I love progress and moving forward. When things get slow and become stuck, I can begin to ask all sorts of questions and believe all sorts of things. Have you ever been there before? When long delays hit us, we often ask, “Why is this taking so long?” “Will the dream ever come to pass?” “Will God ever answer my prayers?”

I’ve lived long enough to learn God doesn’t see time like we do. The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake…. You see, it may feel like God is being slow, but it’s really for our own sake.

Friend, God often makes us wait because He is teaching us, instructing us, shaping us, healing us, and positioning us. God wants to ensure we can properly appreciate and steward His promises when they are fulfilled.

In Luke 2, we read the story of a man named Simeon who waited a long time for a promise to be fulfilled. Luke 2:26 says, And it had been revealed to him (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Every day, Simeon went to the temple, looking for the Messiah. He showed up—not with pessimism or bitterness toward God for such a long delay—but with anticipation that today may be the day. He didn’t lose a sense of expectancy related to God’s timing and he embraced God’s timing.

Luke 2:28–29 says, Simeon took him (Jesus) in his arms and praised God, saying: ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.’ When God fulfilled His promise, Simeon’s response was worship and surrender. He understood that God’s timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t align with our own.

To discover how to trust God in the waiting, dive into this message with me…