mighty in battle and indeed.

We can trust Him to sustain us. And when we whole-heart surrender our circumstances to Him, those who wait on the Lord can trust His will to be done.

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