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God Works in Our Waiting

December 7 | Discipleship Guide

Be Real Together:

Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DG, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DG share their story.

Read Together:  Matthew 1:18–25 (CSB)

This passage tells the story of Joseph’s confusion, fear, and painful waiting after learning that Mary is pregnant. Yet in the middle of his uncertainty, God interrupts Joseph’s waiting with revelation and purpose. Matthew shows us that Joseph’s personal waiting is part of something far bigger—Israel’s long collective waiting for a Messiah, and God’s cosmic plan to redeem the whole world. This story reminds us that God is always at work in our waiting—forming us, inviting others, and carrying forward His redemptive plan.

The One Question:
Ask this question at your family meal or Discipleship Group.

Where might God be at work beneath the surface of something you’re waiting for right now?

Grow Together:
Use these questions to go deeper with your DG or for personal study.

  1. Joseph’s “deciding” in verse 19 suggests ongoing wrestling and uncertainty.
    What does Joseph teach us about the real, human experience of waiting?
  2. We learned on Sunday that God’s work in personal waiting is formation.
    Where do you sense God shaping your character, desires, or trust in this season?
  3. Israel waited centuries for deliverance—and Jesus arrived with an unexpected mission: not political victory, but salvation.
    How does reframing your waiting (from vindication to invitation) shift your perspective?
  4. God’s work in collective waiting is invitation, expanding His family.
    What are some ways your waiting could open opportunities for testimony or extending God’s invitation to others?
  5. Cosmic waiting points us toward the coming restoration of all creation.
    How does keeping the “big picture” of God’s future hope help sustain you in present uncertainty?

Pray Together:

  • Thank God that He is present and active in every kind of waiting—personal, collective, and cosmic.
  • Ask God to form Christlike trust and endurance in the areas where you feel tension or delay.
  • Pray for opportunities to invite others to see how God is at work in your life and in the world.
  • Worship God for who He is—Emmanuel, God with us—no matter the timing or circumstance.
  • Pray for one another’s specific areas of waiting and ask for peace rooted in God’s nearness.

Next Steps:

  • Choose one step to practice this week:
    • Reflective Journaling: Spend 5 minutes each day naming where you see God forming you in your waiting.
    • Public Testimony: Share with one person one way God is meeting you in this season.
    • Ascriptive Worship: Find 2-3 songs that focus on who God is and use them to center your heart daily.