The In-Between Season: What God Is Doing in Your Waiting

There’s a 50-day window between Passover and Pentecost that most people don’t think much about. It’s a time between deliverance and empowerment…between rescue and purpose.

I think a lot of us find ourselves in similar moments. We’re not where we used to be, but we’re also not fully where we want to be. We’re just somewhere in-between.

For many people, this season feels frustrating. But what if the in-between is actually an intentional part of your story? What if this is the time when God is doing some of His most important work in your life?


God Has Always Worked in the Middle
Three days after the children of Israel celebrate their freedom from Egypt, the people face a very real challenge - no water. When they suddenly come across an oasis, it looks like relief. Unfortunately, the water is bitter and undrinkable.

Immediately, their praise turns into panic.
Sound familiar? Have you ever had an undeniable experience with God one day only to be followed by a hard, confusing day?

Those are tough moments, and that’s exactly what the Israelites were experiencing, but the in-between is never wasted with God.

In Exodus 15, God shows Moses a tree. When it’s placed in the water, the bitter water becomes sweet.

God wasn’t just meeting a need. He was teaching them how to trust Him.

Yes, He brought them out of Egypt, but He also wanted to transform how they think, live, and follow Him.

The in-between wasn’t punishment. It was training.


Jesus Did the Same Thing
After the resurrection, Jesus doesn’t immediately ascend to heaven. He stayed with His disciples for 40 days.

“He appeared to them… and spoke about the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)

Why? Because they still didn’t get it.
Even after everything they’d seen, their thinking was still limited. Jesus used that time to teach, clarify, and reshape how they saw God and His Kingdom.

He used the in-between to prepare them for what was next, and God is still doing that today. He’s not wasting your waiting season. He’s using it!


The Real Issue Is What You’re Hearing
Let’s be honest. When life gets hard, most of us don’t stop and ask, “God, what are You saying?”

We ask:

• “Why is this happening?”
• “How do I fix this?”
• “When will this be over?”

But the Bible offers a different focus:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

Faith grows when you learn to hear God because what you listen to shapes how you live.

If all you hear is fear, anxiety will follow.

If all you hear is pressure, striving will follow.

But when you begin to hear God clearly, everything starts to shift.

Your thoughts.

Your responses.

Your peace.


The Goal is Restored Relationship
In Matthew 8, a man with leprosy approaches Jesus. This alone is shocking because people with leprosy were outcasts, avoided by everyone.

But the leper comes to Jesus and says:

“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2)

That word “clean” matters. Why?

In that culture, being “unclean” meant you were separated from people and from God, so this man wasn’t just asking for physical healing, he wanted restoration.

Jesus responds by saying, “I am willing.”

As soon as Jesus touches the leper, the man is made clean.

This is powerful because Jesus doesn’t just fix problems. He completely restores people!


Healing vs. Cleansing
This is an important distinction. Healing deals with what’s wrong on the outside. Cleansing deals with what separates you from God.

Healing fixes symptoms.

Cleansing restores relationship.

To be cleansed means you’re forgiven, accepted, and nothing stands between you and God. That’s what Jesus came to do.


So What Do You Do in the In-Between?
If you feel stuck, uncertain, or just like you’re waiting endlessly, don’t check out!

Lean in, and start asking better questions. Instead of questions like, “Why me?”

Ask:

• God, what are you trying to teach me right now?
• What are you trying to show me?
• Where are you asking me to trust you?

Because the same God who turned bitter water sweet is still working in the places that feel bitter in your life. And the same Jesus who touched the untouchable is still willing to meet you right where you are.