What to Do While Waiting on God

Are you experiencing “not yets” right now? A “not yet” is the waiting season we go through after offering prayer requests to God. While we’re waiting on Him to answer yes or no, we sit with the “not yet.”

Waiting on God for answers can be a heavy feeling.

Will you successfully start the business you dream of? When will you be able to afford that home? Will this be the month you finally see a positive pregnancy test?

I know what the “not yets” feel like. After injuring my foot and praying for healing, I waited six years for God to answer “yes.” After trying to start a business for three years, God finally answered my prayer and allowed me to work from home. Looking back, I’m thankful for the “not yets” God gave me because they taught me valuable lessons. But in the moment, these seasons were painful, exhausting, and overwhelming.

Wouldn’t it be nice to get a “yes” or “no” immediately after praying…or would it? Sometimes it’s hard to wait for the answer, and if you’re like me, sometimes you might think not yet means not ever. But that’s not true.

Not yet doesn’t close or open the door—it actually leaves the door cracked in front of us, with the potential to open in the future. 

Maybe you are feeling discouraged by your not yet. If you are, I don’t want you to be too critical of yourself.

Feeling discouraged while waiting on God does not make you a bad Christian.

Nor does it define your relationship with the Father. If feeling discouraged is a sign of a poor relationship with the Father, then Jesus did not have the relationship with the Father that we think he did!

Our Savior Jesus, our sacrificial lamb and humble king, experienced discouragement, loneliness, overwhelm (here’s a great article about the emotions of Jesus). Even Jesus experienced “not yets.”

Jesus came to the world with a single mission: seek and save the lost.

He saved the lost by sacrificing his life on the cross. He committed no sins, meaning he wasn’t deserving of death. I’ve committed sins, meaning I am deserving of death (see Romans 6:23). But now, I don’t have to experience that spiritual death because Jesus did for me.

Jesus was waiting on God the Father’s timing to make that sacrifice.

He didn’t make that sacrifice at 15 years old…20…25, or even 30. He waiting approximately 33 years on the earth to be led to slaughter for our sins. 

Did you know that Jesus’s murder was attempted several times before his crucifixion? At least eight times, Jesus’s life was threatened. 

Luke 4:16–30 — Jesus is rejected in his hometown and the crowd attempts to throw him off a cliff.

Matthew 12:1–14; Mark 2:23–3:6; Luke 6:1–11 — Jesus heals a man on the sabbath and the Pharisees plot to destroy him.

John 5:1–18 — Jesus heals another man and the Jews desire to kill Jesus because he made himself equal to the Father.

John 8:48–59 — Jesus claims to have more authority than the Pharisees and the crowd tries to stone him.

John 10:31–39 — The Jews claim Jesus is blaspheming and attempt to stone him.

John 11:45–57 — The Jews fear Jesus’ ministry will lead to political unrest and plot to silence him through murder.

Mark 11:15–18; Luke 19:45–48 — Jesus cleanses the temple and the Jews desire to attack, but fear the crowds.

Matthew 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19 — Jesus says the kingdom of God will be taken from the Pharisees and given to another. They desired to arrest him, but feared the crowds.

He could’ve been killed in a quicker, possibly less painful manner. But each of these eight times, the Father said, “Not yet.” Each time the crowds attempted to take his life, the Father said, “This is not my timing.” With each attempt, our Christ, the Chosen One to bear our sins, had to wait a little longer, to experience a little more pain, anxiety, discomfort, and fear, before he could finally complete his single mission on the earth.

When the time finally came, Jesus was afraid.

Jesus experienced bitter fear (Matthew 26:36; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39). He wept and gasped for air as he prayed, “Please take this cup away from me.” And after all the “not yets,” the Father’s answer was…no….

He would not—COULD not—take this cup of pain away because taking the cup away was failing the mission. Taking the cup of pain away from Jesus Christ would equal severing the Father‘s relationship with all of us for all eternity.

Once death came for the Christ, it was not quick and painless. Jesus‘s time on the cross was so painful, so traumatic, that it equals the value of our rejoicing in heaven for all eternity. The first hour passes. The second hour passes. Approximately eight hours pass before Jesus finally utters, “It is finished,” and gives his soul into the hands of the Father.

Jesus’ “not yet” ultimately led to “no.”

But I don’t think Jesus would change any of that because the costly price of our salvation was worth it to him. I can only imagine the singing in heaven, the rejoicing of the angels, and the joy of the Father and Holy Spirit when the Son rejoined them in heaven after the victorious death. I’m sure they agree—it was worth the “not yets.”

Waiting on God to answer prayers is no walk in the park, I understand that. I’m not here to say trust in God equals never feeling fear or discouragement during your waiting season. But what I have learned from Jesus is that God‘s timing is intentional, and perhaps the answers He gives us are part of a greater purpose.

What if we stopped viewing our “not yet” as closed doors, and started viewing them as cracked doors?

What type of comfort could we take if we chose to sink into the Father’s arms and trust that He isn’t pausing us, He’s preparing us. Your “not yet” may ultimately lead to yes or no, but I feel sure that one day, you’ll look back, as Jesus looks down from heaven, and like him, you’ll probably say, “Worth it.” Love

Does Jesus’ “not yet” inspire you? Leave a comment and tell me what you think of this post, then click here to read more on the blog!