I will be honest here and tell you that I am struggling a bit. I have been praying whole-heartedly about a life-altering decision and I have heard nothing from God. Zilch. Total silence. This has left me wondering how to know God’s will when you are in a period of waiting?

This is one of those situations that affect the entire family and I’m currently feeling as if I’m in limbo, unable to move forward, afraid to stay where I’m at, completely discontent to wait.

Have you ever been there?

How do You Know God’s Will for Your Life?

We seek God’s will for our lives for various purposes such as:

• Seeking a long-term purpose in life
• Seeking an opportunity
• Asking for guidance in a decision
• To find truth

Sometimes our answers come quickly and without a doubt while other times God is quiet, silent, always present yet somehow unreachable.

This is where faith comes in. Faith isn’t faith until it is tried and in these limbo, uncertain seasons of life, doubt creeps in with strength.

How do we combat the doubt? We continue to pray while we wait.

Is Waiting Part of God’s Will for Your Life?

What is the purpose of the silence? Is waiting part of God’s will? If I am not actively working toward a goal, could I still be in God’s will?

Absolutely and we are in good company.

God allows us to wait for many reasons. Sometimes He has work to do in our hearts before we can proceed with His will.

God often teaches us patience, perseverence, and hope during periods of waiting.

Many times, we need to wait until He works other circumstances so that everything comes together with order and structure.

Who Waited on God in the Bible?

How to know God’s will when He is silent? Let’s look at some other examples of faithful men and women who also experienced a period of waiting.

The first person who comes to mind when I think about waiting on God is Abraham. He waited 25 years for Isaac. 25! Because Abraham’s life is summed up in 8 or 9 chapters of the Bible, we don’t understand the enormity of that period of waiting. Check out “Waiting on the Lord: Lessons from Sarah”.

Where were you 25 years ago? How has your life changed over this period of time? 25 years is a LONG time!

Joseph received prophetic dreams from God as a young man, but first endured years of slavery and prison before they came to pass.

Habukkuk questions God and resolves to sit and wait for the answer.

I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected. (Habukkuk 2:1)

Daniel prayed and fasted for three weeks seeking an answer from God.

Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.  (Daniel 10:10-13)

I like how the angel tells Daniel that his prayers were heard from the first day. Rest assured, friend, your prayers are being heard.

Even Israel waited for thousands of years before the promised Messiah. They suffered through the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans while waiting for a deliverer. Years of suppression, servitude, and lack of freedom.

Bible Verses about Waiting on God

How do we know God’s will is this period of waiting? These Bible verses about waiting on God can help.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentation 3:25-26)

We learn hope, faith, and perseverence while waiting on God. Your salvation is coming or perhaps your direction. Whatever you are seeking the Lord on, He hears, and He is working for your good.

Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him. (Isaiah 30:18)

“The Lord will wait that He may be gracious to you.” It may not feel like it, but this waiting is part of His plan. It is good for you.

but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

This verse has comforted my spirit many times over the past few weeks. The idea of rejoicing during troublesome times in life is not my first reaction and yet we are encouraged to do so. Why? Because we gain perseverence, character, and hope but even more than that we are drawn more closely to the love of Christ.

When we are relying on that love and continually drawing from it in order to push through our period of waiting, we can’t help by rejoice.

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; (Philippians 1:6)

Few “good works” happen quickly.

If you’ve ever built a business, learned a new skill, or raised children 😉 you know that it is a process and we are no different. God is completing that good work in us and sometimes that means waiting on Him.

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

God has used eagles multiple times to teach me lessons. We are fortunate to live near a large open field where they often hunt. Check out “What Does it Mean to Mount Up with Wings Like Eagles?”

How to Know God’s Will for My Life?

I think what I am most afraid of is missing God’s will. So how do I know what God’s will for my life is? How do I know where God is leading me? And what I’m currently struggling with is how do I know this period of waiting is God’s will?

I think there is one sure way to know God’s will. We listen.

• We listen to scripture
• We listen to mature Christians
• We listen for God’s voice in our hearts

So, dear friend, whether you are in a period of waiting with me and your prayers appear to be going unanswered or you are seeking to find God’s will for your life, rest assured that He is working. He hears you and this is all part of His plan.

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)

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