The Waiting Isn't Wasted

Waiting on God isn’t passive—it’s purposeful. In this episode, we dive into what it really means to trust God’s promises while walking through the process that leads to them. The waiting season can be uncomfortable, even painful, but it’s also where refinement happens.

We’ll talk about learning to trust God even when the process stings, stepping outside of our comfort zones, and understanding that standing on His promises requires more than just waiting—it requires alignment. God is faithful, but we also have a role to play in positioning ourselves under His will. 

If you’re in a season of waiting, this message will remind you: the promise is still alive, the process has purpose, and God is working in you as you trust Him.

Transcript

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God is an on-time God. He is always on time. And you see, when you understand that God is never late, you wait differently. Welcome to My Father's Business Podcast, where we explore our divine purpose and identity in Christ. I'm your host, Lindsay Cope, and I'm about my father's business, seeking to live a purpose-driven life. In each episode, we'll discuss various topics that connect to God's will. Just as Jesus devoted himself to his father's business, we'll see how understanding our identity in him helps us navigate life. So join me on this journey of discovering how to align our lives with God's plan and fulfill our unique God-given destinies. Hello, hello. Welcome back to another episode of My Father's Business Podcast. Today we're going to be talking about standing on the promises of God as we wait on him. Did you know that there are over 7,000 promises recorded in the Bible? That's a lot. And each one is a reminder of his faithfulness and of his unchanging nature and his desire to fulfill what he has spoken. But what happens when the wait feels long and the challenge gets heavy and the promise seems distant and out of reach? Well, today we're going to look at what it means to stand on the promise and to endure during the wait and to understand the process of the wait. So I want to start with a question: is it possible to be a believer in Jesus Christ and still be lost? My answer is yes. You see, I've been a believer in Jesus most of my life, but I've also been lost most of my life. It wasn't until about four years ago that I made a decision to make Jesus the Lord of my life. I decided to stop straddling that fence, living one foot in the word and one foot in the world, and asked the Lord to deliver me. And he redeemed my life from the pit. He delivered me from drug addiction, from sexual immorality, mental illness, anger issues, and now I am a new creation in Christ. Praise the Lord. The old is gone, the new has come. And he refined me in fire, y'all. When I tell y'all through fire, we won't even go there because we don't have time to cover all of my testimony today. But I stand here today without the smell of smoke because he was the fourth one in the fire. Hallelujah. I am a product of the promise. I am a living testimony of a promise fulfilled. You see, I am the fruit of the labor where my parents and even my grandparents, who have long passed, labored in prayer day and night for me, probably 20 years of prayer for me. And I honor them for that. Even after surrendering and giving my life to the Lord, I went through a season of distractions where the Lord was trying to get me to focus more on Him. And I had a friend that shared this with me. She said, take your eyes off the promise and put them on the promise keeper. And then his promise will be fulfilled and you'll be content while you wait. And when I tell you that has reigned true in my life over the past three and a half years, today I am speaking to you from a season that I'm currently walking through. You see, God is teaching me to seek his face before I seek his hand. And maybe you're sitting here today and you're like me, and he's brought you out of Egypt, but he's still trying to clean the Egypt out of you before he delivers the promise. Maybe there's still wounds that he wants to heal or character that he needs to perfect, or thoughts and intents of the heart that he's trying to transform. I mean, you may be waiting on God to restore a broken marriage. Maybe it's a friendship or family relationships, some type of reconciliation in the family. I think we all can attest to that. Or maybe there's a prodigal child or grandchild that you're waiting on the Lord to bring home to him. Maybe it's a spouse, a child, or or maybe you need a financial breakthrough, a healing. You know, I think in some form or fashion we're all waiting on something. But here's the good news God is an on time God. He is always on time. And you see, when you understand that God is never late, you wait differently. The natural mind wants to seek to understand it all, the why, the when, the how. And that's why scripture in Proverbs 3, 5 through 6 says, seek not your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight. The carnal mind, that of the flesh, it refuses to believe what it cannot understand. Your inner man may believe it and you know it in your heart, but your mind wars against it. That's why trust is so important. That's what faith is. I mean, that that's why faith is so important. We walk by faith, not by sight. And even with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. So we have to learn how to wait. Isaiah 40, 31 says, But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not grow faint. That has been my life verse this year because the Lord has continued to renew my strength and the weight. You see, waiting on God is not passive, it's an active process that requires trust and patience and results in renewed strength. Lamentations three twenty five says, The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. So here we see the goodness of God towards those who wait and seek him. Don't end up with an Ishmael because you were too impatient to wait on your Isaac. I don't want a TMU version. I want the designer's version created by the one and only. Come on now. You see, Sarah's impatience led to the birth of Ishmael when she encouraged Abraham to have a child with her maidservant Hagar. And that decision, it was made in a moment of doubt and impatience, and it had lasting consequences that cause a strain on her marriage. Don't forfeit your blessings because you don't want to wait. God's promises will come to pass even when the wait is difficult. And sometimes we want to get ahead of God. And God said, Don't get ahead of me. Slow down, honey, don't get ahead of me. I'm over here trying to grow flowers in your valley, and you're over there falling down the mountaintop, skinning up your knees. You're not only trying to prematurely climb to the mountaintops, but you're trying to move mountains that weren't meant to be moved. He says, No, honey, uh-uh, leave that mountain right there. Maybe it's protecting you from something that's not for you, that you don't need, or maybe it's blocking the view of things that aren't meant for you, or things that that you aren't meant to see yet. Maybe he has you in the cleft of the mountain just like Moses because you'd be blinded by the glory if he showed it to you now. God says, slow down, child, wait. I'm still working on you. Do you want less than what I have prepared for you? I know I don't. I know whatever he's preparing for me is worth the wait. It's worth every minute, every second. What if God is taking his time so that you know how to wait, producing patience? So you know how to depend on him, producing reliance on him, so that you know how to seek his face before you seek his hand, letting patience have its perfect work. Give time for healing, give time for transformation. Sometimes it's a process, and we have to trust the process. Not only do we have to trust God in the process, but God's got to trust us. And how can God trust you with the promise if he can't even trust you with the process? Somebody needs to hear this today. Hey, an open rebuke is better than love hidden. So sometimes the truth comes hard. You can't carry a wilderness mindset into the promised land. You know, God's saying, I have to prepare you so that you can handle what I'm about to give you. It's too big for you to carry right now. So wait, daughter, wait, son. Just be still and wait. He says, Be still and wait. Let me do my perfect work. My promise is that I will bring it to completion. Praise the Lord. He says, I he says, He who began a good work in you shall bring it to completion. Maybe you have to let him expand your capacity to carry what you're trusting him for. He has to trust that you have the bandwidth to carry it. Did you know that a rubber band doesn't serve its purpose until it's stretched? How many of you know that God is more concerned with your character than he is your comfort? You hear that all the time. He's more concerned with your spiritual growth, and that means we have to be stretched and refined. You know, I see so many people saying, I'm trusting in God, just waiting on the Lord, but then they're not doing anything to build that trust. And I'm just waiting on the Lord. Maybe you ain't waiting on him, maybe he's waiting on you. Maybe he wants to do a work in you before he can do a work in them or in that situation or before he can move forward with whatever it is he's promised you. You know, sometimes we want the promise prematurely, but we're not willing to get uncomfortable to be shaped and refined so that you can be prepared to receive it. You want the blessings without the obedience. Can I get real with y'all for just a minute? There are things that we are putting before God that we are not willing to give up, idols that are in the way, clouding our vision from our true purpose. And we're careful when we ask the Lord to search us and try us, as he tells us to do in scripture, because it might take us out of our comfort zone. We're too comfortable for the refining. Because lukewarm feels real good, right? Feels real comfortable. Well, guess what? Lukewarm doesn't get hot enough to be refined. And we know what he says he's gonna do with the lukewarm, spit it right back out. He says that in Revelation 3 16, speaking about the half-hearted believer. So we have to be willing to come outside of our comfort zone to be refined and prepared for the promise, for the blessings. And blessings follow obedience. You know, when we talk about standing on the promises of God, it's not just about believing and trusting, but it's about aligning, aligning our lives with his word. First Samuel 15 22 says to obey is better than sacrifice. God's not impressed with outward acts of worship if our hearts are not surrendered in obedience and in alignment with him. And you know what else we like to do when the wait feels long and the promise hasn't come to pass yet, it can be tempting to try to help God out. You know, we want to substitute shortcuts or or sacrifices and place of obedience, but true faith is proven in the waiting by choosing to obey. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Standing on the promise means not just believing God will do it, but also obeying him until he does. Or maybe you've forgotten the ifs of the Bible. You know, there's a prelude to the promise, there's a prerequisite to the fulfillment of his word. There are over fifteen hundred ifs in the Bible. I am going to quote some of them. Second Chronicles 7 14. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will come, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. God is looking for heart postures of repentance and humility. First John 1 9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Confession and repentance are the prerequisite for him delivering on that promise. John fifteen seven, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it shall be done for you. It's that easy, guys. Abide in him. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, whatever you ask, it will be done for you. Abiding in Christ is another key condition. The promise of answered prayers hinges on the authenticity of our relationship with him. You see, the fulfillment is connected to our intimacy with God. Our last podcast was about the intimacy with God. If you'll go back and listen to that, ask yourself Am I abiding in Him? Am I truly abiding in Him? John 15, 5. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, that there's that if, and I in Him bears much fruit. For without me, you can do nothing. And this one I'm going to try to cover quickly because it is longer, but it's in the book of Joel, and we see a strong call to repentance before God restores what was lost by the locust. So we know the scripture that I will restore the years that the swarming locusts have eaten. So after the devastation, Joel tells the people to turn back to God, urging them to genuinely repent and seek his mercy. So it's not just about feeling sorry, but it's a change of heart, a change of mind. And it's in Joel chapter two, verses twelve through thirteen, and he says, Turn to me with all of your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning, rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful. And he says, Then I will restore to you the years that the swarming locusts have eaten. You shall eat plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord, who has dealt wondrously with you, and my people shall never be put to shame. And then furthermore, if you go to verses twenty-eight through twenty-nine, he says, Then it shall come to pass that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. So he not only restores what is lost, but he equips his people with his spirit, offering power to walk in his promises. So pay attention to the ifs, because there's usually a preset, a prelude that is necessary in him fulfilling his promise in your life. So lastly, I want to talk about endurance, and then I'm going to pray for you. So the word says that we're going to need endurance for this. I mean, when we are going through trials, when we are waiting on the Lord, um, Hebrews 10 36 says, For you have a need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Praise the Lord. God's word is clear. We can't receive the promise without endurance. And to endure means to remain and to be steadfast and to stand firm, to keep pressing forward no matter the struggle. And notice the writer here says, after you have done the will of God. So this means our part is obedience and faithfulness, even in the hard seasons. And James reminds us of this same thing in James 1, 2 through 4. You all know this one, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect, complete, and lacking nothing. Praise the Lord. Trials are not meant to break us, they're meant to build us. Endurance produces patience, and patience produces character, and character positions us to fully walk in the promise. And Peter encourages us in first Peter 5 10, but may the God of all grace who has called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect you, establish you, strengthen you, and settle you. Praise the Lord. Sometimes suffering is another prelude to the promise. Yes, there will be seasons of struggle, but struggle is not the end, it's the process. And through it, God is shaping us, He's strengthening us, He's refining us, He's stretching us, He's preparing us for the promise that He has already spoken over our lives. Here's something I saw recently when God wanted to make a king out of David, He didn't give him a crown first, he gave him a Goliath. Your challenges prepare you for your purpose. So we need to align our thoughts and our expectations with God's word and allow his word to take our desires and make them his. See, when you really begin to meditate on the word, you begin to love what he loves and hate what he hates. You begin to become renewed and transformed by the power of Christ. Psalm 37 4 says, Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Praise the Lord. He wants to fulfill your desires. But surrender and yielding are key. God wants to fulfill those promises, but you have a part to play. We have a part to play. And I'm going to end with this scripture right before I pray, Philippians 1 6, where we are assured that his work will be completed in us. He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. His word will not return void. So let me encourage you today. Your waiting is not in vain. God doesn't waste a thing. Your waiting is not wasted. We know that all things work together for the good of those who love him. So he is working these things for your good. Even though it seems like breakthrough may be out of reach, even though it feels like the refining just stings and is painful, he is working. He is moving on your behalf. He has great plans to prosper you. So may He give you a renewed perspective, new strength, and increased endurance as you wait. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are a promise-keeper and a way maker. We thank you that your promises are yes and amen. We thank you that you want to deliver and provide our every need and our every desire, Father. Help us to be patient in the way and not lose hope. Help us to endure the process. Give us strength. Give us steadfast determination to press in and to get close to you and to remain obedient, Lord. Forgive us for our lack of obedience. Forgive us for our doubt and our unbelief, Lord, and for our selfish attitudes and for our pride, Lord, and renew our minds. Renew our hearts, Lord. Examine us, Lord, our thoughts, our attitudes, Lord. Create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us. And give us the discipline to abide, Lord, to remain in you, so that we may bear much fruit and renew our strength, so that we may soar on wings like eagles, walk and not grow weary, and run and not grow faint. We trust you in the process. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen. Thank you for joining me on this episode of My Father's Business. As we strive to understand our divine purpose and align our lives with God's will, I encourage you to seek His face and His guidance in every step you take. May He bless you with clarity, strength, and a deeper understanding of your identity in Him. Until next time, remember you were created on purpose for purpose, and it's time to rise up, live intentionally, and embrace the unique plan God has for you. God bless.