When You Feel Behind, Let God Remind You That Preparation Isn’t Punishment (It’s Protection)
· Thought Catalog
Updated 5 hours ago, December 23, 2025
“God, when I am tired of waiting, remind me that you are not done with me — you’re preparing me.”
Because waiting has a way of making you question everything — your timing, your worth, your direction, even your prayers. There are seasons where it feels like nothing is moving, where nothing is changing, and where nothing is lining up the way you hoped it would. And in that stillness, it is easy to wonder if God has gone quiet or if you somehow missed something along the way.
But the truth is, waiting is rarely a punishment. More often, it is protection. It is preparation. It is God holding you in a place long enough to grow the parts of you that rushed seasons cannot reach. The quiet stretches are where he strengthens what is growing, where he heals what is hidden, and where he steadies what will be needed for what’s coming next.
When you pray this, you are not just asking for patience — you are asking for perspective. You are asking God to help you see the waiting not as a barrier, but as a building place. You are asking him to remind you that his silence isn’t absence, and that his timing isn’t neglect. You are choosing to believe that what feels delayed is often being designed with intention.
So if you’re stuck between where you are and where you hoped to be, breathe. You are not behind. You are not forgotten. You are not being overlooked. God is shaping the version of you that can carry the blessing he is preparing. And that kind of work takes time.
Let this be your reminder today:
You are not being held back.
You are being held together.
And when the time is right, what is meant for you will arrive strengthened, and aligned, and overflowing with purpose.
Until then, trust the preparation. God is not done with you — he’s just not finished preparing you.