The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as He had promised. -Genesis 21:1-
This verse says a lot about God fulfilling a promise in the life of Abraham and Sarah. This is like the culmination of their very long season of waiting on God for Isaac.
As I reflect on this verse, I am reminded of few things about “God’s Promises and Waiting.”
God gives us the promise with a process.
God doesn’t work like a magician who after revealing to us His promises, He will say “Abrakadabra!” and the rabbit in the hat will appear. All of the promises revealed to us comes with a process.
During the process, we are like iron being sharpened, a clay being formed, a seed being sown in a rich soil.
During the process, this is where God wants us to activate our faith the most. Because it is during this time that we will be tested, bent, crushed, or persecuted. It is during this time that even ourselves may question God what is happening.
And during the process, this is where God is forming something in us. He is forming our mind, heart, body, and soul into His likeness. Remember, God is not after the Promise, He is more concerned on the Process where He prepares us into completion.
Trusting in God’s Timing
Sometimes, the hardest part of waiting on God is not knowing when it will end. It’s the endless “not yet” that can feel like a weight on our hearts. We cry out, wondering why we have to wait so long, why our prayers seem to echo back in silence.
But in these moments, God whispers to our hearts, “Trust Me. My timing is perfect.”
God’s timing is not like ours. It doesn’t bend to our plans or hurry for our convenience. There are days when I wonder why He seems to move so slowly, why He doesn’t answer when I want Him to.
But then I remember… His timing is always purposeful, even when it feels painfully slow.
Every second of waiting has a reason, every delay holds a lesson, and every “not yet” draws me closer to Him.
To trust in His timing is to surrender my need for control, to let go of the urge to force things to happen. It’s choosing to believe that He sees what I cannot see, that He knows what I do not know. And so, I wait—not with idle hands, but with a heart that is open to whatever He is teaching me in this season. Each day in His timing brings me closer to the promise He has prepared, even if I can’t see it yet.
Waiting in Stillness
When you check the definition of “stillness,” it is referred as “calm, quiet, and motionless state.” When there’s stillness, you can hear very few sounds and see very little movement.
I believe that this is what God wants us to do as we wait for His promises. We are to be “still,” But this doesn’t mean we will be lifeless. Motionless in stillness means we do nothing, we act nothing when it comes to God’s promises. We don’t do something to hasten it. We allow God to act in the forefront, while we stay in the background doing the things He wants us to do.
After all, life is not all about waiting on God’s promises. Life is not about us. Life is all about Him. If we take into heart that life is about Him, we will live a life of obedience and faith.
Preparing Our Hearts for the Promise
In the waiting, God is not only working around us; He is working within us. Waiting on God prepares us to receive His promises with a heart that’s ready. Sometimes we think we are ready to receive His blessings, but God knows what we need to grow and mature first. Just as He prepared Sarah’s heart over many years, He prepares us for what He has planned.
During this season of preparation, God refines our faith. He teaches us patience, perseverance, and humility. He draws us closer to Him, reminding us that the promise is not the ultimate goal—our relationship with Him is. We learn to value the Giver more than the gift. We learn to desire God’s presence more than His presents.
When we allow God to shape us in the waiting, we become vessels ready to carry the weight of His blessings. We develop the strength to hold onto His promises and the humility to use His blessings for His glory, not our own. The promise becomes not just a reward, but a testimony of His faithfulness and a reminder of His love.
That is why we must endure, we must fight with the good fight of faith, be still, and wait.
And when the time comes, just like what the Lord did to Sarah, He will visit us and He will do as He promised.
