Worth the Wait with Joel Thomas
Waiting stirs up discomfort, powerlessness, and uncertainty. But in God’s hands, it also becomes the very process that transforms us. In this series, we’ll look at a different response to waiting, and discover why, in the end, what God is doing in us is worth the wait.
Week One - Your Future Self
November 4, 2025
Our biology and culture push us toward impatience, but God calls us to trust that what he’s doing in us is worth the wait.
QUESTIONS:
1. Would you say you’re generally patient or impatient? What makes you say that?
2. When you think of your current season of life, where are you tempted to feel stuck or powerless?
3. Read Romans 8:25–29 aloud. What word or phrase stands out to you most, and why?
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the
mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been
called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Which part of this passage brings you comfort, and which part challenges you? Why?
4. Can you think of a past season of waiting where you now see God used it to shape you? If so, please
share.
5. What’s one thing you could do this week to remember that waiting isn’t wasted—that God is using it to
make you more like Jesus?
Week Two - Peace Filled Dependence
November 11, 2025
We’re convinced that if we just do the right things, life will turn out the way we want—but what do you do when the formula breaks and you’re left waiting, powerless, and discontent?
QUESTIONS:
1. Do you prefer planning everything in advance, or going with the flow and seeing what happens?
2. Why do you think contentment can feel so elusive, even when life is going well?
3. Read Philippians 4:10–13 aloud. What word or phrase stands out to you most, and why?
I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned,
but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be
content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or
hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
4. Reflect on the phrase, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” How close are you to
being like that? Elaborate on your answer. Could you see yourself getting significantly closer to learning
that type of contentment? Explain.
5. How can both gratitude and prayer help interrupt cycles of discontentment?
6. Where are you currently applying an “if/then” formula in life, and what would it look like to replace it with
dependence on God?
Week Three - His Will, His Way
November 18, 2025
The hardest part of waiting isn’t always the delay itself. Sometimes it’s the uncertainty of why God seems absent when we need him most
QUESTIONS:
1. What’s one word you’d use to describe your current season—predictable or uncertain? What makes you say that?
2. Do you find it easier to trust God is with you in small uncertainties or big ones? How come?
3. Read John 11:32 aloud. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How do you relate to Mary’s statement, “Lord, if you had been here…” in your own seasons of waiting?
4. Read Hebrews 11:1 aloud. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. What do you think that verse means? How might this description of faith help you view waiting differently?
5. What situation are you facing that feels uncertain, and how could you take a step to believe God is still at work