10 Songs to Encourage You While You’re Waiting on God

It can be hard to keep the faith while you’re going through trials and waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled. If you are in that place today, I pray that these songs will encourage you to keep looking up and waiting patiently for the Lord.

“I’d Rather Believe in You” (The Imperials) — Originally recorded in 1980, this song is just as relevant today as it was then. It’s infused with the calm and settled confidence that comes from placing our faith in God. Others’ sympathy, however well-intentioned, can never replace Jesus as our shelter in the time of storm. He is better than any other friend, because He is the only one we can turn to and trust in that will never change. He is always faithful. Whatever is going on in the world, we can trust that our King is in charge, a steady rock in the midst of swirling chaos.

“I Choose to Believe” (Phillips, Craig & Dean) — Something as seemingly small as a phone call can upend our lives in an instant. Even then, we must choose to keep believing in God and allow trials to draw us closer to Him rather than drive us away from Him. Our faith must be founded on His character, not our circumstances. Where we are doesn’t change who He is. Faith is hardest to hold on to while we’re waiting, before we see signs of God’s presence or watch Him fulfill His promises. But that is also when faith is most needed and most precious.  

“In the Valley” (Sovereign Grace) — Based on a Puritan prayer from the devotional The Valley of Vision (you can read that prayer here), this song is a gathering of paradoxes that characterize the Christian life. God leads our souls low so He can lift our eyes high. The valley is a place of vision. Some glories can be found only in darkness—in fact, they are made more beautiful there, like stars shining against the canvas of the night. And in our weakness, God’s strength is seen. For all goodness comes from God—there is none in us. Trials reveal our neediness, causing us to lean on the Lord for strength and find in Him a boundless supply. 

“Sometimes He Comes in the Clouds” (Steven Curtis Chapman) — There are certain times and places where we expect to see God: as we engage in prayer and as we read His word. But sometimes God doesn’t seem to be found there. He seems hidden. These are the times He comes in the clouds, obscuring Himself so we will seek Him more fervently. It’s easy to be confident when life is going well, but when storms come to test our faith, they can make us wonder if God is really there. The truth is He has never left us. He has only covered Himself with clouds.

His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

— Nahum 1:3 (ESV)

“The Promise” (4HIM) — Written from God’s perspective, this song reminds us that He is observing our faith as we wait for Him. He doesn’t always show up when or how we expect Him to, but He will come in His time and in His way. Just as He made Himself known to Abraham, Moses, and Elijah, God continues to reveal Himself today. He has promised us the best He has to give: His presence. He is the promise.

“The Room” (Bruce Carroll) — This song is different from the others listed here in that it doesn’t offer much in the way of reflections. Instead, it tenderly and tactfully draws listeners into a story and allows them to come up with their own conclusions. All of us have a room like the one this song talks about: a part of our lives where our desire hasn’t been granted and our longing remains unfulfilled. We may never speak of it, but an awareness of the emptiness lingers. Our only comfort is found in remembering that Jesus’ presence reaches even to “the room.” In the hurt before the healing comes, we can hold on to hope and trust that one day light will come. 

“Wait” (Steven Curtis Chapman) — It’s easy to question if anything useful is happening while you are waiting. But as long as you are waiting on the Lord (not yourself or someone else), more is happening in your heart and soul than you know, even though it looks like life is standing still. The Lord is doing His slow and steady work under the surface, developing your strength and perseverance. So much good is taking place as you wait.

“In the Hands of the Potter” (Casting Crowns) — Trials can make the early days of our faith, when we trusted God without question, seem distant. When our hearts are dry, we need Living Water to wash over us so we can stay soft and shapable in the Potter’s hands. The cross shows His love for us, reminding us that the work He began in us continues to this moment and will be completed one glorious day. In the meantime, He holds us together as He forms us into His likeness and molds us into His masterpiece.

“Jesus Answers” (Michele Wagner) — When God’s will is contrary to ours, it calls for death to self. As painful as that can be, during those times we have to trust the truth that Jesus knows our need, hears our cry, and will answer our prayers in His time. We need to be reminded of that truth often, because during the waiting it’s easy to forget.

“Until” (Mark Harris) — This song has special meaning to me because about a year ago when my family was praying and waiting for deliverance in a major area of our lives, God used it to speak to me and help me keep the right focus when the waiting was driving me crazy. I learned that when your own faith is faltering, standing on someone else’s faith is a saving grace. When we’re weary from the fight and too tired to remember the truth on our own, what we need to do is fill our minds and feast our souls and shelter our hearts in the truth as someone else speaks it over us, letting it wash down deep into our being. This strengthens us to spill forth truth when we’re pushed to the edge. God used this song to plant my roots deep into the truth during that season, and I’m grateful. I won’t try to sum it up, because the song says it better than I ever could. I encourage you to listen and let it lift your heart as you wait for your own “until.”