Waiting on God feels like doing nothing. It feels like wasting time. But what if waiting is actually the spiritual strength training we need most? This post explores what red-tailed hawks can teach us about building faith, trusting God’s timing, and learning to soar.
The sun shines bright this morning. I’m sitting outside listening to the high pitch “caw-caw” of two red-tailed hawks. They soar high above the tree line. Their white and red feathers a stark contrast to the clear blue sky. Then a third joins the chorus. Watching them float, wings spread wide gives me a sense of their freedom. They catch the updraft and let it lift them higher. Circling and calling to each other. Letting the wind take them wherever it blows.
A Rough Start
These hawks make flying look effortless, but I wonder—did these graceful creatures start as terrified fledglings, tumbling from the nest? The baby birds would be content to sit in the nest, mouths wide open, waiting for mama to bring them food every day. But mama knows the only way her babies will learn is with practice. She entices them to the edge of the nest and gently nudges them over the side.
Wings start flapping aimlessly. Panic sets in. The mama hawk doesn’t worry. Neither does she sit high above laughing at her children, ignoring their needs.
No. She keeps a watchful eye on her little ones and, at just the right time, swoops in to catch them on her back. Then she carries them back to the nest. She does this over and over until the fledglings have built up strength in their wings and they can soar without falling.
As a person bound by gravity, I can’t fly like the birds. I can’t soar on the wind. But maybe that’s exactly what Isaiah meant when he said those who wait on the Lord will “mount up with wings like eagles.” Not that waiting magically gives me wings—but waiting is the falling, flapping, terrifying practice that builds the strength I need to soar.
“But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” –Isaiah 40:31
Why Is Waiting Hard?
It seems counterproductive to wait. It feels like doing nothing. Like wasting time. But our 21st century brains understand waiting differently than the prophets like Isaiah. Surely this can’t still be true. Can it?
Full disclosure, I often question God when I have to wait. I wonder if he is choosing to withhold something from me? Or maybe he’s being unkind or devious? Is he ignoring me? Does he care?
“Waiting is always affected by the character of our thoughts about the one on whom we wait.”
—Andrew Murray, Waiting on God
These questions reveal my heart. I doubt God’s love. I distrust his character. I question his methods. My anxious and restless heart can’t sit still doing nothing.
But waiting is not doing nothing.
What Waiting Actually Means
First, waiting is restrained action. It is a deliberate, patient expectation that remains until the person arrives or the activity is accomplished. It is a twisting cord, a tension-filled posture of gathered strength. Scientists call this potential energy—all the energy is there, holding back until the right moment for release. Waiting is knowing God will act and a willingness to submit to his perfect timing.
But, waiting also builds spiritual strength. Just like a fledgling hawk has to practice flapping its wings to gain strength, I have to practice trusting God to build my spiritual muscles. Strength training is necessary. It requires hard work. Pain. Sweat. Resistance. These are the tools God uses to build my endurance so I can stand strong in the face of persecution and trial. But I have to let go of my own stubborn will and learn to rest in his goodness.
“The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” –Lamentations 3:25
And here’s what waiting reveals—my weakness. Most of the time, I don’t see my struggles as strength exercises. Instead, my resistance to waiting exposes my doubt. When I can’t sit still and I grip at control with white-knuckles, I’m revealing what I actually believe about God. Do I trust him? Do I believe that he is good? The hard part is admitting that I don’t believe God will come through for me. That’s the honesty that waiting demands. I have to acknowledge what I really believe about God’s character when his timeline doesn’t match my expectations.
“From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him.” —Isaiah 64:4
Finally Soaring
Waiting is not easy. But it’s worth the effort. It’s a daily battle. It’s a moment by moment release of my anxious thoughts. Waiting with hands and heart wide open takes practice. It takes falling and getting back up, again and again. Then the moment comes that I look back and realize I am soaring. Effortlessly. Stillness settles over my fearful heart. In that moment, there is peace.
Take Action…
This week, identify one area where you have trouble giving up that white-knuckle control instead of waiting on God. Write it down. Then ask yourself this question: What do I believe about God’s character? What does that show me about myself?