When God’s Timing Feels Too Long: How to Stay Faithful
“God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good.”
But what about the times when we don’t see God? When He’s promised something and we haven’t seen it come to pass? When due dates are approaching, the pressure is rising, and heaven feels silent?
In your walk with Christ, I’m sure at least once—maybe even right now—you’ve questioned where God is in the midst of the waiting. Maybe you've put a timeline on when you expected Him to show up, and when He didn’t, the doubt started to creep in. You wonder if He ever intended to come through at all. You wonder if He even hears you.
But even with all of this, God is still good all the time. And all the time, God is still good.
To understand God’s timing, we have to understand who He is. While we’ll never fully grasp the depth of His ways, that’s exactly where faith steps in. We’ve heard the stories, we’ve experienced His presence, we’ve seen what He’s done for others and maybe even for ourselves. But do we believe He can do it again? Do we trust that He’ll do it for us?
The story of Lazarus in John 11 gives us a powerful example. Lazarus was sick, and his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent word to Jesus saying, “Lord, the one you love is sick” (John 11:3). Jesus responded that the sickness would not end in death. But not long after, Lazarus died. How could that be? Jesus said it wouldn’t end in death. The situation looked completely opposite of what He had spoken. And that’s where many of us find ourselves—clinging to a promise while everything around us feels like it’s falling apart. We’ve trusted what God told us, we’ve tried to stay faithful, but life starts to contradict the word we received. That disconnect can feel like betrayal. It can leave us questioning our faith, feeling unseen, forgotten, or even foolish for believing.
Even Mary and Martha felt that way. They said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, 32). But Jesus looked at them and said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Then He stood at the tomb and called Lazarus out—and Lazarus came back to life (John 11:43–44).
But before the miracle, Jesus wept (John 11:35). That one short verse holds so much power. Even though He knew He would raise Lazarus, Jesus still wept. He didn’t brush past the pain. He didn’t tell them to stop crying. He entered into their grief and let Himself feel it too. That moment reminds us that God is not detached from our waiting. He sits with us in it. He feels our sorrow, and He weeps with us. Even when He knows the blessing is coming, He doesn’t dismiss the weight of what we’re carrying. So if you’re in a season where it hurts to wait, where the pain feels heavier than the promise, know that Jesus is right there—feeling it with you, holding space for your tears, and preparing to bring resurrection in His perfect time.
Still, what happens when you’ve done everything right? When you’ve obeyed, prayed, fasted, sacrificed, stayed the course, and you still don’t see any sign of what He said? It’s in those moments we have to remind ourselves that God is not bound by our timelines. He’s not limited by what we see or feel. He exists outside of time, and His promises are never late. They’re always right on time—even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The story of Lazarus reminds us that what looks dead to us is not dead to God. And Hebrews 11 reminds us of the legacy of faith that others held onto in uncertain seasons. By faith, Noah built the ark when warned about things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:7). By faith, Abraham obeyed and left everything familiar to follow God’s call, even though he didn’t know where he was going (Hebrews 11:8). By faith, Sarah received power to conceive a child even when it seemed impossible, because she considered the One who made the promise faithful (Hebrews 11:11). None of these people had a full view of what God was doing, but they believed Him anyway. And He came through for them.
So how do you stay faithful when God’s timing feels too long? You remember who He is. You remind yourself that God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19). That His word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). That He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). That He has kept every promise from the beginning of time—and He doesn’t plan on failing you now.
If He said it, it will happen. Maybe not the way you expected, maybe not when you expected, but in the way that brings Him the most glory and brings you into the fullness of what He promised. And maybe, just maybe, when God seems silent, He’s calling you to rest. To wait confidently. To trust that when He moves, He’ll move in a way that leaves no doubt it was Him. The blessing that comes after the waiting is often greater than anything you could have imagined. And in the process, your faith is being refined. Your character is being shaped. The waiting isn’t wasted. You’re being prepared for the blessing, and the blessing is being prepared for you.
If you’re in a season where it feels like God didn’t show up, pause and remember all the times He did. Think back on the answered prayers, the open doors, the unexpected provision, the peace that made no sense. That same God is still working. He is the God of repeat performances. It may not always look like what you thought, but that’s the beauty of His sovereignty. Even in the uncertainty, He remains the same.
Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Keep seeking Him. Keep showing up. Keep believing. Because Jesus is on His way. It may not turn around when you want it to—but it will turn around exactly when you need it to.
