They say you’re in good company if you’re waiting on God. Moses wandered in the desert for 40 years, Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac, a promise made by God 25 years prior, was finally born. Looking at examples like that, I’m always reminded of phrases like “God’s timing is perfect” or “Let go and let God”. But when you’re in that waiting season, it can feel excruciatingly long and even hopeless.
My Experience Waiting on God
When it comes to my testimonies with God’s answers to my prayers, I always categorised them. There are prayers answered related to friendships, romantic relationships, healing, and financial provision and guidance. These have been my main categories in life so far. The one I always felt strongest and most confident about, is God’s provision for me financially.
God’s Provision in My Life
I moved to Scotland when I was 18. I had never had a job and suddenly I was responsible for paying my own bills and rent. Long story short, the first year was pretty much a disaster, but I learned valuable lessons about the job market, money management and survival. In the last 12 years, I have worked six different jobs, with lots of gaps in between. Whenever it came close to me running out of savings – a job came up. Every job seemed to be better than the last one in some shape or form. I thanked God for getting me through and knew that I could rely on Him to do that. My favourite passage about God’s love and provision is in Matthew chapter 6:25-34.
My Faith Was Tested in 2024
Despite all of these testimonies, I suddenly faced an immense challenge in how I understood God and my relationship with Him last year. My temporary contract came to an end in April, I got married in May, and suddenly I had to rely on another human to pay my share of the bills. Having never done that since moving out, I felt immense guilt and inadequacy. After seven months of countless job applications and many job interviews, I started to question God. Whenever I went to church and heard other people’s testimonies, instead of being encouraged, I felt angry. When would it be my time? I’m very grateful that at the same time, With The Perrys podcast was releasing multiple episodes where guests spoke about persevering in your faith when you’re struggling. That’s when our faith is really tested and how we perceive God gets revealed.
My Testimony
Every year, my church does 40 days of prayer and fasting around September time. On my prayer card, I wrote down a few specifics of what I wanted from a job – the salary, contract time, and vaguely added “good benefits”. November came and I was still in the same position. Desperation grew, and negative thoughts about myself grew as my birthday was fast approaching. Who doesn’t call themselves a loser if they’re not where they thought they’d be at a certain point in life? Hopefully, the answer is most people. I hope you have a healthier mentality than I do. But then, at the end of November, I finally got a job offer. The pay was exactly what I had written down on my prayer hard. The contract was permanent just like I’d wanted. I started my new job a day after my birthday and was so grateful to end the year on a high.
What’s Next
God provides, and they say you should be specific with what you want. When Jesus met blind people, He still asked them what they needed. Verbally acknowledging what we need does not make us entitled or greedy. It shows God that we believe He is our provider and our source. What I learned from my prayer card is that I should be more specific with the benefits I seek in the workplace, and that is now on my prayer and fasting card for January.
My Hope For You
I struggled to understand why God made me wait, and I’m still not sure of what the answer is. I know that many of you are waiting on God in different areas of your life too. Without a doubt, I believe that God loves us unconditionally, that He wants what’s best for us. Most importantly, He sees the bigger picture. He knows the beginning and the end and everything in between. Trust that the waiting you’re going through is for a reason.
I’ll end this post in a way I haven’t done before. Is there anything you’re waiting for from God that I can pray for? It doesn’t matter if I know you, if we’ve ever spoken, or if you randomly ended up on my blog after a Google search. I’d love to stand in prayer and in faith with you.