When I first stepped into youth ministry, I dove straight in. I carried a lot of hope, and if I’m honest, a set of expectations for what ministry would be and looked like. I thought that if I was committed, prepared well, planned the “right” things at the “right” time, poured all my heart and time into the ministry, then I would see immediate results in those we were serving. I had an image of young people having life changing encounters at retreats, conversations that led to noticeable life change, experiences that grew in attendance because of the transformation that would happen. I hoped that when young people struggled, I’d see transformation happen quickly.

But reality looked different. Sometimes it felt like nothing was sticking. Young people and their families would not come back after receiving the sacraments. Moments felt like they fell flat.

Over time, some very wise mentors helped me to realize that ministry rarely moves at the pace we expect. I learned that in the midst of waiting, uncertainty and unmet expectations, God’s timing is purposeful, refining and trustworthy. God was working in all these moments. God’s plan and timing was never late, it had purpose.

Waiting Reveals the Heart

What I realized is that these moments of waiting or uncertainty in ministry are not empty or wasted – they are active. There were times I thought nothing was happening. But looking back, I can see that God was working in ways I could not imagine.

God was working in the trust that was slowly being built, in the friendships that were being formed, in the walls that were gradually coming down, in the seeds that were planted long before they took root.

Ministry has taught me that what feels like a delay is often a space created for growth. And I don’t mean just in the life of the young people we serve. He was (and continues) working in me too. And that perhaps has been my biggest learning. The waiting is not wasted, it forms us, it shapes us, it helps us grow, and most importantly, if we let it, it draws us closer to His heart.

Learning to Trust

What has surprised me most is how much God uses timing to challenge us to grow in deeper trust. Often, this growth comes in moments of challenges or disappointment. When the retreat didn’t go the way we hoped. When a young person walked away from God. Not having enough volunteers. Overtime, these moments of tension revealed to me how much I was focusing on the outcomes of the work I was doing. I wanted to see fruit. I wanted to know that what I was doing mattered.

God very lovingly and gently showed me that ministry isn’t about what I want and when I want it. These times of uncertainty challenged me to release control, to trust more deeply, and to always remember that God’s work doesn’t depend on my timeline or plans, it depends on His. He was shaping my own heart to trust in His plan for my life. He was reminding me that ministry is not about what I can produce but about who he was shaping me to be.

But How?

Trusting in God’s timing isn’t easy, in fact, it’s something that I am continuously working on. We must be intentional about practicing it, especially for those of us in ministry. Here are four practical ways to grow in trusting God’s timing.

1. Prayer: Bringing it all to God.

Instead of dismissing the tension, I’ve learned to bring it to prayer. I’ve learned to bring my hopes, joys, frustrations and challenges honestly before the Lord. Then ask him to tell you what He wants for His people. Ground yourself in prayer. Ground your ministry in prayer.

2. The Sacraments

Frequent the sacraments as often as you can. The grace poured out in the sacrament of reconciliation and Eucharist can sustain and renew us. They give us what we need to grow in holiness and do our ministry with joy. The Eucharist for me is a constant reminder that God is truly present and that I am not alone in the ministry.

3. Scripture: Reshaping our expectations

Scripture constantly challenges me to change my expectations. Throughout scripture we hear about God’s promises to His people. Turning to the word of God helps me to remember that God’s timing has always been different from ours – but it has always been true! You can start with the daily gospel. Pray with it and see what God is revealing to you about your own life and about the ministry. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times a scripture passage answered a question I had about life or the ministry.

4. Community: You are not alone!