Girls Gone Bible - "Trusting God in the Waiting Season"

Host(s): Angela Halili & Arielle Reitsma
Release Date: February 20, 2026

Episode Overview

This heartfelt, vulnerable episode of Girls Gone Bible centers on the theme of "trusting God in the waiting season." Hosts Angela and Arielle open up about their personal struggles with waiting—particularly Arielle’s journey through heartbreak, singleness, and rediscovery of self—illuminating the spiritual and emotional challenges of times when life is on pause. Sharing scriptural wisdom, honest stories, and practical encouragement, they create a safe space for listeners to feel seen and affirmed in their own seasons of waiting. The conversation is woven with humor, raw moments, deep faith, and encouragement for anyone wrestling with disappointment, delay, and hope deferred.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Nature of the "Waiting Season"

• Defining the Season: Arielle introduces the experience of waiting as an "in between," a period marked by anticipation, unanswered prayers, and a mixture of hope and pain.

  "So many of us are in this waiting season. It's like this in between where you're just like, waiting, but you're also having faith... Because the waiting season is nothing less than a blessing. But people try to make it feel like it's a curse." – Ari (18:25)

• Common Experiences: Both hosts reflect on the anxieties and social pressures women face, especially regarding singleness in their 30s—often accompanied by shame, comparison, and feelings of being left behind.

Personal Stories: From Heartbreak to Healing

• Arielle’s Journey: Arielle shares in detail about her life unraveling—losing a significant relationship, financial stability, and direction, and being forced back to "square one."

  "To have everything just completely stripped from you was... It was so jarring... I felt like my life was over. Like, I really... I felt like my time was up." – Ari (29:21)

• Choosing to Fight, Not Wallow:
  Arielle emphasizes the importance of not "wasting" the waiting season by giving in to bitterness or escapism. Instead, she focuses on how suffering pressed her into deeper dependence on God:

  "I could have sat and wallowed in pity and just been in depression for years. But I thank God that I fought. So when I found Jesus... it was that little bit of hope and safety that I found for the first time in my life." (32:10)

• Transformation Through Surrender:
  Through grief, loneliness, and surrender, Arielle finds her identity restored—not as someone rescued by another person, but as someone deeply known and loved by God.

  "I can't quite believe the woman that I am, and it was only because of this waiting season and I held onto that vision..." – Ari (41:29)

Lessons from Waiting: Scriptural Anchors

Angela and Arielle weave scripture throughout, sharing favorite verses and the spiritual purpose of waiting:

• Key Scriptures Referenced:

  • John 13:7 — "You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later."
  • Romans 8:28 — "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him..."
  • Ecclesiastes 3:1 — "There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens." (21:25)
  • Isaiah 30:18 — "So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion." (64:40)

• On God's Timing:

  "God allows different seasons for a reason, and we might miss out on his plans if we try to skip any of them... Your waiting season is the furthest thing from a punishment." – Ari (21:25)
  "His time is so much better than our time... my Jesus knows better than I do." – Ari (64:40)

• Purpose & Preparation:

  "He is using this time to prepare you to step into whatever new season he has in store for your next." (21:25)

Navigating Comparison & Social Pressure

• Pressure from Society & Church:
  Angela discusses the shame that comes from not living up to social timelines, referencing public judgment about her own relationship’s pace:

  "The church puts so much pressure especially on women and it's always like us... They make us feel like damaged goods if somebody hasn't already, like, chosen us... it's like we're the problem, you know?" – Angela (54:25)

• Comparison Trap:
  Arielle warns how easy it is to slide from healthy admiration into envy, which breeds bitterness and spiritual dryness.

  "You start to covet them, when you start to wish you had what they have... then all of a sudden the grief comes... And then you start feeling so sick." (61:04)

The Spiritual Gifts of Waiting

• Learning Contentment & Self-Worth:
  Through waiting, Arielle learns to wake up content, no longer defined by relationships or external achievements:

  "I want somebody to add to me. I don't want to need something. My whole life I needed something. That's what an idol is... whatever has your attention the most is... your God." – Ari (58:42)

• Compassion & Empathy:
  Having walked through pain herself, Arielle reflects on how she can now support others with genuine understanding:

  "I'm so blessed that I now... have so much compassion for... friends in a waiting season... And that's such a gift. When you can understand others." (58:42)

• Using the Season Well:
  The hosts encourage listeners not to “waste” the waiting—but to invest in friendships, family, personal growth, and especially relationship with God.

Encouragement & Final Reflections

• Angela to Arielle:
  Angela offers heartfelt affirmation and gratitude for Arielle’s courage and vulnerability, emphasizing her growth and gift for storytelling.

  "For somebody who... Satan has always told you that you can't speak... You are such a phenomenal writer... It's so beyond impressive, your gifting." – Angela (24:10)

• Arielle’s Charge to Listeners:

  "Your waiting season truly is preparation... Look at what God had for me... I didn't stay stuck. I didn't give in. I fought with him. I surrendered to him... I had a heart for him and a hunger for him." (41:48)

• Notable Final Advice:

  "If you're in a waiting season, this is what God might be doing: Strengthening your patience. Protecting you from what you can't see. Preparing a bigger blessing than you asked for. Working on someone else's heart... Removing people and things that can't go... Making sure your faith is in him, not just the outcome... Healing your heart before he gives you what you're praying for." – Ari (71:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Faithfulness in Suffering:

  "[At the end of Job] he says, 'I've heard about you my whole life, but now I see you with my own eyes.'" – Ari (40:35)

• On Self-Sufficiency in Christ:

  "I’m not a damsel in distress anymore. And that's what Jesus wanted to show me." – Ari (51:15)

• On God’s Plans:

  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined the plans that God has for those who love Him." – Ari (71:42)

• Angela affirms Ari as a writer and friend:

  "You wear your heart on your sleeve. You're able to recount stories and express things and communicate in a way that, like, other people just can't." – Angela (24:10)

Important Timestamps

• Arielle Introduces the Waiting Season: 18:25 – 23:45
• Scripture & Devotional Readings: 21:25, 64:40
• Arielle’s Testimony – Hitting Rock Bottom and Choosing Faith: 29:21 – 41:29
• Angela Affirms Arielle’s Growth as a Writer and Woman: 24:10
• Navigating Social and Church Pressure: 54:25
• The Gifts and Preparation of the Waiting Season: 41:32 – 51:15
• Comparison and Bitterness: 61:04
• Key Advice for the Waiting Season and God’s Purpose: 71:45
• Final Blessing: 73:52

Summary Table: Timeline of the Main Content

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------| | 18:25 | Introduction to the theme: The Waiting Season | | 21:25 | Scriptural Encouragement & Devotional Reading | | 24:10 | Angela Praises Arielle’s Storytelling Gift | | 29:21 | Arielle Details Hitting Rock Bottom | | 41:29 | Arielle’s Transformation & Hope | | 54:25 | Comparison, Social Pressure, Church’s Role | | 61:04 | Navigating Envy and Bitterness | | 64:40 | Isaiah 30:18, God Waiting for Our Response | | 71:45 | Arielle Lists What God Might Be Doing in Waiting | | 73:52 | Closing Blessing and Encouragement |

Tone & Language

Angela and Arielle are honest, warm, slightly self-deprecating, and deeply compassionate. Their candid storytelling style creates connection and comfort for listeners; spiritual encouragement is delivered with both gravity and gentle humor, never shying away from hard truths or moments of longing and vulnerability.

Takeaways for Listeners

• You are not alone in finding the waiting season difficult; it is normal to have moments of grief, comparison, or doubt.
• True healing and contentment are found in deepening dependence on God—not in relationships or accomplishments.
• Don’t "waste" the waiting by numbing the pain or seeking quick fixes; instead, invest in personal growth, community, and intimacy with God.
• God’s plan and timing are always better—even when we can’t see it yet.

  "He uses everything, every single moment of pain. Every day that you feel like is being wasted, it's not." – Ari (43:45)

• Your story, with all its pauses and disappointments, can become a beacon of hope for others.
• Hold onto faith:

  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined the plans that God has for those who love Him." – Ari (71:42)

Final Blessing:

"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May he turn his face towards you and give you peace. Shalom."
— Angela & Arielle (73:52)

This episode is a balm for anyone struggling in their own "waiting season," offering empathy, wisdom, and the hope that, with God, not a moment is wasted.