Scripture Library · Patience and waiting · KJV
Bible Verses About Patience and Waiting on God (KJV) + A Prayer
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart.” Waiting may be the hardest part of faith. These 14 passages from the King James Bible show that waiting is not wasted time: God is working, and He makes every thing beautiful in His time.
14 Bible verses about patience and waiting
What do I do while I wait on God?
Psalm 27:13-14KJV
13I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart.Read in context →
Psalm 37:3-9KJV
3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. 9For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret.Read in context →
Isaiah 30:18KJV
18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
The Lord waits to be gracious; blessed are all who wait for Him.Read in context →
Lamentations 3:25-26KJV
25The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good to hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.Read in context →
James 5:7-11KJV
7Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. 8Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. 9Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. 10Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 11Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Be patient like the farmer, and remember the patience of Job.Read in context →
Romans 12:12KJV
12Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Rejoice in hope, be patient in trouble, keep on praying.Read in context →
Habakkuk 2:1-3KJV
1I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. 2And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. 3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
Though the vision tarries, wait for it; it will surely come.Read in context →
Psalm 62:1-2, 5KJV
1Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. 2He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. … 5My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
My soul, wait only on God; my hope comes from Him.Read in context →
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11KJV
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
A season for everything; He makes all things beautiful in His time.Read in context →
2 Peter 3:8-9KJV
8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord is not slow about His promise; He is patient with us.Read in context →
Hebrews 10:35-36KJV
35Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
You need patience, so that after doing God’s will you receive the promise.Read in context →
Hebrews 6:13-15KJV
13For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, 14Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
After Abraham patiently endured, he received the promise.Read in context →
Colossians 1:11KJV
11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Strengthened with all might for all patience and longsuffering, with joy.Read in context →
Galatians 6:9KJV
9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Do not grow weary in doing good; in due season you will reap.Read in context →
A prayer while waiting on God
Pray it slowly, in your own words if you like.
Lord, I have been waiting a long time, and I am tired of not knowing. You see the prayer I keep praying and the answer I keep hoping for.
Teach me to rest in You and wait patiently, without fretting. Strengthen my heart while I wait. Remind me that You are not slack concerning Your promises, and that You are working even when I cannot see it.
Give me patience that is joyful, not bitter. Help me keep doing good in the meantime, trusting that in due season I will reap if I do not give up. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
What the Bible says about waiting
What does it mean to wait on the Lord?
In Scripture, waiting on the Lord is active trust, not passive delay. Psalm 37:7 says, “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself.” It means continuing to pray, obey and hope while God works on His timetable.
Why does God make us wait?
The Bible gives several reasons: waiting builds patience and character (James 1:3-4; Romans 5:3-4), God’s timing is better than ours (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and He is patient with people, giving time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Abraham waited years for Isaac, and “after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise” (Hebrews 6:15).
What does Habakkuk 2:3 mean?
God told Habakkuk that His answer would come at the appointed time: “though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” It is a reminder that a delayed answer is not a denied one.
How can I be more patient?
Patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), so start by asking God for it. Colossians 1:11 prays to be “strengthened with all might… unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness.” Practicing gratitude and remembering God’s past faithfulness both help.
More Bible verses by topic
Looking for Scripture on something else? The Scripture Library gathers Bible passages around the struggles and questions people actually bring to God.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (public domain).

