Have you been wondering if you heard God right? You’ve taken every step and He’s opened every door but now you feel like you’re at a stand still. Perhaps the road ahead seems clouded and you’re wondering if you really heard God to begin with. The truth is, when we feel like nothing is happening we can rest assured that God is still working. We may not be able to see or understand how, but we can trust that He is.

What I am learning in my own walk with Jesus is there will be some seasons that are simply more private than others. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that success is for the world to see but when we are walking with Jesus, success for a season can simply look like being faithful to our relationship with Him in private. Seeking Him wholeheartedly through His presence and word. Getting rid of our need for validation and coming back to the basics of building our lives upon His firm foundation. If you’re in a season like this, maybe God is wanting to heal you more fully and perhaps the fruit being produced is actually within your heart.

Have you ever wondered why God changed people’s names in the bible? When He gave a person a new name it was usually to establish a new identity. I love reading the story of Abram and Sarai. We know that even though God promised Sarai she would have a son in her old age, it didn’t stop her and Abram from taking matters into their own hands. Even though their decisions had consequences, God’s plan remained the same. He eventually reaffirms His promise with them and renamed them both to Abraham and Sarah–establishing a line in the sand between the old and new.  When we don’t feel like God is answering our prayers or moving as fast as we had hoped it’s easy to begin doubting, questioning and allowing confusion to consume our minds. However, the deep work that God is doing in your life could be leading you to the new version of yourself; the version you need to be to obtain the promises and plans He has for your life.

Abraham and Sarah waited nearly 25 years for the fulfillment of their promise. If they had to wait, then we probably will too. What if instead of viewing this time of waiting as a negative thing, we decide to view it as a simple pause towards the promise?  We surrender to this moment in time where we stop hustling, planning and trying to figure it all out. Instead we seek Jesus in the secret place, remembering that the deep work He is doing in our hearts and minds is preparing us for what’s ahead, in His timing.

I felt the call to write my first book back in 2020 and it is set to come out into the world in the spring of 2026. Which means from the time I felt God’s call to write my book to the time it is released, 6 years will have passed. I can tell you from walking this journey out myself, that God’s way to the promise is always better. Don’t get me wrong, it has been challenging. There have been moments I have tried to force or work my way to the fulfillment of this promise. My way was filled with stress, frustration and disappointment while God’s way is filled with peace, refinement, confirmation and grace.

Back in 2021, I was trying to navigate this new call to writing. I had just graduated dental hygiene school and now God was calling me to write a book? You can imagine the confusion I felt in that season. Lysa Terkeurst was speaking at an event near my hometown and I decided at the last minute to attend. When we entered the room where she was speaking, they had us all write down a question as she would be answering a few of them at some point that night. I wrote something like, “Hi. I’m 25 and feel like God is calling me to write a book. What advice do you have for me?” I wrote this question down thinking there was no way it would get drawn to answer. Well it did. As her host read the question out loud to the crowd I sank down a bit further in my chair. I heard Lysa then ask, “Who’s question is this?” I nervously raised my hand and she met me with a heart of compassion and words of advice I still have written on the inside of my bible today. She looked at me and said, “If there’s anything I could say to you as you begin this journey, it would be to not allow the vision of the dream to outrun the development of your character”. I can tell you I have revisited these words several times throughout my journey. I have often wanted to rush ahead of God’s timing but these words have helped remind me of who’s leading the way and to embrace the process. I can tell you now that the miracle God has done in my life wasn’t just found in the moment of seeing a promise fulfilled but in the process it took to get there.

I don’t know what God has spoken over your life or what promise you’re holding on to. If you feel like you’re in a waiting season, just know it’s not really a waiting season at all. It’s just a season where the work God is doing in your life is behind the scenes. It’s a season to pull back, reset and allow Him to refine and humble you in the way He desires. The development of your character and humility is far more important than getting to the place you want to be as fast as you can. You can trust these seasons are maturing you in a way that will only help you withstand the promise when it is fulfilled. These seasons help us all to make sure that no matter where God leads us or how He positions us, our identity is rooted in Him and Him alone.

Katie Dietz is a born and raised Oklahoma girl who has a heart for sharing the light & hope of Jesus. She is a part time dental hygienist and is currently writing her first book with Our Daily Bread. She is the creator of Back Porch Devotionals- a community focused on encouraging women on their walk with Jesus through daily devotionals & faith- filled truth. Her 1st book is set to come out in 2026! In the meantime you can keep up with her on Instagram @katie.dietz & @back.porch.devos