In our current women’s Bible study, Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons, we are talking about something most of us know all too well: life often feels like a season of waiting. We find ourselves longing for the “next” thing – clarity, healing, resolution, fulfillment – while living in the “not yet.” And yet, Scripture gently (but persistently) reminds us that our right now matters. Even when we can’t see how the pieces fit together, our sovereign God sees the whole story and is faithfully at work.
Last week, we reflected on God’s faithfulness through the life of Abraham. God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, yet Abraham spent decades waiting for that promise to take shape. There were long stretches where nothing seemed to be happening – where Abraham and Sarah got older, hope wavered, and the promise felt impossibly distant. Still, Scripture tells us that “Then he (Abram) believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6, NASB). Abraham’s waiting was not wasted. God was forming trust, obedience, and faith that would echo through generations. What looked like delay was, in fact, faithful preparation.
This week, we’re digging into Joseph’s story (Jacob’s son with the colorful coat) to see God’s sovereignty. Joseph’s story is filled with injustice and waiting. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison. Years pass between Joseph’s early dreams and their fulfillment. Yet, when he looks back on his story, he can say with confidence, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20, NASB). God was not absent in Joseph’s suffering – He was sovereign over it, weaving even human sin and suffering into His redemptive purposes.
Both stories remind us that while we may live in the “not yet,” God is always fully present in the “right now.” Our current seasons – however uncertain, painful, or quiet – are not footnotes in God’s plan. They are part of the story He is faithfully and sovereignly writing. “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever” (Psalm 138:8 ESV).
As we walk through our own seasons of waiting, may we take heart from Abraham and Joseph and trust that God is at work even when the outcome feels distant or unclear. The “not yet” is not a holding pattern or a mistake – it is holy ground where God is shaping our faith, deepening our dependence, and forming us for what’s to come. We may not see the full picture right now, but we can rest in the assurance that the same faithful, sovereign God who kept His promises then is faithfully at work in our lives today. And in that trust, we discover that even our waiting can become a place of worship.