The Work of Waiting

"Be still, and know that I am God..."

— Psalm 46:10

I've spent a lot of time in waiting rooms.

Over the years, dealing with heart issues has meant appointments, tests, procedures, surgeries and more waiting than I ever thought possible. I've sat in uncomfortable chairs staring at the same walls, wondering what the results would be, what the doctor would say, and whether everything was going to be okay.

In all those years, one thing has never happened.

Not once has a doctor come into the waiting room, pulled up a chair beside me, and said, "I'll wait with you."

Of course, there's a good reason for that. While I'm sitting in the waiting room, the doctor is working. They're reviewing charts, reading test results, consulting with colleagues, making plans, and preparing the next step. Their job is to work on my behalf while I wait.

The problem is that waiting feels like doing nothing.

And if I'm honest, I don't like doing nothing.I like solving problems. I like making plans. I like finding answers. I want to know what's happening behind the scenes. I want updates. I want timelines. I want certainty.

Yet so much of life feels like sitting in God's waiting room.

We pray for healing and wait.

We pray for direction and wait.

We pray for restoration, provision, answers, and breakthroughs—and often, we wait.

That's why Psalm 46:10 can be so challenging: "Be still, and know that I am God."

Being still sounds simple until you're the one sitting in the waiting room.

The truth is, waiting is work. Not physical work, but heart work.

Waiting requires trust when you don't have answers. It requires surrender when you'd rather be in control. It requires faith when you can't see what God is doing. Sometimes the hardest thing God asks us to do is not to move forward, fix the problem, or figure it out. Sometimes He asks us to simply be still.

When the Israelites found themselves trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's advancing army, Moses told them: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today... The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14)

Imagine how difficult those words must have been to hear. The enemy was approaching. The danger was real. Every instinct must have told them to run, fight, or do something. Yet God called them to be still and trust that He was already working on their behalf.

I think that's where many of us find ourselves. We see the problem clearly, but we can't yet see God's solution. We feel the pressure to act when God is asking us to trust.

But here's the beautiful difference between God and every doctor I've ever known.

The doctor works on my behalf, but I wait alone.

God does both.

The Great Physician is working on my behalf in ways I cannot see, arranging circumstances, opening doors, strengthening my faith, and accomplishing His purposes.

Yet at the very same time, He sits with me in the waiting room.

He doesn't leave me alone with my fears.

He doesn't abandon me to my questions.

He doesn't tell me to figure it out and come back later.

He sits beside me. He comforts me. He reminds me of His promises. He whispers, "Trust Me. I'm working."

Jesus revealed this truth when He said, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working" (John 5:17).

God never clocks out.

He never takes a break from caring for His children.

Even when we cannot see movement, Heaven is not inactive. God is working in ways beyond our understanding. While we sit in the waiting room wondering what comes next, He is already moving pieces into place.

What amazes me most is that God is powerful enough to do both. He is actively working behind the scenes while being fully present with us in the moment. He is accomplishing His will while comforting our hearts. He is fighting our battles while sitting beside us in the waiting room.

Maybe that's why He tells us to be still. Not because nothing is happening, but because so much is happening that only He can do.

Today, if you find yourself waiting for answers, waiting for healing, waiting for direction, or waiting for God to move, remember this: your waiting is not wasted. The work of waiting is trusting.

And thankfully, He never asks us to do His job.

The Lord will fight for you.

You need only to be still.