Rise and Lead
Rise and Lead
Waiting Seasons Are Not Wasted - Stay Focused and Faithful: New Perspective and Strategy with Benjamin Lundquist - RAL 92
On this episode, Waiting Seasons Are Not Wasted - Stay Focused and Faithful, Benjamin unpacks what to do when God feels silent and your prayers seem unanswered. Through the story of Hannah, David, insights from neuroscience, and the example of Jesus Himself, you’ll discover how waiting seasons are not wasted - they’re where God does His most transformative work. Whether you’re waiting on a breakthrough, healing, or clarity, this episode will reignite your hope, give you five practical steps to grow in the silence, and remind you that God is still working behind the scenes.
Episode Quote:
"Just because it feels like God is silent doesn’t mean He’s absent. The waiting season is not punishment - it’s preparation. When it seems like nothing is moving, God is actually moving everything into place. He’s developing your strength, sharpening your faith, and molding your character for what He already has planned. You haven’t been abandoned—you’re being equipped."
This episode, like all Rise and Lead Podcast episodes, is highly practical and motivating. Don't forget to subscribe to the Rise and Lead Podcast to ensure you get notified when new episodes release every month. When you share about the podcast, make sure and tag @benjaminlundquist, and he'll always try and give you a re-post. Remember, the best time to rise and lead is now!
Silent seasons, birth, sacred assignments. Your request may not always be granted in the way you want, your dream may not always come to fruition exactly how you saw it playing out, but God always has a sacred assignment for you. Welcome to Rise and Lead. I'm Benjamin Lundquist, and this podcast is all about personal growth and leadership. Thank you for listening and for being a part of our Rise and Lead community. We are a community of leaders who are passionate about growth, leadership and expanding our impact on the world. In this powerful episode, I unpack what to do when God feels silent and your prayers seem unanswered. Through the story of Hannah David, insights from neuroscience and the example of Jesus himself, you'll discover how waiting seasons are not wasted. They're where God does his most transformative work. Whether you're waiting on a breakthrough, healing or clarity, this episode will reignite your hope, give you five practical steps to grow in the silence and remind you that God is still working behind the scenes. Stay with this one all the way to the end. It just might change how you see your entire season. The Rise and Lead podcast is designed specifically to motivate and equip you to live your greatest life with maximum impact. We are going to find out what makes great leaders great and how you can start growing yourself, rise, expanding your impact, lead and living the life you have been created to live. You know this already, but we are stronger together and I want to invite you to be a Rise and Lead partner in spreading the word about this podcast and all the episodes that will follow, so together we can reach more people. Our community content and teaching is reaching over 150 countries because of the support from people like you. Remember to subscribe to the podcast so you can get all the episodes that release every month. Rate the podcast if you haven't done so already. I'm always going for a five-star rating. If you think Rise and Lead deserves five stars, I would greatly appreciate that. Leave a written review your reviews. They make a huge difference. And finally, share about Rise and Lead with your family, your friends and your social media network. Screenshot this episode about waiting with purpose and send it to someone, or text someone the episode link. You are helping people rise to their next level by connecting them to an episode. And when you share about the podcast as a social media post or story, make sure you tag me and I'll always try and give you a repost your input, ratings, reviews and shares help our team to continue creating a better podcast experience to serve great leaders like you.
Speaker 1:I like to start each episode with prayer, so let's pray together. God, many who are listening feel forgotten and unseen in their season. They want to believe that you are working in the waiting but aren't seeing the evidence. They are tired leaders trying to find the strength to take their next step. Use this episode to reframe their story and change their perspective on what is going on behind the scenes. Amen.
Speaker 1:Today we are diving into a topic that every leader, every dreamer, every follower will face waiting seasons. You're praying, believing showing up, and yet nothing seems to be moving. The doors aren't opening. The doors aren't opening, the answers aren't coming. The silence is deafening. You are stuck in the fight between faith and fear. You often feel torn between hope and discouragement. This stretch of time can feel like a wilderness Silent, uncertain and frustrating. You're full of why and when questions. Why hasn't it happened yet? When will things finally shift? What am I doing wrong? Should I keep going or change direction? Emotionally, spiritually and even physically, you feel drained. The battle to stay hopeful is taking its toll on you. You're tired of being strong and you're tired of always trusting the process. Here's some good news God's silence is never God's absence, and waiting does not mean God is not working. Let me say that again God's silence is never God's absence, and waiting does not mean God's not working. This episode is for anyone who's been crying out God, where are you? Why is this taking so long? Have you abandoned me?
Speaker 1:We're going to talk about why waiting seasons matter, biblical case studies of people who waited, what neuroscience says about waiting and practical steps you must take in the waiting, and how to keep your faith alive, even when the promise feels dead. Let's get into it. I'll be the first one to say this Waiting is hard, especially when you've done all the right things, you've obeyed, you've been faithful, you've sacrificed, and yet there's a delay. That doesn't make sense. Waiting seasons can feel like isolation, confusion, frustration and even doubt in God's goodness and provision. But here's what I want you to remember today God often does his deepest work in silence. Psalms 37, verse 7, challenges us be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. I want to be very clear waiting is not passive, it's not lazy.
Speaker 1:In the Hebrew, the word for wait is kavah, and it literally means to bind together with expectation, va, and it literally means to bind together with expectation. It's the idea of twisting or binding together like strands of rope intertwining like a rope being pulled tight with purpose. You're intertwined with God. You're stretched, but not broken. You're holding on with expectancy, not broken. You're holding on with expectancy.
Speaker 1:Biblical waiting isn't weakness, it's warfare, it's the sacred tension of trust. You're not idly standing by, you're actively holding on, bound to God's character, his promises and his timing. I've got to share my heart with you because I've been in waiting seasons. God isn't punishing you, he's preparing you. Just because it feels like God is silent doesn't mean he's absent. The waiting season is not punishment, it's preparation. When it feels like nothing is moving, god is actually moving everything into place. He's developing your strength, sharpening your faith, molding your character for what he already has planned and purposed for you. You haven't been abandoned, you've been equipped. Just like a seed must be buried before it blooms and comes to harvest, god is doing a hidden work in you before he does a public work through you, from one leader to another. Hold on. What feels like a delay is divine preparation for something greater than you can imagine. Let me say that again, what feels like a delay is divine preparation for something greater than you can imagine.
Speaker 1:I want to look at some biblical case studies of waiting, and I want to start with the story of Hannah. In 1 Samuel, chapter 1, we meet a woman who was desperate for a child. She lived under the pain of infertility for years. She was mocked constantly because of something that was completely out of her control. Year after year she went to the temple and she wept. She poured out her soul to God and year after year, nothing changed. But one day she went to the temple again. Her prayers were so raw that Eli, the priest thought she was drunk, but she wasn't. She was just that desperate. And finally God moved Samuel was born. Here's the lesson Don't stop showing up in the waiting. Hannah's cry in private became the catalyst for one of Israel's greatest prophets.
Speaker 1:Silent seasons, birth, sacred assignments. Your request may not always be granted in the way you want. Your dream may not always come to fruition exactly how you saw it playing out, but God always has a sacred assignment for you. And then there's the story of David, anointed to be king as a teenager, but instead of stepping into royalty, he stepped into waiting. For years he ran from Saul, lived in caves and was hunted like a criminal, all while carrying a promise from God. He was chosen but not yet crowned. He had the oil but not the opportunity. He had the call but not yet the confirmation. But David never forced the process. Even when he had the chance to kill Saul and take the throne, he refused. He waited for God to open the door, not for his own ambition to kick in.
Speaker 1:That's the test, and it's the same one many of us are facing right now. You've been promised something, you feel the call, you've seen the vision, but in the waiting you are tempted to settle, tempted to move, tempted to doubt. But listen to me, don't settle for what is easy when God is preparing you for what is extraordinary. The delay is not denial, it's divine preparation. You are not forgotten. You're being formed, and when it's God's time, no one will be able to stop what he's already ordained for you. So wait well, worship in the waiting, build in the background, stay faithful in the in-between. Even Jesus didn't rush. He waited 30 years for three years of ministry. He didn't rush to heal Lazarus. He often withdrew to pray, not to perform. Why? Because he knew timing was sacred. My time has not yet come, jesus said in John 2, verse 4. The enemy wants you to believe Waiting is wasted, but God uses the wait to strengthen your character, clarify your calling and deepen your trust.
Speaker 1:I want to make a jump from biblical case studies to science. Neuroscience shows that delayed gratification activates the prefrontal cortex, that delayed gratification activates the prefrontal cortex, the same region of the brain responsible for self-control, decision-making and emotional regulation. In other words, waiting well literally strengthens the mind and changes your brain. Have you ever heard of the marshmallow test? Have you ever heard of the marshmallow test?
Speaker 1:Back in the 60s and 70s, researchers at Stanford ran an experiment with little kids. They sat each child at a table, placed a marshmallow in front of them and told them this you can eat the marshmallow right now, or wait 15 minutes and you'll get two marshmallows. That's it. Just wait and you'll get two marshmallows. That's it. Just wait and you'll get more. Some kids couldn't wait. They ate the marshmallow almost immediately, but others they held out, they turned away, they covered their eyes, they hummed songs, they endured the discomfort of waiting because they believed that something better was coming. Years later, they followed up with those same kids and you know what they found? The kids who were able to wait had higher SAT scores, better emotional regulation, stronger relationships and greater success in life. Why? Because they didn't just have willpower, they had vision, an essential element for every leader. They knew what's coming is greater than what's right in front of them.
Speaker 1:Don't sacrifice what you want most for what you can have now simply because you're tired of waiting. Let me say that again Don't sacrifice what you want most for what you can have now simply because you're tired of waiting. I want to get real, practical and give you five things that you can do when you are in your waiting season, as a reminder to what I shared earlier. Waiting is not passive, waiting is active.
Speaker 1:Number one stay rooted in God's word. Find a promise and stand on it. Memorize it, declare it like the one found in Isaiah 40, verse 31. Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. The word anchors your identity. When the weight shakes your confidence, waiting seasons are prime time for insecurity, doubt and lies to creep in. Maybe I'm not enough. Maybe God forgot me, maybe I missed it. Maybe I'm too old. Maybe I'm not meant to be a leader. Maybe I'm not called to lead this company or organization. Maybe I don't have what it takes and I should just quit now, but when you're rooted in the word, you remember who you are and whose you are. Scripture reminds you that you are chosen, seen, called and deeply loved, even when nothing seems to be moving.
Speaker 1:Number two worship even when it doesn't make sense. Worship is not a response to results. It's a declaration of trust. When you trust God, you praise him in the preparation, not simply when you receive the product. Praising God in the waiting isn't just a suggestion, it's a strategy. It's one of the most powerful things you can do when the breakthrough hasn't arrived yet, when the door is still closed and when the answer feels delayed. When you think about praising God, think about stretching out your hands and, in one hand, give him all the blessings and the breakthroughs and, in the other hand, give him all the heartbreak, give him all the disappointment, Give him all the struggle and give him all the waiting.
Speaker 1:Number three prepare like it's coming tomorrow. Don't sit on your hands. Build, train, write, develop Faith. Doesn't wait idly. It moves. If you're praying for it but you're not preparing for it, you're not really expecting it. Preparation is the evidence of expectation. It's the act of saying God. I believe you're going to move, so I'm getting ready. Now you might be praying for a promotion, more influence or an opportunity, but the question is can you handle it? If God gave it to you today, would it crush you or elevate you? God often holds back the blessing not to punish you but to protect you until you're spiritually, mentally and emotionally ready. Preparation grows capacity. Let me say that again Preparation grows capacity.
Speaker 1:Number four limit the noise. Unfollow voices that stir up comparison. Protect your heart from distractions. Noise can distract you from God's voice, delay your obedience or distort your perspective. Waiting seasons are some of the most spiritually sensitive moments in your life and if you're not careful, the wrong voices will drown out the right one. God rarely shouts over the chaos. He often speaks in a whisper, like he did to Elijah, not through the fire, the wind or the earthquake, elijah, not through the fire, the wind or the earthquake, but through a still small voice. You can't hear direction if you're surrounded by distraction. Let me say that again you can't hear direction if you're surrounded by distraction. And finally, number five by distraction. And finally number five speak life.
Speaker 1:Even when you feel death, your words shape your perspective. Keep saying what God says, not what fear says. This is not just a positive habit, it's a spiritual weapon and a prophetic act of faith. When everything around you looks dead, your words become seeds that shape your future, guard your heart and align you with God's truth over your circumstances. When you're in the waiting, your mouth leads your mind. If you keep speaking defeat, delay and discouragement, your thoughts are going to follow. When you speak life, faith, truth, you shift the atmosphere internally and externally.
Speaker 1:We've said this on the podcast before, but I go back to what is spoken in Proverbs 18, 21. The tongue has the power of life and death. Even in the dark, your words can carry light. I don't know what you're waiting for right now A spouse, a home, a healing, a job, a breakthrough, a new opportunity, a baby, clarity or peace. But I do know this God sees you, god hasn't forgotten you and God is working behind the scenes. He who begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion. You're not stuck. You're being shaped. You're not behind. You're being built. You're not ignored. You're being prepared.
Speaker 1:So don't give up in the silence. Don't abandon the promise because of the process. God is faithful to finish what he started in you. Keep walking, keep worshiping and keep trusting. Don't let this just be another encouraging message. Let it be a turning point for you. If you're in a waiting season, refuse to waste it, get back up, show up faithfully and trust God.
Speaker 1:Boldly Speak life over what looks dead and delayed, declare victory over what feels stuck and keep preparing like the answer is on the way, because it is. God hasn't forgotten you. Heaven hasn't gone silent. You are not abandoned. You are being aligned. You are not abandoned, you are being aligned. The breakthrough you're praying for might be one act of faith away. So move like it's coming, lead like it's coming, live like it's coming, because God is not just the God of your outcome, he's the God of your process and he's the God of your waiting. This is your moment to rise up, even if the door hasn't opened yet, because the same God who spoke the promise is still working the plan. So stand firm, stand ready and don't you dare give up. Now the wait has purpose and your story is far from over.
Speaker 1:I'm believing that you didn't listen to that message by accident, that it was meant for you. I hope this episode impacted and inspired you. Send me a DM and let me know. I read every message that comes in. Make sure you screenshot this episode, share it with someone and post it to your social media accounts. Don't forget to tag me so I can give you a repost. I know there is someone you know who needs to hear this episode. Thank you for sharing, subscribing and rating the podcast Seriously. That means the world to me. Look for new episodes to release every month. You won't want to miss those. Thank you for taking the time to invest in yourself. You are worth it. Remember, the best time to rise and lead is now. Thank you.