The Art of Waiting: Trusting the Timing of the Spirit

It’s a universal human experience, isn't it? We want things *now*. We want the new phone, the answer to the tough question, the healing, the clarity—we want it immediately. If we don't get it right away, our natural inclination is to drop the idea, to walk away from the pursuit.

But when we talk about the spiritual life, the stakes are infinitely higher than a new gadget. We’re talking about covenants, about the Savior, and about the promises of the restored gospel. And here’s where the concept of 'waiting' gets tricky. We are taught to pray, to ask, to feel the Spirit, but what does it *feel* like when the answer doesn't arrive on the timeline we’ve mentally drawn up?

The beautiful, sometimes frustrating, truth we learn on this journey—whether you’re in MTC, serving in the field, or just trying to build your discipleship at home—is that the Lord’s timing is always perfect, even when it feels agonizingly slow. The answer arrives at the *right* time.

Perseverance: The Spiritual Muscle

Think about it like ordering something online. You choose the perfect model, you’re excited, and you’re ready to count down the days. You commit to the wait because you genuinely desire the outcome. In our spiritual lives, that desire—that deep, abiding yearning for gospel truth, for baptismal covenants to be honored, for the Spirit to guide us—is what fuels our perseverance.

Sometimes, we feel like we’ve prayed for everything—for guidance, for strength, for the ability to be better disciples—and the silence is deafening. We look at the lives of those who have waited, like the prophetess Anna, who waited decades for the Messiah to appear. Her life wasn't defined by the *arrival*, but by the *waiting*—a focused, faithful concentration on the Lord.

Becoming Christlike in the Wait

This isn't passive waiting, friends. It's active discipleship. It’s using the time *between* the asking and the receiving. It's turning that energy—the energy we'd spend getting frustrated—into scripture study, into service, into deepening our understanding of the Plan of Salvation. It’s about becoming more Christlike in the waiting room.

This is the essence of being an internet missionary. You don't need to be physically in a mission field to be doing the work. You can be studying the Book of Mormon, helping a friend understand a difficult doctrine, or simply keeping your own spirit cultivated, day after day. That sustained effort *is* the work.

If you’re feeling the pinch of waiting right now—whether it’s for a breakthrough in your own life, for a family member, or for a deeper understanding of the Atonement—don't let your faith waver because the visible evidence isn't there yet. Keep showing up. Keep studying. Keep inviting others to learn.

Remember that every single act of faith, every time you choose to study rather than quit, every time you keep your mouth open to share the gospel even when it's uncomfortable—that is you building the spiritual muscle of perseverance. The Lord sees the effort, even when the immediate miracle isn't visible.

If this message resonated with you, I encourage you to share it with someone who might be feeling discouraged right now. And if you want to deepen your understanding of how to keep the faith through the tough times, check out some of the foundational teachings on the Iron Rod. I highly recommend diving into the insights on discipleship within LivingBook.

For those of us feeling the call to learn more about the doctrines of the gospel, I invite you to join a Book Club or a Bible Study Group in HolyPlaces. Let's study together!

And if you want to practice walking through those tough doctrinal questions with a friend, remember Davee is always here to help you practice your answers!

Keep pressing forward, brothers and sisters. The Lord is faithful, and His timing is perfect.