Principles for waiting on God and dealing with uncetainty

Waiting on God. What does this really mean? Twiddling my thumbs till my prayers are answered? While we know that God doesn’t work on our time, we know that He’s a good father and has promised to give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him (Matt7:7-11). But while waiting on Him, what should I be doing? How do I know that He’ll answer me? How will I cope with the disappointment if He doesn’t answer when or how I expect? What should I do when I’ve exhausted all my options? What will people think of me when my life hits a rough patch?

I’ve been through a number of trying times in my personal life such as struggling with exams, applying for admission and getting rejected, spending over a year searching for a job and dealing with over 200 rejections etc. Each experience has been different and it’s taken me a long time to gain perspective on how life and God works. While I continue to figure these things out, the closer I’ve gotten to God over time, the better I’ve come to appreciate what His priorities are and why He allows us to sometimes go through these challenging times.

What I do below is highlight some of the most important lessons and principles that I’ve learnt from my life’s waiting journeys, share some personal stories, and hope that these help you navigate your own waiting seasons. I share some thoughts on the following areas:

  1. Why is God making me wait?
  2. Should I pray and just wait on God?
  3. Dealing with disappointments
  4. What will people think about me?
  5. When you feel lost, confused, anxious or fearful
  6. Search your heart and confess your sins
  7. Don’t forget to change and live your life!