What Waiting on God Taught Me

Written by Deborah Ifenowo, the Family Life Ministry Intern  

My journey with Christ truly began at the age of 16, right after I finished high school. Prior to giving my life to Christ, I grew up in a Christian home and was a regular churchgoer, but deep down, I didn’t understand what it meant to be a true follower of Jesus. I believed in God, but I didn’t know Him.

I often found myself watching people who served God wholeheartedly and feeling a strange mix of admiration and jealousy. I couldn’t understand why their passion for God felt so natural to them while I felt unsure and disconnected. Looking back, I see now that I was in the middle of a deep identity crisis. And in the midst of that struggle, I’m grateful that I chose to give my life to Christ. 

One of the most defining seasons of waiting in my life happened years later, when I was living in Regina. Regina felt safe and comfortable to me. I loved the community, the friendships I built, and the sense of stability I thought I had found. At that time, I was pursuing a nursing degree, and I was only 8 months away from graduation. My future felt clear and predictable: finishing school, starting my career, and continuing to build my life in a place I truly loved. 

But then everything changed when COVID-19 hit. 

During one of my clinical rotations, I woke up from a dream where I saw my instructor giving me a greater patient workload than I was supposed to receive. I dismissed it as just a dream, prayed about it, and carried on with my morning. But when I arrived at the hospital for my 6:00 am shift, something felt different.

Shortly after I began working, I started feeling extremely sick. My nose was clogged, my body felt weak, and I knew something was wrong. As a nursing student, failing or withdrawing from a clinical course was a big deal; you were only allowed two withdrawals throughout the entire program, and I had already used one the previous year due to burnout. I had promised myself I would not withdraw again. I was determined to push through, no matter what. 

But that day, my body simply couldn’t keep going. I was too sick to remain at the hospital. I informed my instructor and went home. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had already been exposed to COVID weeks earlier, and what I was experiencing that morning was the full effect of the virus. 

Unfortunately, instead of support, things took a painful turn. After testing positive, I was told that I needed to take a full year off from nursing school and reapply. Suddenly, everything I worked for seemed to fall apart. The eight months I had left became a long, uncertain year of waiting. 

That year broke me in ways I didn’t expect. I cried constantly. If anyone asked about my situation, tears would roll down my face uncontrollably because the pain felt too heavy to explain. I felt overlooked, forgotten, and deeply disappointed. I loved God and tried my best to serve Him, so why did it feel like everything was falling apart? Why did it seem like every time I tried to do things right, I still ended up at a disadvantage? 

But in the middle of my grief, God began speaking. 

The Lord told me to move from Regina to Calgary. That instruction didn’t make sense to me. Regina was so familiar and full of people I loved. Calgary was unknown. But despite my reluctance, I obeyed. In 2021, I packed my bags and moved. 

Once I got to Calgary, God instructed me to wait again. But I was impatient! I didn’t want another delay. So, I applied to two different nursing programs. One school accepted my application fee, but mysteriously ouldn’t find my application in their system. The second school told me I would have been accepted if only I had applied earlier, even though I applied ahead of time. It was confusing and frustrating, but it was also the moment I realized God was blocking every door I was not supposed to walk through.

I finally surrendered. 

In 2022, I felt the Lord was asking me to embark on a journey. I travelled to Nigeria and went on a 3-month Bible course retreat in Makurdi. Those months transformed me. When I returned, the Lord placed theology on my heart. At first, I resisted. How could I jump from nursing to Bible school? How did that make sense to anyone—including me? But as I leaned into prayer, I felt God teaching me the meaning of trust, purpose, and obedience. 

I applied to Ambrose University, and within one week, I was accepted. Many of my previous credits transferred over, and I began my journey studying Children and Family Ministry. Today, I am in my final year, completing my Family Life ministry internship at FAC. Since joining FAC, I have experienced God’s love in ways I never expected. I have found purpose, community, and clarity. God took my painful waiting season and turned it into a story of redemption, joy, and direction.

Waiting on God is not a one-time event; it is a continual posture of the heart. Even now, with 4 months left until graduation, I feel God prompting me to wait for His next instruction. And though waiting can be difficult, especially when the future is unclear, I’ve learned that surrender makes the journey smoother. 

If you’re in a season of waiting, my advice is simple: surrender. Trust that God sees the whole picture, even when you don’t! And remember, every waiting season looks different, but God’s promise remains the same: 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV) 

Thank you, Deborah, for sharing your story!