I assume I’m not alone when I say that I don’t like to wait. At the store, I’m the guy scanning for the shortest checkout line, only to somehow end up in the longest one. At a fast-food restaurant with a double drive-thru, I’m constantly comparing my progress with the car beside me. Recent news reports about four-hour TSA lines at major airports make me cringe. The thought of having to spend time in a “waiting room” at a doctor’s office isn’t my idea of a good day. If I’m honest, waiting is a personal struggle.
And yet, God’s Word makes it clear: Waiting is not wasted time. It is a beautiful tool God uses to shape us into the image of Jesus. No single article could capture everything the Bible teaches about waiting, but here are a few lessons God continues to teach me in the waiting seasons. I’m sure you could add your own stories and Scriptures to this list.
Waiting is an opportunity to renew our strength.
Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they who wait for 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.” We tend to think of waiting as draining. But Scripture flips that idea on its head — waiting actually strengthens us. Why? Because it reminds us that we are not the source of our strength, God is. Waiting shifts our dependence back where it belongs.
Waiting reminds us that God works on a different timeline.
We measure time in hours, days, months, and years. But God is the Alpha and the Omega — working from eternity to eternity. He sees the beginning and the end all at once. His timing is not delayed; it is perfect. The apostle Paul gives us practical instruction for these seasons: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). In other words, keep going. Stay faithful. Don’t quit. In God’s appointed time, there will be a harvest.
Waiting gives us the chance to slow down.
Hectic calendars are a challenge for all of us, but the real problem in our spiritual walk is a hurried heart. Sometimes God allows seasons of waiting to slow us down. When we won’t stop on our own, He graciously stops us. It’s like a car running near empty … either you will pull over to refuel or the empty car will stop for you. What if waiting is actually a gift? In the stillness, our cluttered hearts begin to quiet. We finally have space to hear from God and notice His hand at work in our lives. As David wrote in Psalm 37:7, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”
Waiting is rooted in the goodness of God.
Lamentations 3:25 reminds us, “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” Our culture tells us waiting is a waste — something to avoid, something unproductive. But Scripture tells a different story. God is always working for our good and His glory, even when we cannot see it. Romans 8:28 assures us: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
So here’s the reality: Something this week will test your patience. You will be forced to wait. But that moment won’t be a glitch in God’s plan. It won’t be a detour or a delay. It will be part of His careful, loving work — like a potter shaping clay — forming you more into the likeness of His Son. Paul Tripp captures it well: “Waiting is not just about what I get at the end of the wait, but about who I become as I wait.” God knows what He is doing. Trust Him. And let Him do His supernatural work in each moment He gives us.
— Ryan Pack, senior pastor of Riverland Hills Baptist Church in Irmo, is 2026 president of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.