By Prophet Dewald Gouws
Intro
There are seasons in life where we are waiting on God, trusting Him for breakthrough, praying for change, believing for healing, deliverance, restoration, and direction — yet the thing we have been waiting for does not always appear immediately.
In those moments, the question is not only, “God, when will You do it?”
The real question becomes, “Who am I becoming while I wait?”
I believe there is a worship that can only be offered in the midst of life. In heaven there will be no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering, and no more waiting. But here on earth, while we are still walking through trials, pressure, temptation, and seasons of silence, we have the privilege of choosing Christ when everything around us is shaking.
That is where true faith is revealed.
1. Get Into the River
When it comes to worship and the presence of God, you must make up your mind: am I going to stand next to the river, or am I going to get into the river?
When you stand next to the river, you remain a spectator. You observe what God is doing, but you never fully experience the flow of His presence. But when you decide to step in, everything changes.
Our heart as a church must always be to pursue His presence, seek His face, and cultivate an environment where God is welcome. God is everywhere, but He does not reveal Himself everywhere. There are places where He is honoured, welcomed, and pursued — and in that place, He speaks.
In Exodus 25:22, God said He would speak from above the mercy seat, from between the cherubim. His voice came from the place of His presence. This teaches us something powerful: God speaks from presence.
So before we seek a word, we must seek Him.
2. God Is Still Speaking in the Silence
There are seasons where it feels like God is quiet. But I want to encourage you: even when God is silent, His silence is still a word.
A teacher is silent when the student is writing the test. Silence does not always mean absence. Sometimes silence means trust.
When God is not speaking the way you expected, it may be because He knows what He has already placed inside of you. He knows you are equipped for this season. He knows you have His Word, His Spirit, His grace, and His truth.
Hebrews 12:25 says, “See that you do not refuse Him who speaks.” We must remain sensitive to His voice, even when His voice comes differently than we expected.
Sometimes God speaks loudly.
Sometimes God speaks softly.
Sometimes God speaks through shaking.
And sometimes God speaks through silence.
3. The Shaking Is Not Punishment — It Is Preparation
Hebrews 12:26–27 speaks about a shaking that removes what can be shaken so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Many times, we enter a season where God begins to strip away things that are no longer adding value to where He is taking us. We often call it attack, delay, or difficulty, but sometimes it is divine preparation.
Even an eagle’s nest must be shaken. The nest that was once a place of comfort can become the place that keeps the eagle from flying. So the shaking is not always there to destroy you — sometimes it is there to move you.
The thing you prayed for in one season can become the test of the next season. You may have prayed for the job, the marriage, the opportunity, the platform, the calling, or the open door. But once life happens, you discover that God did not only answer your prayer — He also allowed that answer to develop you.
God is not raising people who only praise Him when everything is comfortable. He is raising sons, daughters, soldiers, and worshippers who can stand in the midst of life and still say, “Lord, I trust You.”
4. Your Faith Will Be Tested by Fire
1 Peter 1:6–7 says that for a little while, if need be, we may be grieved by various trials, so that the genuineness of our faith, being more precious than gold, may be found to praise, honour, and glory.
That means faith will be tested.
The fire is not there to destroy your faith. The fire is there to reveal the condition of your faith.
Gold is purified in fire. And there comes a moment when gold becomes so refined that it reflects the face of the one holding it. In the same way, when I go through the furnace, my prayer is simple:
“Lord, may Christ be seen in me.”
When I walk through difficulty, may Christ be seen.
When I face disappointment, may Christ be seen.
When I am tempted, may Christ be seen.
When I am waiting, may Christ be seen.
When I am under pressure, may Christ be seen.
The furnace is not after you. It is after everything attached to you that cannot go into your next season.
5. Stand on Truth, Not Feelings
One of the greatest dangers in life is when we begin to adjust truth according to our experiences. But truth must never bow to what I feel. My feelings must come into alignment with the truth of God’s Word.
Feelings are real, but they are not always reliable. Feelings are wonderful when they work with you, but they cannot be the driver of your life.
My emotions belong in the car seat. Truth must drive.
Jesus said in John 17:17, “Your word is truth.” That means when life is shaking, I do not ask my feelings what is true. I ask the Word.
If He said I am free, then I am free.
If He said I am forgiven, then I am forgiven.
If He said I am His child, then I am His child.
If He said He will never leave me nor forsake me, then I stand on that truth.
Belief is not just an emotion. Belief is a knowing.
6. Temptation Is Not Sin — Agreement Is the Danger
Many believers become discouraged when old voices, old temptations, or old desires try to knock again. They think, “I thought I was free. Why am I hearing this again?”
But temptation itself is not sin.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says that no temptation has overtaken us except what is common to man, and that God is faithful. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, but with the temptation He will also make a way of escape.
This means that in the midst of temptation, there is always an open door.
Temptation is an opportunity. It can become a place of upgrade or a place of downgrade. The way I respond to temptation sends a message to my King.
The enemy often comes with what is familiar. He looks for moments when people feel lonely, rejected, insecure, tired, or weak. But every time the enemy speaks, it is an opportunity to reinforce what Christ has already done.
When the enemy reminds me of yesterday, I remind him of truth.
7. Do Not Build Your Identity Around Yesterday
Many people are still living attached to what happened yesterday. They define themselves by their past, their mistakes, their pain, their divorce, their addiction, their failure, their trauma, or their old struggle.
But in Christ, I am not what happened to me.
I am not what I came out of.
I am not the label of my past.
I am a son of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
The only reason I should look back is to be thankful.
Yes, learn from your experiences. Gain wisdom. Let your eyes open. But do not define yourself through your decisions. Christ has given you a new identity, and you must learn to live from who He says you are.
8. Pursue Christ and Holiness Will Follow
The church often struggles with sin because we make people sin-conscious instead of Christ-conscious. We give people lists of what not to do, but we fail to point them back to the beauty of Jesus.
I believe in holiness. I believe in righteousness. I believe that we must live in right standing before God. But holiness is not produced by obsessing over sin. Holiness flows from a heart that is locked into Christ.
When you seek Him, love Him, worship Him, and make time for Him, many things you were fighting will begin to lose their grip.
Start with ten minutes if you must. Pray. Worship. Write your prayer down. Listen to the Word. Put worship on while you drive. Speak to Him while you walk. Make time for the King.
A lot of the problems we focus on will begin to shift when Christ becomes the centre again.
Closing: Shine While You Wait
I want to encourage you today: do not lose hope in God.
Whether you are waiting for healing, breakthrough, restoration, direction, deliverance, or a promise to manifest, do not allow the waiting season to steal your worship.
There is a type of worship you can only give in the midst of life.
When you do not understand, worship.
When you are waiting, worship.
When you are under pressure, worship.
When you are being tested, worship.
When you are tempted, stand on truth.
When life shakes, let Christ remain.
You are not called to merely survive the season. You are called to shine in the midst of it.
May Christ see Himself in us.
May our lives reflect Him in the fire.
May our worship remain pure in the waiting.
And may we never forget who we are while we are walking through life.
I am His child.
I am redeemed.
I am called by His name.
I am not my yesterday.
I belong to Him.
