Why Is God So Slow?

When Waiting Hurts: Trusting God’s Timing

Scripture References

Primary text

• Isaiah 64:4
• John 2:3

Other references

• Genesis 4:4
• 2 Peter 3:9

Overview

The message tackles the ache of unanswered prayer and long delays, reminding us that while we wait, God is never idle. Jesus Himself experienced decades of waiting and repeatedly said, “My time has not yet come.” Because He has “been there,” we can trust Him. Pastor Craig shows how God works behind the scenes, why His timetable differs from ours, and how to wait actively—with faith that glorifies Him whether or not we get the outcome we want.

Main Points

Waiting is painful—and Jesus knows the feeling

• Everyday examples: traffic, checkout lines, delayed text replies.
• Many of us feel the same frustration with God’s timing in singleness, infertility, depression, finances, etc.
• Jesus waited 30 silent years before beginning His public ministry and four distinct times in John’s Gospel said, “My time has not yet come.”
• Even miracles such as turning water into wine (John 2) began with tension about timing: Mary raised the need; Jesus replied that His time had not yet come.

What God is doing while we wait

• Isaiah 64:4—God “works for those who wait for Him.”
• Three possibilities:
  1. Working on it—the circumstance isn’t ready.
     • Story: Before Pastor Craig met Amy, he prayed for a future spouse. Unbeknownst to him, God was orchestrating her rededication to Christ in another city.
  2. Working on you—you aren’t ready.
     • God shapes character, stewardship, and dependence before granting influence, resources, or relationships.
  3. Choosing a different outcome—His higher purpose may be served another way. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.
• Illustration of history’s “400 silent years”: although no prophet spoke, God arranged common language, Scripture in Greek, and Roman roads—setting the stage for the gospel to spread “when the right time came” (Genesis 4:4 cited).

Don’t waste the waiting—wait actively

• A waiter serves; likewise, keep serving, praying, growing.
• Pastor Craig’s “date nights with God”: Saturday nights spent journaling, listening to marriage teaching on cassette, and writing letters to his future wife.
• Active waiting includes:
  • Persistent prayer and worship.
  • Faithful stewardship of what you already have.
  • Ongoing trust even when God feels silent.

Trust that glorifies God, whatever the outcome

“Father, glorify Your name.”

• Jesus used these words when the long-awaited “hour” arrived and it involved the cross.
• Faith posture: “I believe You can. I believe You will. Even if You don’t, I still believe.”
• God is able to heal, restore, and deliver, but our ultimate aim is His glory, not our comfort.

Key Truths

• Waiting seasons are never wasted; God is working even when we cannot see it.
• God may be preparing the situation, preparing us, or pursuing a greater purpose than we imagined.
• Jesus’ own life proves that delays are not denials; the Father’s timing is perfect.
• Active faith grows through prayer, service, and obedience while we wait.
• Real trust says “Glorify Your name” whether the answer is now, later, or not at all.

Response

• Surrender your timetable to God today.
• Serve someone this week as an act of “active waiting.”
• Audit your current resources and practice faithfulness with them.
• Replace complaints with the prayer: “Father, glorify Your name in this delay.”
• Keep praying specific, bold prayers, believing God can and will—while committing to trust Him even if He chooses differently.

Closing

Pastor Craig led the church to declare unwavering trust:

“I believe that You can. I believe that You will. Even if You don’t, I still believe. Father, glorify Your name.”
Hands were raised across locations and online as people cast their anxieties on God, confident that His timing and purposes are good, and that Jesus—who has “been there”—waits with us.

Prayer

The congregation prayed for healing, provision, restored relationships, and deeper trust, affirming God’s ability while yielding to His will. Many also responded to the invitation to surrender their lives to Christ, stepping from waiting into relationship with the Savior who has never stopped working for them.