A Prayer of Hope for God’s Promises to Be Fulfilled
By Clarence Haynes
Bible Reading:
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord. - Psalm 27:13-14
Listen or Read Below:
Promises are great, but the truth is they are only as good as the person making the promise. If their word is no good, then the promise is worthless. Have you ever lent money to “that friend” who “promised” to pay you back? While there may be a small part of you that wanted to believe, deep down inside, you knew you would probably never see that money again.
While there are many people out there who offer empty promises, thankfully, God does not. His promises are dependable, and you can bank your life on them. However, like all promises, they happen in stages. In the first stage, God makes the promise. Great excitement usually accompanies this, as the promise brings expectation and hope. In the final stage, God fulfills the promise. This is also exciting because the expectation and hope have become a reality.
Sitting between those two is the waiting. This is by far the most challenging stage. If you are like me, you probably don’t enjoy waiting because this is where your faith gets tested and your hope gets challenged. Will God do what he said? While the answer is yes, you just might have to wait to see it. The issue with waiting is that you don’t know if you will have to wait days, months, or years.
Remaining Hopeful While Waiting
Though God’s promises can inspire hope within you, waiting can dim the light of that hope. When your waiting period feels too long, that’s when questions arise, and hope fades.
- You have been praying for a long time, and you wonder if that person will ever get saved.
- After battling illness for years, you question if your body will ever be healed.
- Despite your best efforts, you still ponder if your financial breakthrough is ever going to happen.
Regardless of your situation, waiting on God in these situations can be overwhelming. You may even feel you should take matters into your own hands because you think God is moving too slow. I have tried that before and discovered that rarely works out well. That’s why the challenge of faith in God’s promises is not at the beginning or the end; it’s in the middle.
My suspicion is that many of you may be in the middle. You are trusting God’s promises, but you have not seen the fulfillment, and you are possibly at the place where your hope is wearing thin. In these moments, the tendency is to want to pull back, but this is precisely the time to lean in even further. Instead of praying less, pray more. Rather than worshipping less, worship more. Instead of letting go of God’s promises, hold on to them tighter. None of these things will cause God’s promise to come to pass any faster, but they will give you the grace to endure while you are waiting.
I wish I could tell you when God is going to fulfill his promise in your life, but I can’t. What I can tell you is he is faithful and will never leave you nor forsake you. We used to say, “He may not come when you want him, but he will always be on time.” My friend, that is true.
Honestly, I wish there were no gaps between God’s promise and fulfillment, but ultimately that would be to our disadvantage. It is in the waiting that God builds your character, and you truly learn how to trust him. I am not saying these lessons are fun to go through, but when you look back, you will see how God was molding and shaping you all along. So don’t be discouraged in waiting, but know that if God has promised it, he will do it. Until then, wait on the Lord and be strong in heart because you will see his goodness in the land of the living. Those are not my words; they are his.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your promises, but if I am being honest, I am growing tired of waiting for you to fulfill them. Help me. As I sit in this place, I am asking for your Spirit and your word to refresh me. Give me more grace to lean into your promises and to sit in your presence so I can find the strength and help I need to keep going. I ask that you help me not to lose heart and make my faith strong.
Lord, I ask that you bring to pass what you have promised sooner rather than later. But until you do, help me walk with you in unwavering faith, confident that your word is true and you never go back on your promises. Remind me again of your faithfulness, and let that be the assurance that I rest in. Until you fulfill your promise, I will continue to thank you for honoring your word, knowing you will do what you said you would do. Let that hope live in me daily as I walk with you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
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Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/BartekSzewczyk
He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose, which helps readers understand how God leads them into his will, and the author of The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has released his first course, Bible Study Basics, to achieve that goal. To learn more about his ministry and resources, please visit clarencehaynes.com.
Related Resource: How to Choose Your One Word for 2026
This month on the How to Study the Bible Podcast, we’re starting a new series called One Word 2026, and it’s meant to be a gentle but intentional way to reflect, respond, and reconnect with God as we begin the year. In this episode, I’m walking you through why I love taking the whole month of January to pause and listen — rather than rushing into resolutions or putting pressure on yourself to “get it all together” by January 1. We’re going to start with Philippians 1:3–11, where Paul reminds us that we can have real confidence because God is still working in us, and He’s not finished.
Then I’m going to share six words I’ve been praying over for our community — six spiritual intentions that I believe reflect the kind of growth God may be inviting us into this year. You don’t have to choose one right away, and you definitely don’t have to force it — but I hope that one of these words will resonate in your spirit and give you a steady anchor for 2026.
This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
