Biblical Truths About Waiting on God from My Conversation with Moriah Hagel
God Never Wastes a Waiting Season
Recently on the HER Podcast, I had the joy of sitting down with author and Bible teacher Moriah Hagel. As we talked about her faith journey, one theme surfaced again and again: God never wastes a season of waiting.
Although our stories are very different, God taught us both the same lesson. While we waited, He was working.
Moriah shared many valuable lessons from one of the most difficult times in her life that could be equally transformational for us. She told her story of waiting on God to give her a husband while everyone around her got married. But God worked while she waited. In her waiting, Moriah didn’t check out of living faithfully for God. Instead, she sought the Lord and asked Him to provide a project that would keep her mind from becoming consumed with her difficult season so she could continue serving Him faithfully instead of becoming sidetracked in her walk with God. As always, God was faithful and provided what she needed.
In my own life, I am now a grandmother of five which means I have lived through a lot of waiting seasons. Currently, I am waiting for God to do things that I have been asking for decades.
In other words, we are always waiting.
You might be waiting for a prodigal child to come to Jesus, for physical healing, financial stability, a husband, children, grandchildren, wisdom and direction over an important decision, a job or ministry opportunity, restoration of a broken relationship… But I would find it very hard to believe that anyone reading this could say, I am not waiting on a single thing. Everything in my life is perfect and as it should be and as I want it to be.
Need additional biblical encouragement?
This past blog post I wrote, 9 Encouraging Bible Verses When You are Waiting On The Lord will remind you of God's faithfulness and strengthen your heart while you wait.
God Never Wastes A Season
Living in our fallen world means life isn’t always easy, and we often don’t get what we want when we want it. As Moriah pointed out, in those seasons of waiting, we can feel overlooked or left behind. But she also pointed out the good news—God never wastes any season of our lives. A very common Bible passage comes to mind when thinking about these seasons—Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Life comes in seasons; good seasons, bad seasons, but most seasons have some of both. For the most part, the Bible shows us that all the way bad seasons are rare, and all the way good seasons are equally rare. The only person in Scripture who went through a season where every area of his life was awful was Job, and honestly Job’s story also portrays everything good before and after the awful season.
Remember that God never wastes a season. He didn’t waste Moriah’s season of painful waiting. He taught her, grew her, and used the work He did in her to touch others. This points to God’s purpose in every season. In my previous blog post, Dear Sister, Are You Waiting on God to Fulfill His Promise?, I explore how waiting is often part of God’s preparation, provision, and protection—not evidence that He has forgotten you. When I look back at my own painful seasons, I can now clearly see how God worked for a greater purpose. But at the time, I couldn’t see anything. All I could do was feel the pain.
Maybe that is where you are today…
One of the most painful waiting seasons of my life came on the heels of betrayal and deep hurt caused by someone I looked up to and trusted. That season landed me in a place where I felt forgotten and overlooked.
But God Had A Purpose
While Moriah waited, God taught her how to study the Bible in a way that she learned to hear from God and write books and materials that helped others. During that season, she and her sisters developed a women’s conference specifically designed to help women in their waiting. As I listened to Moriah describe her difficult season, I realized that even though our circumstances were different, God did the same kind of work in us both.
When I went through my painful season of waiting, I too stayed in the Bible to help me find the strength to make it through. It was in that time when God led me to write my very first Bible study, Quest For Wholeness: Healing the Broken. That started me on a very unexpected journey. Since that time, I have written and published four Bible studies, and I have several others that I have written and am still working on. Looking back, I can now see that God was laying the foundation for what would eventually become On Fire Ministries.
Think about Job’s story. His story is probably one of the most famous Bible stories that we look at and say, “Wow, if he could make it through that, surely I can make it through this.” Or maybe we simply look at how he lost everything, but God gave him double for his trouble.
And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Job 42:10
Job isn't the only biblical example of someone who waited on God's promises. Sarah's story reminds us that God's promises are no less certain simply because they take longer than we expected.
God Is Doing More Than You Can See
God accomplished far more through Job’s suffering than Job could have imagined. His life and losses point us to a story of incredible restoration that God meant to be a word of encouragement for us when we go through trials. But how powerful that thousands of years later his story impacts us today.
No matter your season, God’s word is true.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
Another important truth is that God working in your season of waiting isn’t dependent upon you. Moriah assured me that while she did her best to pursue God and remain faithful to Him, she didn’t do it perfectly. When I went through my own agonizing season of waiting, I can’t tell you how many times I fell apart emotionally— like, literally stomped my feet and had a tantrum with God. While the book of Job begins by describing him as a man of integrity, he still struggled with doubt and questioned God during his suffering.
God working in your situation is not about how faithful you are, how faith-filled you are, or how perfectly you walk through the season. God is working because He is faithful.
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:13
How many times in the Gospels did Jesus say that His disciples were not speaking or acting in faith, yet still He worked. He didn’t stop being faithful to them when they struggled with faith. He stayed true to Himself and was faithful anyway.
The Truth Is:
God worked while Moriah waited.
God worked while I waited.
God worked while Job waited.
God is working while you wait too.
If You Are In A Season Of Waiting, Disappointment, Or Uncertainty:
Waiting is never easy, and we don't always understand what God is doing while we're in the middle of it. But Scripture reminds us that our waiting is never wasted because our God is always at work. One day you may look back, as Moriah and I both have, and realize that even when you couldn't see His hand, He was faithfully writing your story.
While you are waiting, God is working.
If you are in your own waiting season, don’t miss this encouraging message in the latest HER Podcast with Moriah Hagel,
Listen to the podcast: God Does Not Waste Your Season: Trusting God with Your Story.
Frequently Asked Questions About Waiting on God
What does the Bible say about waiting on God?
The Bible shows that waiting is a normal part of the Christian life. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us that there is a season and purpose for everything. Waiting is not empty time. God can use it to deepen our faith, strengthen our dependence on Him, and prepare us for what He has ahead.
Does waiting mean God has forgotten me?
No. A delayed answer is not evidence that God has forgotten you. Even when you cannot see what He is doing, He remains faithful. Your waiting may be part of His preparation, provision, protection, or a purpose you do not yet understand.
Why does God allow seasons of waiting?
God often uses waiting to grow something in us before changing something around us. Moriah described waiting as a time when God helps us put down deeper spiritual roots. Those roots strengthen us to remain faithful when future trials, disappointments, or difficult seasons come.
What should I do while I am waiting on God?
Ask God what faithfulness looks like in your present season. He may lead you to serve others, become more involved in your church, study His Word more deeply, or simply be still in His presence. The important thing is not to put your relationship with God or your obedience on hold until your circumstances change.
Is it wrong to struggle with doubt or discouragement while waiting?
No. Struggling does not mean you have failed God. Job was described as a man of integrity, yet he still grieved, questioned, and wrestled during his suffering. You can bring your frustration, disappointment, and questions honestly to God while continuing to trust His character.
Will God still work if my faith is weak?
Yes. God’s work is not dependent on how perfectly you walk through your waiting season. Second Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” God works because He is faithful—not because we always respond perfectly.
How can I stop feeling left behind while others move forward?
Remember that God is not measuring your life against someone else’s timeline. Moriah expressed it this way:
“I’m not running behind. As long as I’m with God, I’m right on time and right where I’m supposed to be.”
Someone else receiving an answer does not mean God has overlooked you. If you are walking with Him, you are not behind.
Can a waiting season be wasted?
God does not waste a season, but we can become so consumed with what has not happened that we overlook what He wants to do now. Rather than putting your life on hold, ask:
“Lord, what do You want me to learn, and how can I serve You faithfully in this season?”
Your waiting may become the very place where God strengthens your faith, develops your testimony, and prepares you to encourage someone else.
