What To Do While You’re Waiting on God

After His resurrection, Jesus gives His disciples a promise and tells them to wait in Jerusalem.

Now keep in mind that most of Jesus’s disciples were from Galilee, not Jerusalem. Their lives, their homes, and perhaps even some of their family, were back home in Galilee. They had been in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas because that’s where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. But when everything had transpired, Jesus instructs them to stay for an indefinite period – until the Promise comes.

With a Promise Comes Waiting

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

Luke 24:49

At this point, 120 people stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Promise. Jesus never specified when the Promise would be fulfilled, only where it would be fulfilled. In the same manner, I believe every follower of Christ has a promise from God. Whether it’s for your health, your marriage, or your children, you have a promise. It’s crucial to understand that when God gives you a promise, there will be a waiting period between the time it is given to you and the fulfillment of it.

When we look at the book of Acts, we see that there was a period of time between what Jesus had told the disciples and the time of Pentecost.

What To Do As You Wait

1. Pray

If you read the first chapter of Acts, you see that when they enter the upper room in Jerusalem, they begin to pray.

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Acts 1:14

While you’re waiting for God to restore your marriage, pray.

While you’re waiting for your lost child to come back to Jesus, pray.

While you wait for God’s promise to be fulfilled in your health, pray.

God desires to fulfill His Word in your life, but that fulfillment comes through waiting God’s way. Waiting does not mean simply allowing the days to pass by, hoping things will change. Instead, we should follow the template left to us by the disciples. Waiting, for them, meant praying. It meant consistently interceding, aligning their thoughts and hearts in preparation for what God had said.

Prayer is our response to waiting.

Waiting is not a waste of time if you’re praying.

2. Prepare

There was a story of two farmers who one year, needed rain for their crops. They both began to desperately pray that God would supply it, but only one of them went out to prepare their land for the rain. Which one do you think had faith that the rain would come?

The one who prepared the land.

Which one are you?

Don’t just pray for “rain,” prepare for it.

As the disciples waited, they also began to plan in preparation for what was to come.

And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.”

Acts 1:15-17

As you wait for God to fulfill His promise to you, begin to prepare.

Is there an addiction you can get rid of, a behavior you can improve, or maybe a life skill you can learn that will help you as you wait?

If you are waiting for a spouse, put your finances in order and relinquish debt. If you’re waiting for a revival, begin to set strategies and systems in place so your church can accommodate all those new souls. As a believer, you shouldn’t just pray, you should accompany your faith with practical planning.

God desires you to use the little He’s already given you, as you wait for what’s to come. You may have little experience, it may feel like you lack faith, but step out and begin to do what you can with what you currently have.

Prepare the land, and God will show up.

3. Sit With Waiters

Another thing you will find helpful as you wait is to surround yourself with waiters–those who are also waiting on God’s promise. Surround yourself with those who are strong in the Lord, people who will encourage you to remain strong, despite what you’re feeling.

When Mary was pregnant with Jesus, the Bible tells us that she went to be with Elizabeth. At that time, Elizabeth was also pregnant with a miracle from God (Luke 1:39-45). She needed to be encourged and uplifted during pivotal moments on the path she was on.

My desire is for you not to just be filled with joy or emotion when you go to services, but for you to feed, nurture and carry to term that which God has promised you.

Don’t abort the promise that God has given you by choosing to do nothing while you’re waiting. The promises of God must be believed by faith, but faith without works is dead.

Do what you can while you wait for God to supply what you can’t.

Surround yourself with Godly people, who will keep you seeing the vision God has for you, your ministry, and your family.

And feed yourself on testimonies of God’s goodness and the times He has answered prayers. Let your faith be built up during this time.

Final Thoughts

You may be in a season of waiting, but I want to encourage you to keep the faith. God desires to use your life and your testimony so that others will come to the knowledge of Him. He desires the lost to be saved. That is at the core of His heart.

During this season allow God to use your life to spread the message of His goodness, even while you wait.

Check out this blog: What Causes Miracles