Trusting God’s Timing: Learning Gratitude in the Waiting

Editor’s note – JM Troppello writes from the middle of ordinary life: a weekend with family, two small sales in her shop, a season of prayer that hasn’t fully resolved yet. Her reflection is a simple reminder that gratitude and waiting aren’t opposites – we can thank God for what He has already given even while we’re still asking Him for what hasn’t come. That’s a discipline many of us need, especially when we’re tempted to treat contentment as something we’ll earn once every prayer is answered.

Thankful for God’s Faithful Provision

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how thankful I am for everything God is doing in my life and in the lives of my family members.

My husband and I still have things we’re praying about, and goals we’re continuing to work toward. We certainly don’t have everything figured out, and in some situations we’re still waiting to see how God will work things out. But lately, I’ve noticed a greater sense of peace about everything.

I’m learning to trust God one step at a time instead of constantly looking ahead and wondering how everything will happen. The more I focus on His faithfulness, the more I realize how much I have to be thankful for right now.

I may not have everything I want, but God has faithfully provided what I need. I never want to take that for granted.

Appreciating the Blessings Along the Way

We had a really nice weekend spending time with family.

My mother-in-law came over, and we went to our church’s Fall Fest together. We also spent time with some of my family members who were there, and it was such a nice opportunity for everyone to enjoy the evening together. There were different food trucks, hayrides, games for the children, and plenty of activities for families to enjoy. Later in the evening, a fireworks display was a beautiful way to end the event.

I really enjoyed being there and spending time with everyone.

Sometimes it’s those simple experiences that remind me how blessed I am. We weren’t doing anything extravagant, but we spent time together, enjoyed the festivities, and made memories. As I’ve reflected on the weekend, I’ve realized how thankful I am for those opportunities.

I’ve shared some of my recent articles about how God has been bringing healing and restoration to our family relationships. So being able to spend time together and enjoy those moments means even more to me. I don’t want to get so focused on what I’m praying about that I overlook the blessings He’s already placed in my life.

I also had a couple of encouraging moments with my business over the weekend.

I had two really good sales on Vinted, and I was thankful for both of them. I’ve continued working on my different income streams, and it’s always encouraging to see progress from the time and effort I’ve been putting into them. Now, I know two sales won’t accomplish every financial goal my husband and I have. But they were still blessings, and I wanted to thank God for them.

I’m learning to appreciate the small steps of progress instead of becoming discouraged because I haven’t reached every goal yet. Sometimes we focus so much on what we don’t have that we forget what God has already provided.

And I don’t want to live with that kind of mindset.

Editor’s note – It’s easy to let big prayer requests crowd out small, ordinary gifts. Troppello’s practice of pausing to notice a fun evening with family or a couple of modest sales is worth real attention – gratitude trains our eyes to see what God is already doing, not just what we’re still asking Him for.

Finding Peace in God’s Direction

Over the weekend, I talked with my mother-in-law about some of the things God has been doing in our lives. I told her that I’ve been feeling a real sense of peace lately. Even though we still have situations we’re praying about and things we’re waiting for, I’m thankful God continues to guide and direct us.

She agreed, and it was nice to have that conversation together. I think we sometimes assume peace will come once everything is resolved. We tell ourselves we’ll finally relax when a financial situation improves, a particular prayer is answered, or we reach a goal we’ve been working toward.

But I’ve been learning that God’s peace isn’t something we have to wait to experience until every circumstance in our lives is exactly the way we want it to be. We can have peace while we’re still waiting. We can trust Him while we take the next step. And we can be thankful even when we don’t know exactly what tomorrow will bring.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I love that passage because it reminds me that I don’t have to understand everything that’s happening. I can acknowledge God in my decisions, seek His wisdom, and trust Him to guide me according to His will. That doesn’t mean every decision will be easy or that I’ll never have moments of uncertainty.

There are still times when I have questions or wish I could see a little further down the road. But I’m learning that I don’t need to see the entire path to take the next step. I need to keep spending time with the Lord, listening for His guidance, and doing what I believe He’s calling me to do.

I also need to remember that His timing isn’t always the same as mine.

There have been situations in my life when I wanted something to happen much sooner than it did. Looking back, I can sometimes see how the waiting helped me grow or how circumstances came together in ways I never could have planned. Other times, I still don’t understand why certain things happened the way they did. But I know God is faithful, and I want to continue trusting Him even when I don’t have all the answers.

Editor’s note – Proverbs 3:5-6 doesn’t promise that trusting God removes uncertainty; it promises direction for those who refuse to lean on their own understanding. That’s worth remembering whenever we assume peace is something we’ll only have once every circumstance is settled.

Maintaining a Heart of Thanksgiving

One thing I’ve been intentionally working on lately is maintaining a thankful heart.

I think it’s easy to be grateful when everything is going well, and we’re seeing the results we hoped for. But what about the seasons when we’re still waiting? What about the times when we’re working hard, praying, and trusting God, but things aren’t moving as quickly as we’d like?

Those are the times when I think it’s especially important to remember His faithfulness.

First Thessalonians 5:18 says:

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Notice that the verse tells us to give thanks in everything.

That doesn’t mean we have to be thankful for every painful or difficult situation we experience. But we can still find reasons to thank God as we walk through those circumstances. We can thank Him for His presence. We can thank Him for the strength He gives us to keep going. We can thank Him for the people He’s placed in our lives, the opportunities He’s given us, and the ways He continues to provide.

I’ve been learning that gratitude helps redirect my attention from what I think is missing to everything God has already done. When I think about my weekend, I have so many reasons to be thankful. I’m thankful for my husband and the time we get to spend together.

I’m thankful for our family and the relationships God has been restoring. I’m thankful for our church and the opportunity to enjoy a fun evening with people we love. I’m thankful for the two Vinted sales and the encouragement they gave me as I continue building my business. And I’m thankful for the peace I’ve been experiencing as I continue trusting God with the things that are still unresolved.

None of those blessings mean that every challenge has disappeared. But they remind me that God is still providing, still guiding, and still working in our lives. Sometimes I think we put so much emphasis on reaching the next milestone that we forget to enjoy the journey.

We tell ourselves we’ll be happy when we reach a certain income level, accomplish a particular goal, or finally see an answer to a prayer. But I don’t want to spend my life waiting for some future moment before I allow myself to be thankful. I want to appreciate what God is doing today. I want to recognize the blessings He’s already given me.

And I want to continue trusting Him with the things that haven’t happened yet.

Editor’s note – Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 isn’t to feel thankful for every hardship, but to keep giving thanks in the middle of it. That’s a meaningful difference, and it’s one that keeps gratitude from becoming denial.

Trusting Him One Step at a Time

As I begin another week, I’m reminding myself that I don’t have to have everything figured out.

I have responsibilities to take care of, goals I want to accomplish, and things my husband and I continue to pray about. But I can approach those things with a heart of thanksgiving instead of allowing worry about the future to steal my peace.

I can keep working diligently on my business while trusting God with the results. I can continue praying for my family and appreciating the relationships He’s given us. And I can keep seeking His direction, knowing that His wisdom is greater than my own.

I’m not saying I’ve mastered any of this.

There are still moments when I have to remind myself to stop worrying, give something back to God, and trust Him again. But I can see how He’s been helping me grow in this area of my faith. And I’m thankful for that growth.

I’ve been a Christian for many years, and one thing I’ve learned is that God’s faithfulness doesn’t depend on whether everything in my life is going according to my plans. He is faithful in seasons of abundance and seasons of waiting. He is faithful when I can clearly see the next step and when I’m still asking Him for direction. He is faithful when I’m celebrating answered prayers and when I’m continuing to trust Him for answers that haven’t come yet.

I don’t have everything I want, but I’m thankful God has provided what I need. Most importantly, I have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and that’s the greatest blessing of all. So today, I’m choosing to thank Him for the blessings I can see, trust Him with what I can’t, and keep following Him one step at a time.

I know He has a plan, and I want to walk in His will rather than force everything to happen on my own timeline.

Can you maintain a thankful heart while you’re waiting on God? What’s one blessing you’re especially grateful for today, even if you’re still praying about some things?

A Word from the Editor
Thanksgiving isn’t a reward we earn once God finishes answering every prayer – it’s a posture we’re called to keep while we wait. Jesus told His disciples not to worry about tomorrow because today has enough of its own (Matthew 6:34), and Paul wrote from a prison cell that he had learned to be content in any circumstance (Philippians 4:11-13). Whatever you’re still waiting on this week, you can thank God for what’s already in your hand and trust Him with what isn’t yet.

Editor Comment: Your honest reflection on waiting with a thankful heart is an encouraging reminder that trust and gratitude can grow side by side.

This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.