By the term “a waiting stage,” I’m talking about a season of life where God just wants you to wait before making proactive steps towards his will for you. Eventually God will lead you to do something, but oftentimes he’s simply telling you to wait for the right time.
Here are 5 signs you are in a waiting stage before God’s will happens.
1. If You Just Got Done with a “Doing Stage,” Oftentimes God Will Then Put You in a “Waiting Stage”
Christians get into trouble when they lean too far on the “just do something” spectrum or when they lean too far on the “just wait” spectrum. Throughout Scripture, there are many verses commanding Christians to both wait (Proverbs 27:14, Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 62:5, Titus 2:13, 1 Peter 1:13) and to take wise action steps (James 2:17, 1 John 3:18, 2 Peter 1:5-8, Luke 11:9, Psalm 119:60, Proverbs 14:23).
So the first step in making sure you are on the right track is to accept that your life will include both “doing stages” and “waiting stages.” In many cases, these stages follow one another. Oftentimes we should do something, then wait, then do something, and then wait, and so on.
For example, if you just did something to express interest in someone, now you need to wait to see how they respond. If you just did something to get a new job, now you need to see if you will get that new job. If you just got out of a dating relationship, now you should wait so you have time to regroup for a new relationship.
Therefore, if you just got done with a “doing stage,” oftentimes God will then lead you into a “waiting stage.”
2. If You Are Unsure of What God Wants You to Do, Oftentimes This Means He Just Wants You to Wait
God certainly does lead us through trial and error sometimes. I’m not saying God will ever lead you to sin. But sometimes God will lead you to try something that doesn’t work so you will then know that is not the way he wants you to go (1 Corinthians 16:7).
One way to know, however, that God just wants you to wait and not try something is when the possible error would lead to an unneeded amount of pain or complications (Proverbs 19:2, Proverbs 21:5).
For example, if you are wondering if you should try to date a woman but you don’t even know her as a friend yet, oftentimes God will lead you to just wait and get to know her more in friendship. If you try to date her and it’s not a good fit, you might be causing yourself a lot of pain you could have avoided by just waiting longer and learning more about her before rushing ahead.
If you are wondering if you should breakup with your boyfriend, God might just be telling you to wait a bit longer to see how the relationship goes in the next few months. By getting overly stressed and fearful and then reacting with a breakup, you might be missing out on a good relationship.
If you know what God is telling you to do, then do it. But if you are unsure, sometimes the best thing to do is just wait for more information.
3. If You Have Been Idolizing Something, God Often Helps You Repent Through Putting You in a Waiting Stage
Don’t feel bad about desiring good things. But if we desire something more than we desire God, that’s when we are sinning through idolization.
Through a season of waiting to pursue that good thing you want, this can help your heart get right with God so you can put him first again (Matthew 6:33, 1 John 5:21).
4. If the Ball Is In Someone Else’s Court, Oftentimes This Means God Just Wants You to Wait
One of the most important parts of a meaningful life is our relationships with other people. Of course our relationship with God is most important. However, God did create humans to need and want healthy relationships with other humans (Genesis 2:18).
Whether it be a romantic relationship or a non-romantic relationship with friends or family, there is always a back-and-forth rhythm in healthy Christian fellowship. Like a tennis match, you will both need to hit the ball back and forth if there is going to be a good relationship connection. When you try to do too much, you often end up doing more damage than good.
If the ball is now in someone else’s court, resist the urge to do too much. Give them the time to respond to you in the way that they feel led to respond. As 1 Corinthian 13:4 states, “Love is patient . . . .”
5. If There’s Nothing Left for You to Do but Wait for God’s Divine Intervention, This Means You Are in a Waiting Stage
Eventually everything comes back to God’s final decision (Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 16:33, Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28).
If God isn’t going to open that door, the door will remain closed and he will lead you to move on. However, sometimes that door will open, but you just need to wait for God to open it.
