Anchored in Anticipation
Waiting is hard.
Waiting for the answer.
Waiting for the breakthrough.
Waiting for the healing, the change, the restoration.
We live in a world that tells us we don’t need to wait. That if something hasn’t happened yet, we should find another way, move faster, or force the outcome. Instant gratification is everywhere, and patience feels like an old-fashioned idea.
But when you talk to someone who has waited a long time for something they deeply hoped for, and eventually saw it come to fruition, they’ll often tell you this: the journey mattered just as much as the outcome.
The waiting shaped them.
It’s in the waiting that we are stretched and challenged. It’s where our faith grows deeper roots and our character is quietly refined. Waiting has a way of exposing what we truly believe about God, ourselves, and His timing.
God’s people have always waited. They waited for promises, for deliverance, and for redemption. The longest and greatest wait was for Christ’s birth. The world waited in darkness for the Light to come.
And every moment of waiting was worth it. The Savior came, right on time, to rescue, redeem, and restore what was broken. Hope entered the world not as an idea, but as a person. Jesus came to save us, and the waiting gave way to joy.
There are several areas of my life that I am still waiting on, and have been for quite some time. If I’m honest, I’d love for the answer to come today. I’d love for the breakthrough to happen now. But as I pray over each situation, I sense God’s gentle reminder that it’s here, in the not yet, that I am being sharpened.
And I get to choose how I wait.
I can complain and allow frustration or resentment to take hold. Or I can trust that God knows what is best for me and that He is equipping me for the very thing I’m asking Him for. Trust doesn’t mean the waiting is easy. It simply means I’m choosing to believe that it’s purposeful.
So what do we do while we wait?
How do we prepare for the breakthrough we long for?
How do we stay anchored when the answers feel delayed?
It’s nothing big or dramatic. It’s actually simple…when I allow it to be.
Staying Anchored in the Waiting
Do what’s good for you every day.
Spend time with God. Move your body. Take care of yourself. Show up for the life you’re living right now, not just the one you’re hoping for someday.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9
Do everything without complaining or grumbling.
Waiting reveals the posture of our hearts. Choosing faithfulness in the mundane is often where the real growth happens.
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure.”
Philippians 2:14–15
Give thanks in all circumstances.
Not because everything is good, but because God is, and He is present in all of it. Gratitude shifts our focus and keeps our hearts tender.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Don’t get distracted by other people’s breakthroughs.
What God is doing for someone else does not diminish what He is doing in you. Your story has its own timing.
“Let us not compare ourselves with one another.”
Galatians 5:26
Trust that God knows what you need, and when you need it.
His timing is not rushed or careless. It is intentional, loving, and always aligned with His purpose, even when it feels slow from our perspective.
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1
The waiting is not a detour.
It is not a delay in your calling.
It is part of the process.
And one day, when the answer comes, you may realize that the greatest work God did wasn’t just in changing your circumstances, but in shaping who you became while you waited.
A Prayer for the Waiting
God, help me to trust You here.
In the unknown. In the not yet.
Anchor my heart in truth when I’m tempted to rush ahead or grow weary.
Teach me to wait with grace, gratitude, and quiet confidence in You.
I trust that You are working, even when I can’t see it. Amen.
Anchored in Hope,
P.S. Here is a favorite find to help keep you anchored during this season of waiting:
About The Joy of the In-Between: Do you have big dreams and can hardly wait to start the future God has planned for you? But maybe you haven’t yet arrived where you want to be. Perhaps you yearn for the spouse you’ve been praying for, the career you’ve been working toward, or the life you’ve been hoping for. Whatever your longings, waiting can be difficult. But you don’t have to wait until God answers your prayers to embrace where He has you today.
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