The Waiting Well: Trusting God Through Life's Trials
The Waiting Well: Finding Purpose in Life's Dry Seasons
Life has a way of throwing us into places we never expected to be. One moment we're celebrating God's promises, sharing our dreams with those closest to us, and the next, we find ourselves stripped of everything we thought defined us—cast into a pit that feels empty, dry, and utterly devoid of hope.
This is where Joseph found himself in Genesis 37. After sharing the dreams God had given him, his own brothers—the people who should have celebrated with him—threw him into a well. The scripture tells us something peculiar: "the pit was empty and there was no water in it." It was a place designed to hold resources, designed to sustain life, but instead it had become a prison of isolation.
When Your Resource Runs Dry
How many of us have experienced this? That place, person, or thing we've been drawing from suddenly runs dry. The job that once fulfilled us becomes a source of stress. The relationship that once energized us now drains us. The ministry that once flowed effortlessly now feels like pushing a boulder uphill. We find ourselves in an unexpected season of drought, wondering where God went and why He allowed this to happen.
The truth is, God allows us to experience these dry places not to punish us, but to transform us. He wants to change something on the inside so that what He's working within us can eventually work through us to impact others. It's in these wilderness seasons that our spiritual aptitude—our inborn potential to perform certain tasks for the Kingdom—gets developed and refined.
Three Types of Wells
When life throws us into the pit, we have a choice about what kind of well we'll inhabit. Our attitude determines whether we're stuck in a wishing well, drowning in a weary well, or positioned in a waiting well.
The Wishing Well is where we dwell on would've, could've, and should've. "God, I wish I had different parents. I wish I had more talent. I wish I had a better education. If only things were different, then I wouldn't be in this mess." This well keeps us perpetually dissatisfied, always looking at what we don't have instead of trusting what God is doing.
The Weary Well is where doubt takes root and grows into full-blown unbelief. We start questioning everything—the reliability of God's Word, His character, His promises. We allow intellectual pride to override faith, demanding answers to questions that may not have satisfying explanations this side of eternity. We grow tired of waiting, tired of believing, tired of hoping.
The Waiting Well is different. It's a place of active faith, where we say, "God, I know it doesn't look good right now, but I know it's about to get good. I know this isn't how I planned it, but Your word is still true. If You said it, it will come to pass." This is where transformation happens.
The Purpose of the Pit
God takes us through training, testing, and trials—each serving a distinct purpose in our spiritual development. Training gives us head knowledge: we read about Moses parting the Red Sea and Jesus walking on water. We learn that we can speak to mountains and they'll be removed.
Testing comes when we apply that knowledge in controlled circumstances. We know the devil isn't getting his way today. We've studied, we've prayed, we're ready. Someone cuts us off in traffic, and we choose peace. That's passing the test.
But trials? Trials blindside us. They're the questions that weren't in the handbook, the losses we never saw coming, the disappointments that shake us to our core. Trials reveal what's really in our hearts and what we truly believe about God when everything falls apart.
The beautiful truth is this: God is working even in the trial. Philippians 2:13 tells us, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." He's not just working around us or despite us—He's working in us, developing the character and faith we'll need for the destiny He's prepared.
The Promise on the Other Side
Joseph's story didn't end in the pit. God was preparing him for a palace, for a position where he would save entire nations from famine. The very brothers who threw him in the well would one day bow before him, desperately needing what only he could provide. But they didn't even recognize him because the anointing and favor on his life had transformed him completely.
Isaiah 40:31 promises, "But those who wait on 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." This isn't passive waiting—it's active, expectant faith that says, "My story is still being written. God's glory is all over my story."
The Call to Surrender
How do we wait well? We start by surrendering everything—our plans, our timelines, our preconceived notions of what our life should look like. Lifting our hands in worship isn't just a physical gesture; it's a sign of surrender, releasing what we're holding onto so we can receive what God has for us.
We stop allowing past teachings, horoscopes, or worldly wisdom to dictate our future. We denounce anything we've put before God and return to Him as our sole source of truth and direction. We recognize that He is a jealous God who demands first place in our hearts—not because He's insecure, but because He knows that only in Him will we find our true purpose and fulfillment.
We also must be honest about what needs to change. Some of us need to stop being angry, stop gossiping, stop being busybodies. We need to love like Jesus instead of loving according to worldly standards. God wants to restore our hearts, and that requires our cooperation.
Your Breakthrough Is Coming
Whatever you're waiting for—the job, the healing, the restored relationship, the financial breakthrough, the freedom from anxiety or depression—don't grow weary. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
The word "faint" means to grow unconscious, unaware. You'll reap your harvest if you don't grow unconscious to God's will for your life. Stay awake. Stay alert. Keep believing. Keep declaring. Keep prophesying over yourself that even in ordinary places, God is with you and working through you.
The waiting well isn't about passive endurance—it's about active faith that transforms both us and everyone around us. Your family needs to see your breakthrough. Your workplace needs to witness your victory. The world needs what God is developing in you right now, in this season, in this well.
So make this your waiting well. Believe that glory is on the other side. God is about to take the ordinary things in your life and make them extraordinary. He's about to turn your natural into supernatural. He's going to do exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ask or think—according to the power that works within you.
Your breakthrough is coming. Wait well.
Life has a way of throwing us into places we never expected to be. One moment we're celebrating God's promises, sharing our dreams with those closest to us, and the next, we find ourselves stripped of everything we thought defined us—cast into a pit that feels empty, dry, and utterly devoid of hope.
This is where Joseph found himself in Genesis 37. After sharing the dreams God had given him, his own brothers—the people who should have celebrated with him—threw him into a well. The scripture tells us something peculiar: "the pit was empty and there was no water in it." It was a place designed to hold resources, designed to sustain life, but instead it had become a prison of isolation.
When Your Resource Runs Dry
How many of us have experienced this? That place, person, or thing we've been drawing from suddenly runs dry. The job that once fulfilled us becomes a source of stress. The relationship that once energized us now drains us. The ministry that once flowed effortlessly now feels like pushing a boulder uphill. We find ourselves in an unexpected season of drought, wondering where God went and why He allowed this to happen.
The truth is, God allows us to experience these dry places not to punish us, but to transform us. He wants to change something on the inside so that what He's working within us can eventually work through us to impact others. It's in these wilderness seasons that our spiritual aptitude—our inborn potential to perform certain tasks for the Kingdom—gets developed and refined.
Three Types of Wells
When life throws us into the pit, we have a choice about what kind of well we'll inhabit. Our attitude determines whether we're stuck in a wishing well, drowning in a weary well, or positioned in a waiting well.
The Wishing Well is where we dwell on would've, could've, and should've. "God, I wish I had different parents. I wish I had more talent. I wish I had a better education. If only things were different, then I wouldn't be in this mess." This well keeps us perpetually dissatisfied, always looking at what we don't have instead of trusting what God is doing.
The Weary Well is where doubt takes root and grows into full-blown unbelief. We start questioning everything—the reliability of God's Word, His character, His promises. We allow intellectual pride to override faith, demanding answers to questions that may not have satisfying explanations this side of eternity. We grow tired of waiting, tired of believing, tired of hoping.
The Waiting Well is different. It's a place of active faith, where we say, "God, I know it doesn't look good right now, but I know it's about to get good. I know this isn't how I planned it, but Your word is still true. If You said it, it will come to pass." This is where transformation happens.
The Purpose of the Pit
God takes us through training, testing, and trials—each serving a distinct purpose in our spiritual development. Training gives us head knowledge: we read about Moses parting the Red Sea and Jesus walking on water. We learn that we can speak to mountains and they'll be removed.
Testing comes when we apply that knowledge in controlled circumstances. We know the devil isn't getting his way today. We've studied, we've prayed, we're ready. Someone cuts us off in traffic, and we choose peace. That's passing the test.
But trials? Trials blindside us. They're the questions that weren't in the handbook, the losses we never saw coming, the disappointments that shake us to our core. Trials reveal what's really in our hearts and what we truly believe about God when everything falls apart.
The beautiful truth is this: God is working even in the trial. Philippians 2:13 tells us, "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." He's not just working around us or despite us—He's working in us, developing the character and faith we'll need for the destiny He's prepared.
The Promise on the Other Side
Joseph's story didn't end in the pit. God was preparing him for a palace, for a position where he would save entire nations from famine. The very brothers who threw him in the well would one day bow before him, desperately needing what only he could provide. But they didn't even recognize him because the anointing and favor on his life had transformed him completely.
Isaiah 40:31 promises, "But those who wait on 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." This isn't passive waiting—it's active, expectant faith that says, "My story is still being written. God's glory is all over my story."
The Call to Surrender
How do we wait well? We start by surrendering everything—our plans, our timelines, our preconceived notions of what our life should look like. Lifting our hands in worship isn't just a physical gesture; it's a sign of surrender, releasing what we're holding onto so we can receive what God has for us.
We stop allowing past teachings, horoscopes, or worldly wisdom to dictate our future. We denounce anything we've put before God and return to Him as our sole source of truth and direction. We recognize that He is a jealous God who demands first place in our hearts—not because He's insecure, but because He knows that only in Him will we find our true purpose and fulfillment.
We also must be honest about what needs to change. Some of us need to stop being angry, stop gossiping, stop being busybodies. We need to love like Jesus instead of loving according to worldly standards. God wants to restore our hearts, and that requires our cooperation.
Your Breakthrough Is Coming
Whatever you're waiting for—the job, the healing, the restored relationship, the financial breakthrough, the freedom from anxiety or depression—don't grow weary. Galatians 6:9 reminds us, "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
The word "faint" means to grow unconscious, unaware. You'll reap your harvest if you don't grow unconscious to God's will for your life. Stay awake. Stay alert. Keep believing. Keep declaring. Keep prophesying over yourself that even in ordinary places, God is with you and working through you.
The waiting well isn't about passive endurance—it's about active faith that transforms both us and everyone around us. Your family needs to see your breakthrough. Your workplace needs to witness your victory. The world needs what God is developing in you right now, in this season, in this well.
So make this your waiting well. Believe that glory is on the other side. God is about to take the ordinary things in your life and make them extraordinary. He's about to turn your natural into supernatural. He's going to do exceedingly, abundantly above all you could ask or think—according to the power that works within you.
Your breakthrough is coming. Wait well.
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