Waiting is one of the most common places a Christian woman finds herself, and one of the hardest. Maybe you are waiting on a diagnosis or on healing, for a spouse, to have child, a job, a home, a prodigal to come back, or simply for a prayer you have prayed for years. Whatever the details, the questions underneath are often the same: Does God see me? Is He still working? What do I do while I wait?
Scripture speaks to waiting again and again. Below are 40 Bible verses about waiting on God, grouped by what your heart might need today. All are quoted from the English Standard Version (ESV). Read them slowly, pick one to carry through the week, or write one on a card and keep it where you’ll see it each morning.
When you need the invitation to keep waiting
- Psalm 27:14: “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
- Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.”
- Psalm 130:6: “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.”
- Psalm 31:24: “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!”
- Psalm 33:20: “Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.”
- Psalm 62:5: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
- Psalm 25:5: “Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.”
- Psalm 38:15: “But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”
- Psalm 5:3: “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.”
When you need to remember that God is good to those who wait
- Lamentations 3:25: “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”
- Lamentations 3:26: “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
- Isaiah 30:18: “Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
- Isaiah 64:4: “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.”
- Isaiah 40:31: “But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
- Psalm 40:1: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.”
- Micah 7:7: “But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
When you need help being still and patient
- Psalm 37:7: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
- Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
- Exodus 14:14: “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
- Romans 8:25: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
- Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
- James 5:7: “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.”
- James 5:8: “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
- Hebrews 10:36: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”
When you are wrestling with God’s timing
A note on context: some of these verses were first spoken about specific events (Habakkuk 2:3 about a coming vision, 2 Peter 3:9 about Christ’s return). They still show us God’s character: He is never late, and He is patient with us.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
- Ecclesiastes 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”
- Habakkuk 2:3: “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
- 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
- Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
- Psalm 31:14–15a: “But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand.”
- 1 Peter 5:6–7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
When you need peace and courage for today
Jeremiah 29:11 was first written to Israel in exile, a people told to settle in and wait seventy years. It isn’t a promise of a quick fix. It is a promise that God’s plans for His people are good, even in a long wait.
- Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
- Isaiah 26:3: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
- Philippians 4:6–7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”
- Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
- Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
- Psalm 34:18: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
- Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Lamentations 3:22–23: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
How to use these verses in your waiting season
- Pray one verse a day. Read it, then turn it into a sentence of prayer: “Lord, help me wait for you and take courage today.”
- Write it down. Copying a verse by hand slows your mind and helps it stay with you.
- Keep it in sight. A verse on the bathroom mirror, your phone lock screen or your morning mug is a small, steady reminder.
- Journal what you notice. Write down what you are feeling, what you are asking for, and where you have seen God’s faithfulness, even in small ways.
A companion for the wait
If you’d like a guided place to do this, the While I Wait 30-day prayer journal was made for exactly this kind of season. Each day includes a key Bible verse, a short devotional reflection, guided journaling prompts, a truth to carry with you and a simple practice. It comes as a printable digital PDF or a spiral-bound edition that lies flat while you write.
Some of the verses above also live on our Scripture mugs, for a morning reminder with your coffee: the Wait on the Lord Psalm 27:14 mug, the I Wait for the Lord Psalm 130:5 mug and the Psalm 5:3 morning prayer mug.
Wherever you are waiting today, you are not forgotten. “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14, ESV)
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.