Sermon Summary
“When Faith Feels Like Waiting”
May 17, 2026
John 17:1–11
Many of us assume that faith should make life clearer and more manageable. We expect that trusting God will lead to visible progress, resolved situations, or at least a sense that things are moving forward. But often, our experience is quite different. We find ourselves in seasons of waiting, where answers are unclear, and life feels unfinished.
In John 17, Jesus prays at just such a moment. He is about to leave his disciples. The future is uncertain, and nothing is fully resolved. Yet instead of giving them a plan or a strategy, Jesus points them to something deeper. “This is eternal life,” he says, “that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” In other words, life with God is not something we achieve. It is a relationship we are given.
We tend to measure our faith by what we accomplish, how much we grow, or how well we manage our circumstances. But Jesus reframes everything. God’s glory is not revealed through achievement, but through relationship. Even Jesus’ own life reflects this. He glorifies God not by doing more, but by remaining in a faithful relationship with God, even in the face of the cross. What looks like failure becomes, in John’s Gospel, the fullest expression of God’s glory.
This means that the “in-between” places of life are not wasted time. They are places of formation. When we cannot control outcomes, when we do not have clear answers, we are invited to trust more deeply in God’s presence. We are reminded that we belong to God before we do anything for God.
The invitation of this passage is simple but profound. Instead of trying to fix or resolve every situation, we are called to be present with God in the midst of it. Faith is not about getting everything right. It is about trusting the One who holds us, even when life feels unfinished.