“But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
—Romans 8:25 (NIV)
There’s something sacred about the waiting room—not the kind with magazines and fluorescent lights, but the spiritual one. The place where hearts long for what God has promised, yet hands remain empty. It’s the place where many adoptive and foster families live, sometimes for months, sometimes for years. And while it may feel quiet, slow, and uncertain, the waiting room is not void of God’s presence. In fact, it is often where He does His deepest work.
Waiting isn’t simply about time passing—it’s about transformation. It’s the holy ground where hope is tested, faith is refined, and surrender becomes real. For families waiting to adopt or welcome a child into their home, this season can feel like wandering in the wilderness. But even in the wilderness, God provides. Even in the silence, He speaks. Even in the waiting, He is working.
A Mother’s Waiting Heart
I remember a friend—let’s call her Rachel—who waited four long years to adopt her daughter. Each year brought a new round of paperwork, home visits, and hopeful meetings with agencies. There were two matches that fell through, one child they nearly brought home but had to release back into a situation they couldn’t understand. Rachel would cry in her car, pray in the night, and hold onto a tiny pink baby blanket she bought in faith when God first placed adoption on her heart.
There were moments she questioned everything. Had she heard God wrong? Was she doing something wrong? Was God withholding something good from her? But she also had moments of fierce faith—of worshiping through tears, fasting on behalf of a child she hadn’t yet met, and choosing hope over despair. And when her daughter finally came, she said with tears in her eyes, “She wasn’t late. She came right on time—God’s time.”
Rachel’s story mirrors the experience of so many waiting families. The road is often longer and harder than expected. But the testimony is always this: God was faithful.
God’s Timing is Never Wasted
The journey to adoption is full of unknowns. Families may feel forgotten, overlooked, or even punished. But the Word reminds us that waiting is not a waste. Romans 8:25 tells us that if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Patience is not passive; it’s active trust. It is the posture of a heart that says, “Even if I don’t see it yet, I still believe.”
The Bible is filled with stories of those who waited:
- Abraham and Sarah waited decades for their promised son, Isaac.
- Joseph endured betrayal and imprisonment before stepping into the purpose God had prepared for him.
- Hannah wept bitterly year after year before giving birth to Samuel.
- David was anointed as king but waited many years before he sat on the throne.
- And even Jesus, the Messiah, waited 30 years before beginning His public ministry.
Each story reminds us: God is not slow in keeping His promises—He is intentional. He aligns timing, hearts, and circumstances with precision. The waiting isn’t a delay—it’s preparation. God never forgets His children, and He never fails to finish what He starts.
The Work God Does While We Wait
It may be hard to see it now, but God is doing something profound in your waiting season. You may feel like you’re sitting still, but heaven is moving on your behalf.
1. He Refines Our Faith
Waiting reveals what we truly believe about God. Do we trust Him only when we see results, or do we trust His heart even in the silence? James 1:3 says, “The testing of your faith produces perseverance.” In the waiting room, God tests not to break us but to build us. He’s growing roots of faith that can weather any storm.
2. He Prepares the Promise
The child you’re waiting for may not even be born yet. Or perhaps they are in the middle of their own transition, healing, or loss. God is weaving together their story and yours. Just like Joseph had to go through the pit and prison before he could fulfill God’s plan in the palace, your child may be walking through their own journey of preparation. Trust that God is working behind the scenes in their life, just as He is in yours.
3. He Transforms Our Perspective
Waiting gives us space to let go of control, deepen our surrender, and recalibrate our vision. It moves us from saying, “I want a child now,” to “God, I want Your will in Your way and in Your time.” That shift opens our hearts to children we may have never considered, situations we may have initially avoided, and purposes we didn’t anticipate.
4. He Invites Us Into Intimacy
Waiting can draw us closer to God. When we stop striving and start resting in His presence, we find that the greatest gift isn’t the arrival of the child—it’s the closeness of the Father. Psalm 27:14 encourages us: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” It’s in these moments of quiet trust that we learn to truly know Him.
Practical Steps of Faith for Waiting Families
While you wait, don’t sit still in frustration—stand firm in faith. Here are some practical ways to anchor your heart during the waiting season:
Create a Prayer Journal
Write specific prayers for your future child, their biological family, the agency or system involved, and your own heart. Document the journey—every step, every prayer, every moment. One day, you may share those words with your child as a testament to how deeply they were loved even before they arrived.
Prepare in Faith
You may be tempted to hold back emotionally or physically until the adoption is finalized. But faith often calls us to move before we see. Buy the onesie. Set up the room. Read the parenting books. Not as an act of impatience, but as an act of belief.
Serve While You Wait
Sometimes the best way to endure our own waiting is to walk with someone else in theirs. Support another foster or adoptive family. Babysit for foster parents in your church. Encourage someone just beginning their journey. Sowing into someone else’s story often brings breakthrough in our own.
Build a Support Network
You were never meant to do this alone. Surround yourself with people who will remind you of God’s promises, speak life when you’re weary, and pray when you can’t find the words. Connect with others in the adoption and foster care community. Community brings perspective and strength.
Worship While You Wait
Worship is warfare. When you feel discouraged, turn on worship music, speak Scripture aloud, and declare God’s faithfulness. Let your waiting room become a place of praise.
A Word to the Weary
Dear waiting parent, your story is not on hold. God is still writing it—one chapter at a time. You are not forgotten. You are not invisible. And you are not alone.
The God who spoke the universe into existence sees you. He knows your heart, your desire, and your ache. His timing is perfect, and His plans are good.
Even now, He is preparing the way. He is aligning hearts. He is opening doors. And when the day comes—when the waiting ends and your child is finally home—you’ll know that every second was worth it. Because God’s promises are always worth the wait.
So take heart. Hold onto hope. Keep believing. Keep praying. And never stop trusting the One who called you to this journey. He is faithful to finish what He began.
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father,
We lift up every family walking through the waiting season. You see their tears, their longings, and their prayers whispered in the quiet. Strengthen their hearts today. Renew their hope. Remind them that Your timing is perfect and that You are working in ways they cannot yet see.
We ask that You would prepare the way, soften hearts, open doors, and make the crooked paths straight. Surround these families with peace, provision, and community. Let Your presence be their anchor in every storm.
We trust You, Lord, not just for the promise—but in the process.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
You Are Not Alone.
The God who called you to this journey walks every step with you. In the waiting, He is working. In the silence, He is speaking. In the delays, He is delivering something deeper.
Hold on, beloved family—hope is not lost. Hope is alive. And His name is Jesus.