5 Ways to Trust God’s Timing as a Mom

Take a moment to reflect on how God’s timing is at work in your parenting journey.

Parenting is a journey full of hills, valleys, and unexpected turns. There are many dreams and goals we want for our families and children. Often, we are eager to emerge from a hard stage into a season of fruitfulness, but the waiting can be hard and nerve-wracking. However, we have assurance that nothing in God’s kingdom is ever wasted, including our waiting.

So, how do we trust Him in those moments when the waiting feels long and fruitless?

How do we trust that He is shaping us and His children for our good and His glory? How do we trust His purposes?

1. Remember: Consider God’s past faithfulness.

In scripture, we often see the requirement of remembrance. The Israelites are told to set up stones of remembrance. The passing down of stories of God’s faithfulness is commanded. Ceremonies and holidays are instituted and observed in order to recall the works of God. Looking back can help us to look forward because we can bring to mind other times in our lives when we were waiting and trusting, but we can also see the final result. Remembering God’s past faithfulness can bolster our current faithfulness in a long season of uncertainty.

2. Recognize: Look for evidence of God moving.

The poem, The Tapestry, visualizes how God’s plans are like a weaving where we see the backside and He sees the lovely finished pattern. When we are trusting God’s timing for a finished result, it is wise of us to look for clues of God’s working. The evidence of His Grace is all around us, but we often miss the small details while waiting for the big picture to be revealed. Keep your eyes open for small wins, successes, changes, and God-ordained moments that may be leading you along His path toward the completion of your goals or dreams. This evidence may not be tangible. It could simply be less anxiety felt over an unanswered prayer, an improvement in one of the fruits of the spirit for you or your child. Piper once said, “God is always doing 3000, and we may only be aware of two of them.” Be aware.

3. Rest: Pray alone and with others.

Waiting can take its toll. Stay in prayer. Don’t give up. Pour your heart out to God, and then praise Him for His Faithfulness. Ask for growth and resolution. Seek the wisdom of others and ask them to pray as well so that when your trust fails, others will still be lifting you. Prayer is ultimately a form of submission, and its practice will increase your trust. Recite aspects of God’s character when you pray. Let His truth be bigger than your needs in your prayer time.

4. Rely: Study scripture related to your needs.

If specific issues or needs are troubling, go to God’s word for wisdom. He has provided so much help in His written word. You may be waiting for an answer to a problem that God has already provided in scripture. Even if you don’t find an immediate answer, reading God’s word will always grow you and shape you to be more like Him. This will lead to less worry and more trust. God’s word is filled with the truth of who He is and how he cares for us. Write encouraging scriptures down and place them around your home and vehicle for continual encouragement. Isaiah 55:11 reminds us that God’s word “will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (NIV).

5. Record: Keep a list of goals and track your progress and God’s sovereign leading.

For the note-takers in all, keeping lists and records can be a practical way to watch God move. Use a chart, a simple notebook, or a fancy app. List the things you are waiting for and update these documents when you notice changes or specific answers. Then, if God changes your heart, you can also change your goals and see how God is growing you. This can be done as a family or for each individual in the family.

We can be tempted to miss the blessing of now while waiting for the dreams of someday. Be sure to notice the gifts of each day and to remember that God is a God of redemption. He redeems people and time.

Nothing is wasted with Him, and your season of waiting may simply be a time of growth.

Just like a seed in the ground seems to be doing nothing but eventually blooms into beauty, God is always doing something in your life, and He will reveal the beauty in due time.