When Waiting on God Becomes an Excuse

“Waiting on God.” It sounds spiritual. Wise. Even faithful. But sometimes, it’s just another way of saying. I’m scared to move.

The Bible teaches us that God’s timing is perfect. His ways are higher. His pace rarely matches our own. But there’s a fine line between trusting God’s timing and using it as a shield to avoid risk, failure, or discomfort. Many believers say they’re “waiting on God,” when in reality, they’re just not moving at all.

We’ve all seen it or maybe lived it. The friend who insists she’s waiting for “the right person” but hasn’t left her room in weeks. The man who says he’s waiting for a job but hasn’t updated his resume. The writer waiting for “inspiration” who hasn’t touched a page in months.

We call it patience, but sometimes, it’s paralysis.

Waiting Isn’t Doing Nothing

The Bible never presents waiting as passive. Noah waited for rain, but he was building. David waited to be king, but he was serving. Ruth waited for redemption, but she was working.

Waiting, biblically speaking, looks a lot like faith in motion.

Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” That verse assumes movement. It assumes we’re taking steps not standing still, hoping God drags us into His will.

Author and pastor DawnCheré Wilkerson captures this tension beautifully. After walking through eight long years of infertility, she realized that waiting wasn’t a season it was life. “Every day God’s knocking at the door of your heart saying, ‘You don’t have to wait for me. I’m waiting on you.’”

That one shift changes everything. What if God isn’t withholding clarity. He’s inviting action?

Permission vs Peace

We often say we’re “waiting on peace.” But what we really want is permission. We don’t want to risk moving without a guarantee. But peace isn’t always the prerequisite. Sometimes, it’s the result of obedience.

The Israelites wandered for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. Joseph spent years in a dungeon before reaching the palace. Abraham waited decades before the birth of his promised son. Even Jesus spent 30 quiet years before His public ministry began. But none of that time was wasted. God wasn’t asleep. He was shaping them.

The waiting was the work.

But there’s a difference between divine delay and personal inaction. And too many of us are mistaking one for the other.

Ask the Hard Questions

If you’re wondering whether your “waiting” is faith or fear, try asking:

• Am I doing what I can with what I have right now?

• Have I invited anyone to speak truth into this decision?

• Is fear driving my delay?

• Does my waiting require any faith at all?

• What step might obedience look like today?

If your answer to those is filled with avoidance or excuses, it might be time to stop calling it “waiting” and start calling it what it is: procrastination.

Isolation Fuels Inaction

Wilkerson warns that uncertainty often leads us to isolation. “When we think God is answering everyone else’s prayers except ours, we pull away. But isolation is dangerous it’s where the enemy feeds us lies about our identity.”

And that’s often where movement stops. We withdraw. We assume God has forgotten us. We spiral inward, losing clarity and confidence. But that’s when community matters most. Mentors, friends, and church family can help us discern when our delay is from God and when it’s simply fear.

God rarely gives us the whole map. More often, He gives us one step. And He expects us to take it.

Active Waiting Is Faithful Living

Real waiting isn’t passive it’s intentional. It looks like sending the next application even after rejection. It looks like showing up at church when you’re spiritually dry. It looks like trusting again after heartbreak. It’s hopeful, gritty, obedient movement in the midst of uncertainty.

It’s what James meant when he said, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)

God’s timing is real. But so is His invitation to act. Waiting isn’t sitting on your hands until something happens. It’s trusting that something is happening as you keep showing up in prayer, in effort, in community, in small steps of obedience.

Wilkerson says it plainly. “The wait isn’t wasted. It’s not a detour. It’s an invitation.”

Maybe the Next Move Is Yours

Yes, pray for clarity. Yes, trust God’s timing. But then move. Write the first page. Send the email. Make the call. Go on the date. Step out in faith.

Because God doesn’t steer parked cars. And sometimes the miracle doesn’t show up until you start walking toward it.

Faith isn’t waiting for a breakthrough it’s living like one is possible.

Share this with someone stuck in a season of waiting or subscribe to our newsletter to get more timely encouragement like this.