Uncomfortable Christianity: When God Makes You Wait

Back on January 4th, I shared a vision for this year built around a phrase that has stayed with me ever since: “Uncomfortable Christianity.” I believe God is calling us into a faith that stretches us, refines us, and sometimes unsettles us. Not because He delights in discomfort—but because He uses it to shape us.

That theme is what led us into this three-week journey toward Easter through the life of Joseph in Genesis 37–42.

There are several Josephs in Scripture, but this one—the son of Jacob—is a masterclass in waiting. His story isn’t a straight line of success. It’s a winding road of betrayal, delay, false accusation, and imprisonment. Yet through it all, God was at work.

The Dreamer in the Pit

Joseph was the youngest of twelve sons, favored by his father Jacob. At seventeen, he received a dream from God—a prophetic glimpse that one day his brothers would bow before him. Instead of stewarding the dream with humility, he shared it in a way that fueled their resentment.

Soon after, his brothers threw him into a pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver. His father was led to believe he had been killed. From favored son to foreign slave in a matter of days.

Uncomfortable? Absolutely.

Yet even in Egypt, serving in Potiphar’s house, Scripture repeats a powerful phrase: “The Lord was with Joseph.” Success followed him—not because his circumstances were good, but because God’s presence was near.

Then came false accusation. Prison. Eight long years. A glimmer of hope when he interpreted dreams for fellow prisoners. Then betrayal again—he was forgotten for two more years.

Thirteen years passed from pit to palace.

That’s a long wait.

The Test of Waiting

Every believer will face what I call a waiting season—a God-ordained period of delay where the promise is clear, but the timing is unclear.

Waiting is uncomfortable. We hate it. We analyze grocery store lines. We grumble at red lights. We dread the train that stops traffic at the worst possible moment. But spiritual waiting goes deeper. It tests our trust.

Psalm 27 reminds us to “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart.” Lamentations says the Lord is good to those who hope in Him. That Hebrew word for hope—qavah—literally means “to wait” or “to endure.”

Waiting isn’t passive. It’s active trust.

Joseph’s prison wasn’t punishment—it was preparation.

Purpose in the Prison

What if what feels like a prison is actually training?

In Egypt, Joseph learned the language, culture, and systems he would one day govern. He developed leadership. He stewarded his gift of dream interpretation. He didn’t waste the season.

Sometimes we see confinement; God sees conditioning.

Habakkuk 2 says the vision awaits its appointed time. Galatians 4:4 reminds us that Jesus came at the “set time.” If Jesus waited, we will too.

God’s timing is perfect. Not early. Not late. Perfect.

If it’s not good yet, God’s not done yet.

Presence Over Comfort

Here’s the truth Joseph’s life shouts to us: God doesn’t promise comfort—He promises presence.

Four times in Genesis 39 we read, “The Lord was with Joseph.” From favored son to slave to prisoner, he was never outside God’s presence.

Hebrews 13:5 assures us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

You may not see the promise fulfilled yet. But you can trust the Presence that’s walking with you right now.

Trusting the Timing

Joseph had moments where it looked like his breakthrough had come. The cupbearer promised to remember him—then forgot him. Two more painful years passed.

But God didn’t forget him.

When Pharaoh had a dream no one could interpret, suddenly Joseph was remembered. The timing was exact. The famine was coming. The world wasn’t ready earlier—but it was ready then.

God wasn’t just preparing Joseph. He was preparing history.

If you’re waiting—for a prodigal child, healing, breakthrough, clarity, calling—hear this: there is no wasted season with God.

Your waiting is shaping you.
Your prison is preparing you.
Your delay is developing you.

Uncomfortable Christianity means choosing trust when clarity is missing.

So if you’re in a season that feels silent, slow, or stuck—don’t waste it.

Lean in.
Grow deep.
Stay faithful.

And let this be your declaration:

I trust in God.