They knew that He wouldn’t fail!

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. But now, they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. (Hebrews 11:13, 16 KJV)

 In this life, those men and women of faith in Hebrews 11 often didn’t see all that was promised to them, but they knew the author of those promises! They knew that He wouldn’t fail! For them, faith became a way of life that permeated their thoughts and decisions. It was a conviction that grew throughout their lives so that whatever they faced in the moment was secondary to what they knew by faith was to come.
 Those of faith in the Old Testament believed without seeing Jesus’ redemption manifested during their lifetime. We have the blessing of knowing that Jesus has already redeemed us, but we still can’t see all that Jesus has promised to those who love Him.
 God wants us to trust Him in all circumstances. If the answer to your prayer comes immediately, then rejoice. When you don’t see the answer right away, keep thanking Him anyway, because you trust Him. You have His assurance that He will keep you and give you strength and all that you need to hang on until the answer arrives. —Maria Fontaine [1]

Waiting is an exercise of faith that demonstrates the condition of our hearts. Waiting on God is an act of faith. —Steve Farrar

[1] Activated Thanking God in Advance by Faith