When God Says Wait
Practical lessons from Josh Baldwin
Our world today expects or even demands immediate results. The concept of waiting on God’s timing can feel countercultural and challenging. Worship leader and songwriter Josh Baldwin offers a refreshing perspective on what it means to trust the Lord for His timing. Josh talked to us about how he navigates the tension the world’s expectations and waiting on God’s purpose and plan.
Josh, a prominent figure with Bethel Music, is known for his soulful worship songs like “Stand in Your Love.” Before his platform expanded, he spent over 20 years leading worship in small churches, feeling hidden yet faithfully following God’s call.
Feeling Abandoned but Leaning into God
“I don’t know if I felt far from the Lord; I definitely felt a little bit abandoned,” Josh shared. It wasn’t that he had lost his faith, but at times it seemed like the dreams God had planted in his heart were slipping further away. “I’m in my 20s; I wasn’t married, living by myself up in the mountains of North Carolina.”
Josh shared how he just talked to God. “First of all, I’m alone. Where’s my wife? No [single] women in my church, God. And where’s my family? You said I would have a family….I was leading worship and I loved it, but I was also a warehouse manager…that was my real job. And I was just hustling, trying to make it work.”
God’s delays are not rejections but a part of His perfect plan to prepare us for what lies ahead.
Josh continued, “I had all these dreams. I knew who I was. I was writing songs and just all these things that I felt like I was called to do. And. And then I’ve been given words, people telling me, ‘This is who you are.’ It was almost like laughing in my face…I wanted the world to stop telling me things like that.”
Instead of walking away, Josh made a powerful choice—to lean into God’s presence, even when He felt distant.
God’s Last Directive
Josh asked himself, “What was the last thing the Lord told me?” He reminded himself to steward what was in front of him. “The last thing He told me was, this is where I need to be, and this is what I need to be doing.”
When you’re unsure about your next steps, ask yourself the same question: What was the last thing God asked of me?
Watering Dreams in God’s Timing
Often, we feel the need to force things to happen in our timing. Josh faced this struggle too but found that when he stopped striving and redirected his focus on being faithful in the moment, God began to move.
“I need to remember—don’t go over here chasing dreams and trying to pastor these dreams over here when you’re still supposed to be pastoring this place that you are.”
As Josh chose to focus on leading his small worship team with all his heart, instead of rushing ahead, something began to shift. “Then He just started watering these dreams over here, and things started happening,” Josh shared.
If you feel like you might be in a season where your dreams feel distant, perhaps God is asking you to be faithful where you are, trusting that He will bring growth in His timing.
Stewarding the Season You’re In
“You don’t want to skip those [moments. It’s] waiting on the Lord’s perfect timing, but also building care with all the things that need to take place in that moment,” Josh encouraged.
Especially when it seems like nothing is happening, we often feel the temptation to rush ahead. But remember:
In those moments of waiting, God is doing some of His most important work in you.
Reflecting on Jesus’ Hidden Years
Josh talked about a book he read called Anonymous. “It talks about the hidden years of Jesus and just… most of Jesus’s life was not out in public,” Josh explained.
He explained that Jesus spent the majority of His life waiting for God’s perfect timing to step into His calling. Josh shared that this insight shifted his mindset about his own journey: “If that’s what the Lord did, then why am I trying to hustle myself out into the light?” Even if you feel hidden or forgotten, God is using this time to prepare you for what’s next.
Gratitude for the Hidden Seasons
Josh’s journey has been a long one. “A lot of the platform and things that were given didn’t happen until I was 39, 40 years old.” But instead of seeing those years as wasted time, Josh looks back with gratitude. “I wouldn’t trade any of that… I feel so blessed to be able to see what’s happening right now in my life and my family.” He emphasized that the years of working quietly behind the scenes taught him to love the Lord for who He is, not just for what He could do for him.
It can be easy to focus on what we want God to do for us. But there’s something sacred about the hidden seasons—times when we’re learning to love and serve God simply for who He is.
Faithfulness Over Hustle
As the conversation came to a close, Josh summed it up perfectly: “It’s good for me to hear myself say these things… remind me, record these so I can play them back.”
We all need that reminder sometimes to stay faithful where we are. If you’re in a season of waiting, know that God is with you. Even when things feel hidden or delayed, He is working in ways you can’t yet see. Success in God’s kingdom is about faithfulness, not hustle.
Trust God for the season you’re in, and know He is at work, even in the waiting.
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