God In The Waitin'
Waiting can make a person feel forgotten.
You pray, but nothing moves. The phone does not ring. The test results do not change. You watch other people receive the answer you have been asking for, and you wonder whether God sees you at all.
John 5 tells us about a man who had been unable to walk for thirty-eight years. He waited beside the pool of Bethesda, surrounded by other hurting people. Whenever the water moved, someone else reached it first and they were healed.
Then Jesus came.
Scripture says Jesus saw him and knew he had been there a long time. The man others may have stopped noticing had never been hidden from Christ.
Jesus said, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.”
At once, the man stood.
Thirty-eight years of waiting ended with one word from Jesus.
Personal Reflection
The thoughts behind this song came into focus while I was praying for a friend who had been waiting for donor lungs.
Then the call finally came.
As surgeons began the double-lung transplant, people who had prayed for him continued praying into the night. We watched our phones, waited for updates, and asked God to carry our friend through something none of us could control.
I know something about hospital rooms and uncertain tomorrows. Four heart attacks, multiple surgeries, eight stents, and a brain injury have given me many opportunities to wait, pray, and wonder what the next report would say.
And I’m not unique. If you’ve walked with Christ long enough, you too know that feeling. That uncertainty.
You also know that some prayers are answered with rescue. Others are answered with enough grace for the next day.
That matters because Scripture never tells us that faith guarantees the outcome we want. Paul asked God three times to remove his suffering. Instead, Jesus told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Sometimes Jesus says, “Get up and walk.”
Sometimes He gives us strength to remain faithful while the burden stays.
Either way, He is still God. And He’s using everything for good and His glory.
His silence is not absence. His delay is not indifference. His Word remains true when our circumstances do not change, and His character remains good when we do not understand what He is doing.
That is what this song is about.
Not pretending the wait does not hurt. Not promising every prayer will be answered the way we hope.
It is about trusting the faithfulness of God while we wait.
Theme
The man at Bethesda waited thirty-eight years, but Jesus had not overlooked him. Christ saw him, knew his condition, and met him personally.
God in the Waitin’ reminds us that our hope is not in perfect timing, changed circumstances, or the strength to fix everything ourselves.
Our hope is in Jesus Christ.
He may bring healing. He may provide sustaining grace. He may open the door today or give us courage to stand in front of it one more night.
But He does not stop being God while we wait.
This song reminds us:
Jesus sees the person others overlook.
A long wait does not mean God has forgotten us.
We can speak honestly to God about our pain.
Christ gives grace when the burden remains.
Our hope rests in Jesus, not in a particular outcome.
Scripture Foundation
John 5:6 — “When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’”
John 5:8–9 — “Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed.”
Psalm 13:1 — “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?”
Lamentations 3:25 — “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”
Isaiah 40:31 — “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Processing Questions
Take a few moments and reflect:
What are you waiting for God to do right now?
Have you mistaken God’s silence for His absence?
Are you trusting Christ—or only trusting Him for one particular outcome?
Where has God already provided grace for the next step?
Who needs you to stand with them and pray while they wait?
Prayer
Father,
You know how long I have waited. You have seen every sleepless night, heard every whispered prayer, and counted every tear.
Forgive me when I measure Your goodness by the answer I want. Help me trust Your character when I cannot understand Your timing.
Where healing is needed, bring healing according to Your perfect will. Where the burden remains, let Your grace be sufficient. Give me strength for the next step and faith for one more day.
Thank You that Jesus sees me, knows me, and has not forgotten me. Hold me steady in the waiting.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Closing
Thirty-eight years did not mean forgotten. Another night does not mean He is gone.
The same Jesus who saw the man beside the pool sees you. He knows your name, your need, and how long you have carried it.
Keep praying. Keep trusting. Take the next step He gives you.
Your waiting is not wasted. You have not been forsaken.
He is God when the answer comes.
He is God when nothing moves.
He is God in the waitin’.
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