The Power of Waiting: How Seasons of Pause Shape Us

Waiting Isn’t Wasted Time

I want to start with a story. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. Imagine that: decades behind bars, stripped of freedom, mocked and forgotten by many. Yet when his waiting ended, he stepped into leadership that changed a nation and broke the chains of apartheid. What looked like wasted years for him became years of preparation.

Thomas Edison failed over 1,000 times before inventing the light bulb. He famously said, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” The waiting wasn’t wasted; it was producing the breakthrough that was needed.

Walt Disney, too, faced repeated failures—fired for lacking imagination, bankruptcies, and mental breakdowns. Yet in the waiting, his vision was sharpened, and eventually, he built something that touched the entire world.

The Bible is filled with these same patterns: Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac. Joseph waited 13 years in slavery and prison. Moses waited 40 years in the desert. David waited 15 years from being anointed as a child to finally ascending the throne. Hannah waited years in barrenness before Samuel was born, and Israel waited 70 years in exile before restoration.

Waiting time is never wasted time. It’s shaping time. It shapes something within us that prepares us for the next season God has ahead.

Waiting With Expectation

Before the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, Jesus instructed his disciples to wait. Acts 1:4–5 says:

“And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father… For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

They didn’t know if it would take 10 hours, 10 days, or 10 years—but it didn’t matter. They positioned their hearts fully on the Lord.

We live in a fast-paced culture. We want things now, and when we wait, we often feel like we’re suffering. But there’s something that happens in the waiting: it shapes us, refines us, and makes us hungrier for God.

I was recently on a call with a gentleman who travels across nations equipping pastors. He shared how some people in Nepal walked seven days just to attend a meeting. Seven days on foot! And here I was, complaining about a 25–30 minute drive to church. Hunger transforms perspective. Waiting produces hunger. Hunger produces readiness to see God move.

Lessons From Pizza Dough

Recently, I got into cooking pizzas at home. I bought a small pizza oven and dove in, even though I’m not typically a pizza guy. As I learned, I discovered something powerful: dough needs time to ferment. When you slow down the fermentation process in the refrigerator, it develops sweetness, texture, and depth of flavor.

One day, I didn’t wait long enough. I tried making pizza for friends, but the dough tore apart under pressure, and the finished pizza lacked the texture it should have had. The first attempt was a failure.

Waiting works the same way in our relationship with God. Seasons of waiting aren’t meant to tear us apart—they’re meant to prepare us. They develop depth and sweetness in our character. Isaiah 40:31 says:

“Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Romans 5:3–5 echoes this progression: “Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” Waiting builds endurance, character, and hope.

The Purification of Waiting

Waiting purifies our motives. If God poured out all His promises at once, we might focus only on the gifts and forget Him. The waiting period trains our hearts to seek Him, not just the blessings.

Recently, as I worked on expanding my restaurant business, the Lord told me to pause. He said, “Focus on the roots. Strengthen what’s unseen so it can sustain the long haul.” So often, we chase external growth—the things everyone can see—but God is more concerned with what’s deep within us. Strong roots create stability.

When we wait, our hunger for God grows. That hunger becomes a breeding ground for revival—not just in our personal lives, but in our families, communities, and nations.

The Power of Selfless Prayer

During a recent fast, I felt God telling me to pray not for my own business, but for the businesses of friends and family. As I obeyed, I saw immediate, tangible results: record sales and breakthroughs. When we shift focus from ourselves to others, God’s blessing flows back to us. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Waiting and acting in faith produces multiplication.

Waiting Builds Endurance

Waiting trains spiritual stamina. It prepares us to run far, not just fast. I want deep roots in God, so that no storm can bend me. Waiting allows us to see God’s faithfulness firsthand. It transforms our words from empty statements of belief to testimonies with weight and depth.

When the Spirit is poured out, it’s not just about emotional highs or spiritual upgrades—it’s about an identity shift. Acts 1:8 says:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus gave power not for comfort or status, but so we could become witnesses—living proofs of His resurrection and faithfulness.

Fire and Refinement

Encountering the Spirit isn’t always easy. Jesus Himself was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where He faced temptation and testing. Matthew 4:2–4 recounts:

“After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But He answered, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

Wilderness seasons refine us. They test our resources, our faith, and our reliance on God. They are designed to produce perseverance, character, and hope—like gold refined in fire, impurities are removed to reveal value.

We often face the temptation to take shortcuts: opportunities that seem easier, quicker, or more rewarding. But shortcuts bypass God’s refining process. Patience, obedience, and waiting in God’s timing produce lasting fruit.

Witnessing From the Place of Pain

Jesus told His disciples to witness starting in Jerusalem—the very place of their shame, failure, and pain. Our calling often begins in the middle of brokenness. It’s easy to seek fresh starts elsewhere, but God’s power often manifests right where our deepest wounds are.

Your failures, setbacks, and struggles are fertile ground for God’s Spirit to work. Waiting and enduring transforms pain into a powerful witness.

Practical Applications

1. Embrace Waiting: Instead of rushing through hard seasons, lean into them. Allow God to develop depth, character, and patience in your life.
2. Seek God Over Circumstances: Focus on His presence rather than immediate results. Hunger for Him, not just blessings or outcomes.
3. Serve Others During Waiting: Shift attention from your own needs to others. Prayer, encouragement, and generosity can bring breakthroughs both to you and those around you.

Conclusion

Waiting is not wasted—it’s preparation, purification, and empowerment. Through waiting, our character deepens, our hope strengthens, and our witness becomes authentic. As the Spirit is poured out in our lives, we are transformed from believers into witnesses.

May we embrace the waiting, the refining, and the fire. May we allow God to grow deep roots in us so that when the storms of life come, we stand firm. And may our lives testify to His goodness, faithfulness, and resurrection power—so that others see Him in us and are drawn to His glory.