“For the Lord has told me this: ‘I will watch quietly from my dwelling place, as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest.’” (Isaiah 18:4)
We’ve all been there. The heat is on. Life is testing you. You’re facing a situation where you feel like the pressure is about to break you, and you’re tempted to rush in, to do something, anything, to make it better, to make it go away because it hurts so badly. The bills are piling up. Your job is on the line. The relationships are strained. The clock is ticking, and time is slipping through your fingers. Your child’s situation isn’t changing. And you’re left wondering, “God, when will You answer me?”
The silence can feel deafening.
But Isaiah 18 reminds us that even in the silence, God is at work. Like the dew in the morning or the heat on a summer day, God’s actions are often unseen, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t moving.
The imagery used in Isaiah 18 describes God’s quiet sovereignty, just as the heat rises slowly on a summer day or the dew silently forms on the harvest, God is at work even when it doesn’t seem like it. The Cushites, like many nations, were busy with their plans and schemes, thinking they were in control. Yet, God was watching, and He had a plan for them too.
The waiting period is often a time when we feel that nothing is happening, but God’s silent watching is always part of His divine orchestration. Though the plans of men may seem urgent and necessary, God’s timing is what prevails.
The God Who Watches and Waits
It’s hard for us to grasp a God who watches and waits. We want immediate intervention. But God’s quietness is not passivity, it’s pregnant with purpose. Think of it like water coming to a boil. At first, nothing seems to be happening. But under the surface, heat is building. Molecules are moving. And before long, what was once still starts to bubble and rise.
That’s how God moves. Quietly, steadily, without panic or noise. He watches with the calm assurance of One who knows the end from the beginning.
Some seasons of parenting or leadership feel like you’re standing over a pot, waiting for it to boil, watching, praying, hoping. Nothing seems to shift. But oh, if you could see what’s building underneath! God is never still. He is waiting for the right moment to act, when the harvest is ripe, when the pruning will be most effective, when the outcome will bring Him the most glory.
Saul: The Tragic Result of Impatience
Sometimes, waiting feels impossible but impatience always carries a price, and the consequences of trying to take shortcuts can haunt us for generations. The pressure mounts, and we can feel like we’re going to crack.
King Saul faced this exact dilemma in 1 Samuel 13. His troops were beginning to scatter, and prophet Samuel was yet to arrive to offer sacrifices before battle. Saul, in his impatience, decided to take matters into his own hands. That act of impatience cost Saul the kingdom forever. He was rejected by God for not waiting on His appointed time.
I’m sure that if you could sit down with Saul today, he would tell you that he wishes he had waited for Samuel. He would say that if he had already waited seven days, he could have just waited one more! His regret is a lesson for all of us. The cost of impatience is often more than we can imagine.
I’m sure that if you could sit down with that woman who sold her soul to the devil for a child, she would tell you it wasn’t worth it. Those who called her barren, who lit the fire under her buttocks, have forgotten what they did, but now she is bearing the consequences for acting out of line.
She didn’t just sell her soul; she sold the destiny of her entire lineage, giving the devil permission to assign a demon to her household that plagued them until someone rose up and faced it head-on.
Sometimes, God’s silence feels like a delay, but it is an act of mercy, giving us the time we need to grow, learn, and prepare for what’s to come. Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control“.
David: Trusting God in the Fire
David faced a similar situation as Saul but he acted differently. He is the shining example of what it looks like to wait on God, even when the fire seems unbearable. In 1 Samuel 30, after returning to Ziklag, David and his men found that their families had been taken captive and their town destroyed. Grief overwhelmed them, and their anger was directed at David, the leader.
But David did not panic. He didn’t act rashly. Instead, he “encouraged himself in the Lord” and sought God’s direction. David did not give in to pressure or fear, even when everything seemed lost. Despite the overwhelming circumstances, he did not prioritize his own life over pleasing God. In fact, he was willing to surrender even his personal desires, including pursuing his own family, if God did not permit him to.
He waited, sought God’s will, and trusted His timing. God answered, and David went on to recover everything that was lost.
Waiting on God doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means staying faithful, trusting that God will guide you when it’s time to move. Even in the deepest trials, we must choose to wait for God’s instruction instead of acting impulsively.
Naaman: Help From the Most Unexpected Source, Trusting in the Right Source
Sometimes, the help we need will come from the most unexpected places. In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, was struck with leprosy. Desperate for healing, he sought help from the king of Israel, but the answer came from a young Israelite maid who had been taken captive during war.
In Isaiah 18, Judah was tempted to lean on Cush for support against the mighty Assyrians. They turned to the wrong source, relying on their own understanding and the strength of man instead of trusting in God.
Galatians 3:3 says “After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?”
How is it possible for a people who began with God;
who witnessed His raw power firsthand, who heard the stories of how He delivered them with a mighty hand from Egypt (Exodus 14:21-22),
brought down walls with their shout (Joshua 6:20),
parted seas to make a way for them to walk on dry land (Exodus 14:21-22),
made the sun and moon stand still in the days of Joshua (Joshua 10:12-14), and
fought their battles for them, blinding armies (2 Kings 6:18-20),
striking down thousands of enemies and
causing their foes to turn on each other, as in the time of Jehoshaphat when they went out only to take plunder (2 Chronicles 20:24-25), how could they so quickly forget Him and begin to trust in the arm of flesh?
Paul warns the Galatians, just like Judah, against returning to the flesh for solutions. When we start depending on systems, connections, or even religious performances instead of God, we repeat the same error Judah made.
I know waiting can feel like fire, but it’s far better to wait with God than to act without Him. Like David at Ziklag, pause, breathe, and strengthen yourself in the Lord. Waiting isn’t wasted time; it’s where God builds you, prepares you, and sets the stage for full restoration.
