Hello lovelies! Have you ever struggled to trust God’s timing? When you are asking God for the desires of your heart, the answer can take longer than you hoped or expected. In those times, it’s tempting to become discouraged and fearful. Does God really care about your longings? Is He actually listening to your prayers? Let’s talk about what to do when we’re in a waiting season.
Here’s how to trust God’s timing.
1. Be honest with God.
When we don’t trust God’s timing, we tend to worry and become anxious. Worry causes us to ask ourselves, “What if God doesnʼt get it right? What can I do to fix this?”
Worry is an attempt to control the future and avoid losing what I love or want. For example, if you’re worried about finding a spouse, it means that you greatly desire a spouse. That’s a good thing, but it’s something you need to trust God with.
First, be honest with God about your fears and worries. Pour out your heart to Him, and listen to His reassuring voice.
2. Remind yourself of what you know about God.
Next, remind yourself of what you know to be true about your God.
Consider what the cross teaches us. When Jesus died on the cross, it looked like the ultimate defeat to His weary disciples. How was He going to save them now? They had to flee for their lives!
But, three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and achieved His ultimate victory over sin, death, and the grave.
The cross reminds us that God is always working for our good, even when we donʼt understand it. If He didnʼt hold back His Son for us, we can trust Him with everything else in our lives.
Remind yourself of God’s character and promises. Remember how He has provided for you in the past, and choose to trust Him.
3. Yield your future to God, and trust God’s timing.
What are your plans for the future? Are you hoping to have a job, or a spouse, or a child by a certain age? Yield your timeline to God, and trust Him to answer your prayers in His perfect timing. Let go of the pressure you’ve been putting on yourself, and rest in Him.
One helpful exercise can be to write a letter to yourself. Imagine that you are now 5 years down the road, and God has answered those prayers you’re praying right now. What advice would you give your present self? Should you worry, or trust God? Should you fear, or have faith? Then, choose to live in a way that would make your future self proud.
As you yield your future to God, pray boldly for what you want. Pray specifically for the desires of your heart, and ask God to fulfill His plans for your life. Pray that not your will, but His will be done in your life.
When you surrender to God, life will not be easy, but it will be far above what you can ask or imagine.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”
Ephesians 3:20
4. Take every thought captive.
Your battle to trust God is always one that is waged in your mind. If you want to trust God completely, take every thought captive. Learn to reject doubtful, fearful, anxious thoughts, and replace them with truth.
Instead of worrying about what could happen, pray for God’s will to be done. Thank God for what He has already done. And then, leave it in God’s hands. Don’t keep picking up your burden after you’ve laid it down.
When you feel anxious, meditate on God’s love for you. Read and ponder great passages such as Psalm 23, Psalm 34, and Romans 8. Listen to godly music that will encourage your heart.
Finally, tell yourself a better story about the future. Instead of considering the worst possible scenarios, think of something like this….
“I don’t know what is going to happen next. I really want this to happen. But I know that God is faithful. He promised to provide for all my needs. So I am going to relax, enjoy life right now, and trust Him with tomorrow. I can’t wait to see how He is going to answer my prayers. It’s going to take a miracle, but He can do anything! It’s going to be a fantastic story!!”
Let’s Chat:
Are you struggling to trust God’s timing? If so, be honest with God. Remind yourself of what you know about your God. Yield your future to Him, and take every thought captive. When you do, you can have perfect peace and joy as you wait on Him.
Looking for more posts about trusting God’s timing? Read these posts:
These are great points! I will also add that it is harder to trust God’s timing when something is an idol in our life and not surrendered. We can never trust God with idols! So when something has been surrendered to His will and hasn’t been put above Him in our life/been made bigger than God, it becomes easier to trust God with, even though that is something that can still be a struggle!
adminsays:
Posted on
Amen, that is true! Thank you for reading and commenting, Elizabeth!
These are great points! I will also add that it is harder to trust God’s timing when something is an idol in our life and not surrendered. We can never trust God with idols! So when something has been surrendered to His will and hasn’t been put above Him in our life/been made bigger than God, it becomes easier to trust God with, even though that is something that can still be a struggle!
Amen, that is true! Thank you for reading and commenting, Elizabeth!