Pray. Wait. Trust.

“I love to wait!” said no one ever.

Just ask the 15-year-old counting down the months until he or she can be a licensed driver. Or the businessman who has been passed over time and time again for a job promotion. Or the pregnant mother eagerly anticipating the baby she has carried for nine months.

Waiting is not a popular past-time, but it’s a big part of our lives. We spend countless hours waiting in traffic jams, in grocery check-out lines, and at the doctor’s office. We wait, and we wait. And we wait.

Every January for the past seven years, I’ve led an online Daniel Fast. Each fast has been an incredible time in God’s presence as thousands of believers have joined together in prayer. Since it takes months to prepare materials for the January event, I usually start preparing for it in September. In the past, God has given me a theme, along with a related verse or passage. Then I’ve built the fast around that theme. However, this year has been different.

By late October, I still didn’t have any clear direction on what to do. Although I’d been praying for months about the fast, I wasn’t hearing anything specific from God. But what I did hear was this:

Pray.

Wait.

Trust.

So that’s what I’m doing. I’m continuing to pray about January. I’m waiting on the Lord to make my path clear. I’m choosing to trust in Him to answer at just the right time.

But I know I’m not the only one waiting on God right now. What about you? What are you waiting for?

Whatever it is, take it to the Lord in prayer (yes, just like the old hymn). Talk to God about your need. Maybe it’s something you’ve been praying about for weeks, months, or even years. I know it can be difficult to keep bringing the same request to God, but you can’t give up now! God is at work, and He wants you to trust Him.

One thing I recommend is to rehearse His promises to you. Truth will keep you on track when you get weary in the waiting. Here are a few of my favorite verses:

• “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel” (Phil. 4:6-7 CEV).
• “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
• “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD” (Ps. 27:14).
• “Those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint” (Is. 40:31 BSB).
• “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you” (Ps. 9:10 NLT).
• “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

Waiting may not be fun, but it’s always a faith-building exercise that makes us stronger in the Lord. Over the past few weeks, I’ve discovered a growing sense of excitement as I patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) wait on God’s plan for January to be revealed. Whatever He has in store for me, it will be worth the wait! The same is true for you. God’s purposes for you are good (Jer. 29:11), and you can trust Him to work everything out. Just remember:

Pray.

Wait.

Trust.

God will take care of the rest.