Transcript
Speaker: We were designed to hunger for the deep things of God, to thrive on faith and wonder, to seek out divine wisdom that defies human logic. We were designed to unlock the mysteries of God.
Speaker: This is Breathing Underwater.
Speaker: Hey friends and family, underwater breathers, welcome back to the podcast. We haven't been here for a month or so. It's been a little bit wild, but I have been stirring and churning and teaching and interpreting and just having a lot happening spiritually and in revelation. And I'm really looking forward to sharing some more things with you.
Speaker: Today's episode, we're going to be talking about waiting, worship, and delay. It feels like it's a hot topic around these here parts where I live. It's been something that the Holy Spirit has been speaking about to me personally, but then also just around my environment and the circles that I've been in. It feels like it's ah a topic of importance to the Lord. And I have the pleasure and privilege of teaching in a ministry school setting. And I was teaching it a class the other day specifically on waiting. And what I...
Speaker: think that I took away from this specific class and the students that were in this class, the questions they were asking really was how relevant this topic is and how it's not talked about a whole lot, at least in Western Christianity. And so i think I'm just going to bring some of those nuggets, some of that truth to the podcast today with the intent that it would encourage you, that it would realign you, that it would help give you discernment, that it would maybe even move you into a different posture ah in your life where you are right now.
Speaker: Waiting, of course, is not a popular topic. No one loves waiting. This is something that everybody does in some way, shape or form, but nobody loves it, right? You're not doing an icebreaker at a Bible study and asking like what your favorite pastime is and people are like, I love waiting. It's so amazing to feel like I'm in tension. No, not a lot of people love that. However, it is a part of walking with Jesus. I would even dare say it's a spiritual discipline and it's something that we just don't talk about a whole lot. So today we're going to address that, but we're also going to contrast that with delay. And when does waiting become delay? How do we know? What do we do?
Speaker: So let's jump in.
Speaker: Okay, let's start with just a good old Webster's Dictionary definition of waiting. And I chose this because I actually think that it feels accurate to the invitation that we get from God when he invites us into something that we're waiting for.
Speaker: The definition is to remain in place in readiness or expectation of something. Or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens. i'm going to read that again. To remain in place in readiness or expectation of something.
Speaker: Or delaying action until a particular time or until something happens. Now I could take that or out and say, and, because I do think it's both. The invitation is to remain in place in a posture of readiness and expectation of what he said, while also delaying our own actions to make that happen when he has promised that he is the one to make that happen.
Speaker: We talk sometimes about active waiting and we are always wanting to make sure people know waiting doesn't mean that you're just laying on the couch. Okay. Well, I think most of us probably know that. if anything, going I would venture to say that the tendency of the church is probably to try and do it in our own strength more than lying on the couch just waiting for God to bring it about. I could be wrong about that. Maybe that's just the people that I know. Maybe you know people differently.
Speaker: But I think the most important thing we can remind ourselves in this moment is that this promise that God has given us is not up to us.
Speaker: There might be moments where we're partnering with something where God shows us our part in the process. But I think that our greatest part is to actually just remain, stay ready and expectant, and to stay engaged with God and resist the desire to go and make something happen ourselves.
Speaker: So to remain in place, what does that mean? I love this language because it immediately reminds me of John 15. Remain in me and I will remain in you. Or another translation is abide in me and I will abide in you. This is when Jesus is talking about I am the vine and you are the branches. You can do nothing without me. Abide in me and I will abide in you. Remain in me and I will remain in you.
Speaker: In our times of waiting, which inevitably come, if we're walking with Jesus, you are going to experience waiting. It is just a part of the Christian walk.
Speaker: When those times of waiting come... We are meant to remain in Him, to stay connected to Him, to stay plugged into Him, to stay present to Him. Remain in the promise that He gave you. Don't walk away. Don't disengage. Don't move on to something else as if that isn't happening. But actually remain attentive. Remain ready. Remain in expectation.
Speaker: Stay engaged with God over what he has said to you. One of my favorite illustrations of this was when God really started to use the the story of Jacob wrestling the angel from Genesis. He used that imagery with me because there was a point in time where I thought, I am really done waiting. I feel like things keep going the opposite direction. Maybe you don't actually want to give this to me. Maybe you're not really going to do this. And I misunderstood. And I had this temptation to walk away from the situation. And God actively said, no.
Speaker: I want you to stay in this. i want you to wrestle me. And I thought, what does that mean? i don't want to wrestle you. I'm not trying to twist your arm to get you to do the thing that you told me first that you wanted to do. he said, no, no, no.
Speaker: Wrestle me, meaning stay engaged. Stay ready. Keep bringing this promise before me. If you're not seeing it, keep praying. Don't let me forget it. Like, stay with me. Stay engaged in this process. Ask me what I'm doing. Ask me why things aren't happening. Ask me what your posture is meant to be in this season. The whole thing was remain in place. Don't leave.
Speaker: Don't disengage. Stay. Remain in place until this comes to pass. The other part of this definition is delaying action until a particular time.
Speaker: Now, there may be times where God is saying, I want you to do this. I want you to do this in this time of waiting. There might be some actions for us to take. yeah But I have found more often than not, those actions have to do with prayer. They have to do with intercession. Or maybe they have to do with things that are more forming of our own inner world than they are actually making that thing come to pass.
Speaker: It's so interesting that we i feel that we're so often when we're waiting, we're waiting for the external thing to happen. But I think so much of it is the internal forming that needs to happen first.
Speaker: This is one of those perspective changes. This is a ah way we can reframe waiting where in the Western world, especially in the last hundred years, since we've had the Industrial Revolution and there's just been more and more industry and then capitalism and and businesses going crazy producing things that are all marketed to us to tell us that we don't actually need to wait on God. We just need this new product, right? Now we have, you know, devices in our hand where we can access something instantaneously, like feels like at the speed of light. We're not even ah able to keep our attention more than 30 seconds looking at a social media reel. Like things have really changed. We're used to microwaves. We're used to drive-thrus. We're used to getting information literally from a computer in the palm of our hand.
Speaker: But even if we look back to the beginning of the last century, so many people were still working in agriculture. There was still so much of that mindset, that agrarian mindset where things just take time.
Speaker: You till the ground, you plant the seed, you water it, you wait for the seasons to pass for that sprout to come through the ground and then wait for it to actually fully grow. And then a harvest comes. And that is seasons a year at least, if not more away.
Speaker: Fruit trees in particular, those can take five years plus. And especially if you're going after an orchard, like you're going to have to wait for your crop to be ready. Now, I know that isn't as relevant of a picture to us today, unless you're a gardener, but that is God's way. That is God's rhythm.
Speaker: That is God's pace. Is he plants things, waters them, lets the seasons come, watches over them, lets it grow, lets it sprout, and then mature to the point where it's ready. This is the same thing he's doing in our inner world as he's preparing us for that promise that he wants to release to us.
Speaker: That promise could be a healing. That promise could be a relationship. That promise could be a restored relationship. That promise could be a job. That promise could be stepping into your calling. It could be so many things, but the promises that require waiting is because God is building something in us that is preparing us and getting us ready for what he has for us.
Speaker: I love this quote. I was blessed to be at this um conference where Darlene Cech was speaking, and I loved this quote. She was talking about the and suddenly moments and all the preparation and waiting on God. And she says, we don't wait because God is slow.
Speaker: We wait because the power of God requires preparation. We don't wait because God is slow. We wait because the power of God requires preparation, meaning the promise that he wants to release to you, that healing, that calling, that relationship, there is going to be such a a power in it. There's going to be such a a release of of weight in this promise because he wants to do something far bigger than you have asked for always.
Speaker: But he needs to prepare you. He needs to prepare me. He needs to prepare me to be able to receive what he is wanting to fulfill.
Speaker: We see it in scripture all the time. There is waiting upon, waiting upon, waiting. I mean, that is more the rule than the exception, especially in the stories of our greatest heroes, the people that we, that know their stories the most. We quote them the most. Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joshua, Hannah, Moses.
Speaker: Daniel, Simeon, Jesus, you know, all of these heroes of ours had to go through waiting and sometimes extended periods of waiting. And it isn't because God is unkind. Is it because any of them did anything wrong? But it must be showing us that there is some value to this.
Speaker: When all of these massive stories and influential people and characters are the ones that experienced the waiting. Abraham and Sarah had to wait 25 years from the promise to have Isaac. And they were already 75. Abraham was already 75 when he got that promise. He was a hundred years old when Isaac was born. Okay. So 25 years is a long time to wait, but especially when you've already waited a lifetime, right?
Speaker: Hannah, we don't know exactly how many years it was that she waited, but it was year after year. And some extra biblical sources think it was around 17 years. That's a long time. David was running from Saul for 10 years after he was anointed. And then there was still another seven and a half to 10 years before the fulfillment came, before he was anointed king over Judah and then king over all of Israel.
Speaker: It was upwards of 20 something years. That's a long time. That is a long time from being given the promise that you're going to be king to actually stepping into that.
Speaker: But what we see is that in these waiting periods with Abraham and Sarah, with Hannah, with Joseph, gosh, him being in prison and and the injustices, and then David even, this is all a time of preparation for the greatness of what God wants to birth.
Speaker: Isaac was a massive promise. who he He ended up having Jacob, who... ended up birthing, not himself, but through his wives, the tribes of Israel, right? Like this is a big deal. Hannah ended up having Samuel, who was the first prophet to actually anoint the kings. David was, well, David, he's in the line of Jesus. He was the first king that was after God's own heart. He was the second king, but the only king, maybe one of the only kings that God has ever said was after his own heart. He wrote all the Psalms. Look at how much he's even influencing us today.
Speaker: But man, would those Psalms be influencing us in the same way if he didn't go through those years of waiting, through those years of suffering, through those years of being prepared, right?
Speaker: One of the reasons that waiting is so hard is firstly what I just mentioned. We're not used to it in this society. This is something that is just outside culture, even though it's absolutely a part of God's culture.
Speaker: But also waiting is really challenging because in the waiting, we have to face all of our mindsets. Waiting is like a ferment furnace. It's like this furnace that is so hot that all of the impurities are drawn to the surface. Like when you're purifying a precious metal, it's put into a very, very, very hot fire so that all of the impurities in the dross is what they call it, rises to the surface. It can then be scooped off and taken away. And the purity of that metal is is more pure. This is what God does with us in times, fire seasons, but I believe water.
Speaker: Waiting is a fire season because then we actually have to face what we believe about ourselves, about God. Oh gosh, why is it taking this long? Did I do something wrong? Maybe God doesn't love me that much. Maybe God lied. Maybe he doesn't really want to say this. Maybe he's want to do this. Maybe he's dangling a carrot in front of me to tease me. You know, these things that come up that are like, what? I didn't even know that was in me.
Speaker: Or the comparison game. It didn't take this long for that person. It's taking this long for me. Do I need to be doing more? Is this actually up to me? Did God forget about me? What does this mean about who I am? Maybe I'm not that important. Maybe God doesn't see me. I mean, all of this is why it's hard is because there's discomfort.
Speaker: And we're having to actually face those painful negative beliefs that we have, but that's the purpose. Those are the impurities. That's what is being brought to the surface so God can say, oh, that's not true. Let me actually give you the truth. Let me form you in this time.
Speaker: Let me form you into the image of my son. Let me remove these false things about your identity or your calling that you thought were true. And let me show you what is true. We are formed in the waiting.
Speaker: We are formed. We are prepared in the waiting. It is not a waste of time. The time is a gift.
Speaker: Usually the things that are the hardest to wait for are the things that we have the greatest desire for. And I absolutely understand this. And desire is a challenging thing because it's, it carries an emotional experience that's like an ache.
Speaker: It's like a pain. it It actually is something that your your body and your heart are saying, this, get me out of this. i don't want to feel this anymore. This is not something I want to feel for a prolonged period of time. And so we're always trying to get out of that feeling. We want that desire to be satisfied, which God also wants that desire to be satisfied.
Speaker: But oftentimes our desire are our deepest desires are often connected also connected to our deepest wounds. So that pain comes up. What if I don't get this? What if God doesn't come through? And again, we have all of those aches and impurities and we start to fear, but God wants those things to come to the surface so that he can actually deliver us and heal us from those things.
Speaker: Waiting, my friends, is not only a part of God's culture and a part of what it means to follow Jesus, but we can also view waiting as worship.
Speaker: I mean, this is a way that we're not just obeying and we're not just yielding and surrendering. We're actually worshiping God with our waiting. When we decide that, To not just go and take something into our own hands. When we decide to wait for his best rather than just satisfy an immediate fleshly need or desire.
Speaker: When we decide to trust him over what people are saying or the counsel that we're getting. When we decide to wait for him and believe that he will act, that he's that good of a father, that is absolute worship to him.
Speaker: Because to wait, you have to trust.
Speaker: Because to wait, we have to trust. And trust is faith. And we know that faith pleases God. And what we want more than anything is to be able to trust him. And we can. He is utterly trustworthy and so efficient, I would say with time, that he uses every moment of our waiting time to produce something in us, to form us, to produce fruit.
Speaker: And then at the appointed time, gosh, the amount of scriptures that we can read at the appointed time, when the time was right, and only God really knows when that is, then that promise will surely come to pass.
Speaker: It's crazy to me to think that Christ was crucified before the foundations of the world. Before there were even foundations to the world, which can you even wrap your mind around that?
Speaker: He was crucified. And yet how many years, I mean, i don't think we can even measure time the same way God measures time. How long did God have to wait? Did Jesus have to wait for the appointed time for him to come in the flesh? There was an appointed time where what had already been accomplished actually burst into the natural realm, right? And it's the same with our promises. Luckily, most of our promises do not take quite that long. Thank you, Jesus. Although it feels like it in the midst of it, right?
Speaker: It's also just a side note, kind of baffling to me that Jesus is waiting right now. He is currently waiting. I remember speaking to him at one point and being like, God, your word says that you experienced everything.
Speaker: that we experienced and that you feel everything that we feel and that you're a high priest who knows our sufferings and knows what we've been through. But I don't like, are you waiting? Do you know what it's like to wait to be married? Because this is one of the biggest things that I've waited for. And he's like yeah, actually I'm waiting right now.
Speaker: was like, oh my goodness. That's so true. Jesus is waiting for his bride to be purified, for the time to be right, to actually marry us, his church, his bride. He's waiting right now.
Speaker: And scripture says that no one knows the day or the hour, only the Father, not even Jesus. Jesus doesn't even know the day or the hour. Isn't that a trip? Only the Father knows when that day is going to come, where we're going to be united, and we will have the the great wedding.
Speaker: We will have the grandest wedding and romance with Jesus. But he doesn't know when. He's currently still waiting and just trusting the Father for that. Let's talk about waiting. I mean, he's been waiting waiting for like millennium. I mean, that's probably not even the right measurement.
Speaker: Forever. Right? But he's so patient because he trusts the Father and he knows that things need to be right. And in the midst of it, he is forming us and preparing us for that moment.
Speaker: Okay, I'm going to pivot just a little bit and I'm going close with this, but I wanted to just touch on delay. What is it? How do we so discern when that's happening? What does it mean to transition from a waiting season into like a delayed waiting season? Is it different? Et cetera.
Speaker: This is something that I've experienced a lot of, and I've got some close friends who've been experiencing delay as well, and there are different kinds of delay. This is one of those things that's going to bust your brain just a little bit because there's this tension always of like God is sovereign, but he also lets people have a free will And he gives us a timeframe knowing clear well that there's going to be these delays. So which one is it? And honestly, just don't hurt yourself. This is just ah a place of mystery that someday I think we'll understand a little bit better. But what what I have learned, I want to share with you. um What I have experienced, I hope will be helpful to you in some way. Because there's different kinds of delay. So God sometimes will delay us. There's God delay where it is for our own good. There is a reason that he has delayed the fulfillment of that word. It's not a a no to the promise. It's actually just a not yet. And there are things going on that we can't see. And it's God initiated to delay or draw out a process. And it's always, always, always
Speaker: for our good. It's always like we quoted before, not because he's slow, but because there's preparation that's needed, or maybe there's a roadblock he's wanting to get us around, etc. Then there's delay that can honestly just come from human delay, meaning we're making decisions out of the flesh. We made a bad decision. Maybe it's just actually ah repercussion or a consequence to some decisions that we made. Things get delayed or we have to wait longer for things. There's so many examples I could give you there, but I think that's pretty straightforward. But then there's the delay that comes from the pit of hell. And this is the one that I feel we are really called to discern. And one of the only ways to really be able to discern when something is being delayed by our enemy is us staying close enough, remaining, right? Remaining in the promise, remaining close and connected to God enough over this promise that we know the timing, that he has revealed it to us. And then that doesn't come to pass.
Speaker: There's few things that are as frustrating, as painful, and as grievous as ah a delay. It is an injustice and there is such a loss with it. It's it's a really difficult thing to describe, but if you've experienced it, you know what I'm talking about. There's such an experience of grief and frustration and almost just perplexedness to it that is really painful. And it starts especially to create this hope deferred thing because it's it's not just still the unknown and waiting, but there's actually an injustice that has happened and a disappointment over something that was meant to happen that didn't. And that raises all the questions. How is that even possible when God is God? How is that possible when I've it been doing all the right things?
Speaker: And honestly, there aren't a lot of clear, amazing answers, except for this could be really just the assignment of the enemy and he is doing everything he can to try and keep this promise from being fulfilled. Because listen, he hates us and he really mostly hates God. He wants to be worshiped and he can get glory in his realm if he can slow down the fulfillment of a promise that's going to bring God a ton of glory. Not to mention, I think he really just knows he can't defeat us. And so trying to tire us out.
Speaker: trying to get us to give up on a promise, to walk away, to be like, I'm done with this. I can't do this anymore, which I've seen people do. And I honestly understand. But if we can hold the line, stay engaged with the Lord and push through to see his promise fulfilled, not only is it going to be
Speaker: Paid back with interest because scripture says that he gives us double for our shame. That's in Isaiah 61, that he repays. He's a God of justice. He hates injustice, but he's a God of justice and he will actually repay for every piece of loss and theft.
Speaker: So there will be repayment for us, but also God will be so glorified in the fulfillment of the promise. See, God is not just glorified in suffering. It's easy to talk about, oh, God is so glorified through my life in this. He's glorified through healing. He's glorified through fulfillment. He's glorified through being seen as who he truly is, is loving his children so much that he wants to give them these good gifts. And so he is also wanting these promises to come to pass, not just so that we're delighted, but because it expresses a part of who he is. It is his nature to give and to give freely. And he is glorified in that. And and it draws people to him because it shows his his character. So if you're experiencing a delay and you believe that it's a demonic delay, A, go to the Lord with this. Ask him what is going on. Why is this happening?
Speaker: And what is the strategy right now? Usually it's going to be a prayer strategy. Maybe there's some injustice happening already in the in your family line or something that's given some legal right to this thing. And he wants you to go to the courts of heaven in prayer and deal with something there. Maybe there's something you can do like an unforgiveness issue or something of that in your own heart that's not going to give the enemy any space, but it also just might not have anything to do with you. it might just be continue to contend, stand firm, continue to pray, prophesy what God has said, persevere.
Speaker: and persevere But in the midst of that, it's so important that we're recognizing what's happening. Because if we don't know that it's delay and we just think, oh, whatever, this is no big deal. God probably just forgot. He doesn't want to do it anymore. I'm over it. And we walk away.
Speaker: We've just missed this opportunity for God to release this this massive thing that he already told you he wanted to do. Or if we're not paying attention, we might not know to step in and contend and it might just continue to happen cyclically. Now, even as I'm saying this,
Speaker: What I really want to communicate is that God is bigger and that he has a strategy and your your promise will come to fulfillment. And even in delay, we've seen time and time again that it all works out as God's perfect timing.
Speaker: It always looks like, oh, God aligned it like this the whole time because he works everything together for our good. And he's always writing a better story. He's always redeeming and he loves to repay. And so everything will be restored that is lost. I want you to hold on to courage there. And I don't want us to focus too much on what the enemy is doing, but to be aware and be wise.
Speaker: To, hey, something's wrong here. And instead of just being disappointed and disengaged with God, I'm going to move in and be like, hey, you said this about this time. Did I misunderstand this? That's a possibility.
Speaker: Or was there something that was lost in translation? Or is this actually a delay on the side of the enemy? And how do we deal with this? So for any of you who are experiencing delay right now, I just want to encourage you, i am i am alongside of you.
Speaker: And god is not God does not take this with the grain. He is very concerned about our promises coming to pass. Now, he's not worried when I say concerned, but it is a concern of his heart. This is something that he watches over. He watches over his word to perform it, scripture says. So this is important to God that this is coming to pass.
Speaker: He is going to birth it. He is going to bring it to pass, but maybe step in and engage with him and say, what do we do in this delay time, God? How do you want me to pray? How do you want me to stand? Are there any prophetic acts you want me to do? Is there anything I need to deal with in my own heart or my life?
Speaker: But I really firmly believe that delay is actually being abolished right now, that God is moving against the assignments of the enemy to bring delay, especially over this last decade or so. i actually just listened to ah a teaching slash prophetic word from a pastor named Tim Sheets. He's in Ohio. I'm going to put the link in the show notes because he just released this this month of April in 2026, where God actually spoke to him through the book of Revelation about no more delay. And it is so rich and packed full of the power of the Holy Spirit and truth. And it just realigned me again. And I honestly think it's the word of God for this season right now. So if you are experiencing delay, I recommend you go and listen to this.
Speaker: So I hope today was helpful. I really just, my heart is to encourage those who are following God, who are believing Him, to just remind you, you haven't done anything wrong if you're waiting. It's actually very natural. It's a part of walking with Him. Don't look to the left or to the right or to what's happening with your friends or the people next door or the people you follow on Instagram.
Speaker: Just look to him. it is a part of walking with Jesus to have times of waiting. Know that he is doing something beautiful, that the time is a gift, that he's forming you and refining you in this time. He's drawing you closer to him.
Speaker: So instead of just trying to get out of it, which is so easy for us to want to lean in and say, what is available to me here? What is available to me in this time of waiting that is not available to me in other seasons? What facet of God can I lean into? What is he wanting to do in me?
Speaker: And then remembering to abide and stay present. And just when you get discouraged, re-engage with God. Don't walk away. Don't disconnect. Stay present.
Speaker: And remember that God views your waiting as trust. He views your waiting as worship. It's an alabaster jar that you are breaking at his feet because time is such a precious, precious commodity. And when we entrust God with that, that is worship to him.
Speaker: And then finally, be awake and aware to discern if there is a delay and how to go after that with God, staying close to him, asking him for strategy and be encouraged because God is bringing delay to an end and he is fulfilling.
Speaker: He is fulfilling the words that he's promised his people because he's a faithful God. And even when we are faithless, he cannot deny himself. That's what it says in Hebrews. Even when we are faithless, he cannot deny who he is. He is faithful to complete what he said.
Speaker: Okay, that's all I have for you today. i look forward to seeing you soon. Until next time, happy, happy dreaming.
