Seasons of Waiting: What Sarah and Hagar Teach Us About Trusting God’s Timing
Key Passages: The angel of the Lord said to her [Hagar], “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority…I will give you more descendants than you can count.” (Genesis 16:8-10, NLT);
The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised…This happened at just the time God had said it would. (Genesis 21:1-2, NLT)
Key Message: God’s timing is not always what we expect, but it always worth the wait. He is working while we are waiting.
I don’t know about you, but waiting is hard for me. I’m a planner, a list-checker. I even make plans for my plans (my sisters call it my “fore-planning”). I am also a take-charge person, a get-it-done person. Patience is just not part of my personality.
I am not a person who waits well. Yet, I keep finding myself in seasons of waiting. In fact, I am in a doozy of one right now as my husband and I wait for the Lord’s direction on some significant life decisions.
The mental math and schematics in my head, reviewing all the possible scenarios and outcomes, wear me out. Each day, I pray the path and timing becomes clearer so I can “prepare” for what lies ahead. I am certain it will bring my anxiety level down to a manageable level. Waiting—let alone doing it patiently—is hard.
But God’s timing is different from ours. So is His perspective. And when we try to move things forward (you know, to “help” Him), we can make a mess of things. I also know from past waiting seasons that trying to move outside of God’s timeline not only makes waiting harder, it also tends to lengthen the season unnecessarily (40 years wandering in the wilderness comes to mind).
This week, I’ve been studying the story of Sarah and Hagar for my next women’s Bible study. (Hagar is one of the eight women I will be writing about.) As a reminder, Sarah is the barren wife of Abraham waiting for God to fulfill His promise of blessing them with descendants “more numerous than the stars in the sky” (Genesis 26:4).
We know from the Bible it took 25 years from promise to fulfillment, but Sarah had no way of knowing the timeline. Her biological clock had quit ticking long before. She was forced to wait as the years passed by. (She was 90 by the time she became pregnant!)
Five years after delivering His promise to Abraham and Sarah, God reassured them by repeating His promise and confirmed it with a covenant (Genesis 15:1-6). Five more years passed. Impatient with the delay, Sarah (who was in her eighties) took matters into her own hands. Her solution was to give her slave, Hagar, to Abraham to “force” the promise of a baby to come true. (To be fair, Sarah did wait 10 years before acting—more than I probably would have.)
But her “plan” backfired and impacted innocent lives—mainly Hagar and her son. When Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael, she fled to the wilderness from Sarah (who was jealous and abusive). God met Hagar in her desperation and despair and gave her a promise similar to the one He gave Abraham and Sarah.
Hagar’s descendants would be numerous too, but she was told to go back to Sarah and wait for deliverance. And Hagar obeyed.
Sarah’s season of waiting for God’s promise was 25 years. Hagar’s season of waiting was about 15 years. Sarah didn’t wait well. Hagar did—despite an abusive and uncomfortable situation. Sarah doubted God. Hagar trusted and obeyed Him. Following her divine desert encounter, Hagar showed great faith by submitting to God’s direction.
Sarah and Hagar present a contrast in waiting on God. Sarah, the one who knew and followed God, acts on her own to “make” God’s promise come true. Hagar, the one who didn’t know God (until her encounter with Him), waits faithfully for His promise to come true.
God honored His promises to both women. They each had moments of doubts and detours along the way, but God remained faithful. And both women ultimately experienced personal growth and a strengthening of their faith. But Sarah made it harder on herself—and hurt those around her—by trying to rush God’s timing.
God wants us to trust Him—whether our waiting season lasts days, weeks, months or years. His timing is sovereign and perfect in every way. He knows our future and the plans He has for us and will bring them to fruition when He is ready. Each day, we must surrender to His greater plan—waiting well until He directs our next steps.
Jesus wants us to walk with Him, side-by-side, letting Him guide us. We are never waiting alone, nor are we stuck in one place. We are to journey with Him one step at a time—wherever it may lead—growing in His grace and deepening our faith in His sovereignty and timing.
If you’re in a season of waiting:
Hold on to God’s promises. He is faithful.
Trust His timing. He sees the bigger picture.
Grow in your faith. He shapes, strengthens and sustains you.
Worship through the wait. He is worthy—even before the promise arrives.
Today, I will wait on the Lord because I know He is faithful. In His timing, God will make His direction clear. His promises are always worth waiting for.
Will you join me in waiting well?
Prayer
Dear God, I want to wait well, holding on to Your promises for my life. Help me to trust in Your timing and be obedient in the delay. Prepare me, grow me, strengthen me. Deeping my faith and dependence on You today and in the days ahead. Lord, I want to worship You well in this season, for You are worth waiting for. Amen
Reflection & Application
Where are you tempted to “help” God move things along instead of trusting His timing?
What has your current (or past) season of waiting revealed about your faith, fears or need for control?
How might God be shaping—not just preparing—you in your waiting season?