Walking in the Waiting: Becoming Like Jesus

One of the greatest challenges of following Jesus is learning how to wait. We often associate calling with action, impact, and visible fruit, yet Scripture shows that before God entrusts us with public influence, He often leads us through private formation.

In a world that values speed and instant results, waiting can feel frustrating. But in God’s Kingdom, waiting is never wasted. It is often the place where He does His deepest work, shaping our hearts and preparing us for what lies ahead.

Jesus Himself models this truth. Before the miracles, the crowds, and the teaching, He spent about thirty years in relative obscurity before beginning three years of public ministry. The Son of God was not in a hurry. He trusted the Father’s timing and embraced God’s process of preparation. This challenges our view of success. We often think significance begins when people notice us, but God sees differently. As He reminded Samuel, “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

We often serve in ways where the fruit is not immediately visible. Much of God’s work happens quietly through relationships, making it easy to focus on outcomes rather than what He is doing within us.Yet God is most concerned with our hearts. Character sustains what gifting alone cannot, and waiting seasons become places where He develops humility, faithfulness, patience, and dependence on Him. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2 to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” As we walk with Jesus, He continually shapes our hearts, renews our thinking, and forms us into people who reflect Him more each day.

The waiting, therefore, is not simply about enduring until our circumstances change. It is about allowing God to change us. It is about becoming people who reflect Jesus more clearly. The longer we walk with Him, the more we discover that formation is just as important as function.

For those of us serving as Peer Servants, this is especially important. People are often impacted less by what we do and more by who we are. Our presence, compassion, patience, and willingness to walk alongside others, flow from the work God has already done within us.

Ministry is not simply an activity; it is an overflow of a life being transformed by Christ.
Jesus’ hidden years were not an interruption to His calling—they were part of His calling. The same is true for us. The seasons that seem slow, unseen, or unremarkable may be the very places where God is preparing us for what lies ahead.

So perhaps the question is not, “When will my opportunity come?” but rather, “Who am I becoming while I wait?”

Because if Jesus could embrace thirty years of preparation before three years of public ministry, then waiting is not something standing between us and God’s purpose. It may be one of His primary tools for shaping us into the people He has called us to be.

As Peer Servants, may we learn to trust God’s timing, embrace His formation, and walk faithfully in every season. For it is often in the waiting that we become more like Jesus.

Lucy Okenkali
Volunteer-Wasaidizi and Growth Teams
Gabon