06/06/2026
“Praising God in the Hallway”
As I wait for a door to open, help me learn to praise You in the hallway.
Most of us like doors. We pray for open doors and ask God for opportunities, answers, healing, direction, provision, reconciliation, growth and breakthrough. We look forward to the moment when God clearly says, "This is the way; walk in it."
But much of the Christian life is not spent walking through doors…it is spent standing in hallways. The hallway is the place between God's promise and His provision. It is the space between prayer and answer, sowing and reaping, suffering and glory. Hallways often feel unproductive, uncertain and uncomfortable. Yet the Bible often shows that God does some of His deepest work in us while we wait.
All through the Bible, God's people are often found waiting. Israel waited for years in the wilderness as God prepared them for the Promised Land. David waited a long time after his anointing before he finally became king. The disciples faced difficult days between Jesus' crucifixion and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, not knowing what God was doing but still trusting Him. Even now, creation waits for the day when Christ will make everything new. Waiting is not unusual for Christians; it is a key part of our faith. The real question is not if we will wait, but how we will wait.
The world tells us that waiting is just a delay we have to put up with. But the gospel shows us that waiting is often where God shapes us to be more like Christ. Think about what David said: "I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" Psalm 27:13–14 (ESV)
Notice that David is not speaking from a place where all his desires have been met. In the psalm, he is surrounded by enemies, fears, and uncertainty. Still, he puts his trust not in what he sees, but in who God is. Waiting, according to the Bible, is not just giving up. It is actively trusting God. It means choosing to believe that God's wisdom is greater than our understanding, His timing is better than our sense of urgency and His goodness is bigger than our circumstances.
Waiting often reveals what is really in our hearts. When the door stays closed, we find out if we want God's gifts more than we want God Himself. This is why waiting can hurt. It shows us idols we did not realize we had. We might think we want guidance, but maybe we really want control. We might think we want an opportunity, but maybe we want to feel important. We might think we want an answer, but maybe we want to avoid trusting God.
The hallway often shows us that what we need most is not a change in our situation, but a closer relationship with Christ. Waiting helps us see this. We cannot make things happen on our own. We cannot force God to act. We cannot guarantee our future. Waiting reminds us how much we depend on God, and in His kingdom. Dependence is not a weakness. It is what faith looks like.
One reason we can wait with hope is that Jesus has gone before us. He knew what it was like to wait for the Father's timing. During His ministry, He followed the Father's plan instead of giving in to what the crowd wanted. In Gethsemane, He fully submitted to the Father's will. Most of all, Jesus endured the cross before He received the crown.
The gospel shows us that God's greatest work in history once looked delayed and defeated. The disciples could not see what God was doing between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. God was not absent. The cross teaches us that even when God seems silent, He may be doing His most amazing work.
Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4 (ESV) He wrote this command from prison, not from a place of comfort. Christian joy does not depend on good circumstances. It comes from knowing our Savior never changes. Praising God in the hallway does not mean pretending waiting is easy. It means holding on to what is true, even when life feels unsettled. Do I believe:
• God is good even when the door is closed.
• God is wise even when His plans are hidden.
• God is faithful even when answers are delayed.
• God is present even when my feelings fluctuate.
• God is working even when progress seems invisible.
The believer's confidence rests not in knowing what God will do next, but in knowing the God who holds the future.
Perhaps one of the greatest testimonies the church can offer the world is not just how we celebrate opened doors, but how we worship while standing in hallways. Anyone can rejoice when prayers are answered immediately. However, when God's people trust Him through times of uncertainty, praise Him through disappointment, and cling to Christ through seasons of waiting, the beauty of the gospel becomes visible. The world expects anxiety in the hallway; the church should display hope. The world expects frustration in the hallway; the church should display trust. The world expects despair in the hallway; the church should display worship. Because of Christ, we know that every hallway in the believer’s life is under the sovereign care and loving providence of our heavenly Father.
Yet understanding God’s sovereignty does not mean we become passive while we wait. Waiting on God is not the same as being passive. Often, faith shows itself through obedience, even when we do not know the outcome. The Bible does not promise that every closed door will open in this life. Some prayers are only answered in God's kingdom, and some struggles are not lifted until we see Christ face to face. In those times, God invites us to praise and also to lament. The same Bible that says, "Rejoice in the Lord always," also teaches us to pray, "How long, O LORD?" Faith is not pretending the hallway is easy; faith is bringing both our worship and our wounds to the God who is with us.
If you are waiting today, remember that God's goal is not just to get you through a door. His goal is to make you more like His Son. Often, the work He does in the hallway is just as important as what is on the other side. In ways we may not understand until eternity, the hallway itself is part of His good plan for us.
So as you wait, pray, "Lord, if the door stays closed today, teach me to praise You in the hallway. Help me trust Your heart when I cannot see Your hand. Let my waiting become worship."
"Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you." Psalm 33:20–22
-Pastor Garret
