10/09/2026
🌿Freedom Fridays with Tina | Episode 4
“Don’t Bypass the Waiting Room”
Ladies, I have been talking with so many women who are struggling with waiting. Some don’t understand why they have to wait, and some have decided they simply aren’t going to.
Whether it’s a small decision or something that could change the direction of our lives, we want an answer. We want relief. We want God to move—and we want Him to move now.
After all, if we serve a God who hears and answers our prayers, why do we have to wait?
I understand that question because I have asked it myself.
There have been times when I prayed, but the answer didn’t come fast enough. I became uncomfortable. I became frustrated. And eventually, I convinced myself, “Surely God doesn’t want me to be miserable.”
So I took matters into my own hands.
Looking back, I can see that sometimes I called it faith when it was really impatience. I wanted God to bless a decision I had already made because I was tired of waiting for Him to lead me.
Being tired of waiting doesn’t mean we have received permission to move.
Psalm 27:14 says:
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” — KJV
Notice that Scripture connects waiting with courage. Sometimes the courageous thing is to stay faithful when we would rather force a door open.
Think about a waiting room. Nobody goes to the hospital because they are excited to sit there. We want someone to call our name. We want someone to address what hurts.
But the waiting room is part of the process.
That picture helps me understand some of the seasons we walk through with God. We want to bypass the waiting room and go straight to the recovery room, where everything feels better. But there may be an operating room between the two—a place where we allow God to work on what is happening inside us.
We are asking Him to change the situation, and He may also be revealing fear, exposing our need for control, or teaching us to trust Him beyond what we can see.
Sometimes we want relief, but God is doing a deeper work.
That doesn’t mean every delay is a lesson or that we have to earn an answer by becoming perfect. It means we can invite God to work in us while we wait for Him to work in our circumstances.
James 1:4 says:
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” — KJV
“Let patience” tells me there is something I have to surrender. I can resist the process, or I can allow God to grow me through it.
And ladies, that surrender can be hard.
Sometimes it sounds like, “Lord, I know how I could make this happen, but I don’t know whether that is the way You are leading me.”
Sometimes it sounds like, “I’m hurting, and I need Your help to keep this pain from making my decisions.”
Sometimes it is simply, “I trust You, but please help me wait.”
Proverbs 3:5–6 says:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — KJV
Our own understanding says, “Nothing is happening. I need to do something.”
Trust says, “I can’t see the whole picture, but I can bring my next step to the One who can.”
So how do we learn to wait?
First, tell God the truth. You don’t have to pretend you are comfortable. Tell Him you are frustrated, disappointed, afraid, or tempted to take control. Bring those feelings into prayer instead of letting them quietly take over.
Second, stay close to what He has already said. When you are desperate for an answer, every opportunity can look like the answer. Bring your choices back to Scripture. Seek wise, godly counsel. Give yourself room to discern before making a decision simply to escape discomfort.
Third, do what is yours to do today. Waiting doesn’t mean putting your whole life on hold. Keep praying. Keep serving. Make the phone call you need to make. Fulfill your responsibilities. Take the faithful steps that are clear, and surrender the outcome you cannot control.
Fourth, let God examine your heart. Ask Him, “Am I moving because You are leading me, or because I am afraid to wait? Am I seeking Your will, or trying to get You to agree with mine?”
Those are questions I have had to ask myself.
Finally, remember where your strength comes from.
Isaiah 40:31 says:
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” — KJV
We often think we need strength to get out of the waiting room. Sometimes God gives us strength to remain faithful right there.
He gives us enough grace for today. Enough courage for the next step. Enough strength to say, “Lord, I still don’t understand, but I am still here, and I am still trusting You.”
Waiting also doesn’t mean staying in danger or refusing help. We can seek safety, care, and wise counsel while trusting God. And when His answer is different from what we hoped, we can ask Him to help us receive it.
Ladies, I am learning that freedom includes releasing my demand to know when and how God will answer.
I can pray boldly without trying to control the outcome. I can feel uncomfortable without rushing into a decision. I can trust that God hears me even when I don’t yet know what His answer will be.
Don’t bypass the waiting room just because you are tired of sitting there. Bring God your questions. Let Him work in your heart. And when He leads you to take the next step, take it with Him.
Let’s pray:
Father, You know how hard waiting can be. You know the prayers we have prayed and the places where we are tired of hurting. Forgive us for the times we have rushed ahead and asked You to bless what we were unwilling to surrender.
Help us recognize Your direction. Give us wisdom to know when to move and courage to wait when the next step is not yet clear. Work in our hearts while we wait. Heal what is hurting, loosen our grip on what we cannot control, and teach us to trust You one day at a time.
We place our prayers, our decisions, and our timing in Your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.
