The Next Thing

Have you ever had a bad situation and asked God how everything is to work out? If you are like me, you get in the habit of asking it often, even though there’s hardly ever an answer to that question. Instead, God is always leading us to do the next thing, which in my case could be do the dishes, finish the laundry, answer that email, etc.

God doesn’t promise to show us exactly how everything is supposed to work out. He gives us His word that promises He will never leave nor forsake us. His word instructs us to trust in God even when everything seems to be going wrong. He wants us to trust Him with the future and live in the present rather than worrying about the past or what should happen.

The next thing will mean that we need to trust in the Lord and do what we are able to do: pray and seek His face. It’s most difficult for those of us who want to take action to influence our situation. Yet sometimes our greatest efforts may result in greater difficulty. In order to not frustrate the plan of God, we must take a moment to reflect and consider what the Lord would have us to do while He is working things out. Our faith is stretched and tested when we choose to calm down and just do the next thing in front of us.

This patience to wait on the Lord comes from the Holy Spirit—it’s a part of the fruit of the Spirit. Our patience is demonstrated most clearly when we settle ourselves and focus on what we can do while we wait.

Crystal McDowell