Lately, I’ve been really struggling to stay present. Patience feels hard, and finding joy in waiting is even harder. I often think to myself, “I’ll be happier once I get there,” or “I’m so ready for this season to be over.” I’ve been living in the future instead of embracing the present, and let me tell you, it’s an exhausting way to live.
But God is gently reminding me: This is NOT wasted time. He’s not asking me to rush through life, but to walk with him DAILY, even in the waiting.
I’ve been studying the story of Joseph, and it has really been speaking to my heart. In Genesis 37:24, we read about Joseph and his brothers: “And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.” That pit represents so much more than a physical hole, it represents those moments when life doesn’t fully make sense, and when we feel forgotten or stuck.
Joseph did everything right, yet still ended up in prison. “And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison” (Genesis 39:20-21). Even when it looked like nothing was happening, God’s hand never left him. Years later, Joseph stood before Pharaoh and was appointed second in command. “And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt’”(Genesis 41:41).
Waiting is not a sign that God has forgotten you. It’s where He builds you. And Joseph’s story isn’t the only one. In Genesis 29, Jacob worked seven years to marry Rachel, and “they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her”(Genesis 29:20). Then he was deceived and had to work seven more. Fourteen years of waiting for what his heart longed for, and he never gave up or lost the joy and purpose in what he was doing.
That kind of devotion, that kind of hope, that is what God calls us to. Trust that the wait isn’t meaningless. Trust that He is shaping something in you that cannot be rushed. You may feel like you’re the one in the pit, or the prison, or like Jacob where you’re just endlessly working and waiting. But God is with you in every part of the process, and when His timing comes, it will be perfect.
Don’t despise the season you’re in. What feels like a delay might be the very preparation for your purpose. He is faithful in the pit, present in the waiting, and He will be glorified in the outcome of it all.
Guest Contributor: Abbie Gilbert
