Thank you, Next.
Though I do not endorse the Ariana Grande song, Thank you, Next I can relate to the overall message. The song acknowledges the many lessons learned from previous experiences or relationships that have since ended. The song captures a sense of gratitude for that season but there is also a welcoming of the next. I am currently in a season where a lot of lessons have been learned. Hard lessons that have been challenging and at times overwhelming. And a few days ago, I found myself telling God, “Thank you for teaching me these lessons. They are so valuable and I am grateful. But I think I’ve got it. Can we move on now?”
I do not discount what I have learned during this time but I am weary. I am fully aware that there are things that I have learned about myself and about my father that I likely would not have learned unless I was in this situation. There have been so many moments where the Lord in his sweetness has made it abundantly clear what he was teaching me and why I needed to be refined in that way. But I am in a place right now, wondering when this time of drought is going to be over.
It reminds me of Moses. He knew that the Promise Land was in the future of the nation of Israel. He knew that the Promise Land would mean a time of flourishing and growth. He was so close that he could taste it but because of his lack of faith, the Lord kept that from him and made him wander in the wilderness for 40 years. I imagine that in those 40 years, he was feeling similar to me. He was probably thinking, “Okay Lord, I get it. Can we move on now?” Or Abraham who knew that the Lord had promised to bless his nation and make his descendants as numerous as the stars. But for over 90 years, the Lord kept him in that season of waiting.
What I learn from these biblical examples is that the Lord keeps his promises, even when they do not look like we thought they would. I had this picture of what I thought this season would be like and I can honestly say that it has been nothing like I thought it has. But the promises of the Lord are still good and true. Abraham probably thought that the Lord would have given him children around a more normal age but God had other plans. Moses probably thought that once God used him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt that his time of enduring the uncomfortable was over. And yet, we still see God’s plan accomplished and his glory on display.
Friend, I am writing this to you not because I have found the answer because I haven’t and do not know that I will on this side of Heaven. But I think there is power in knowing that we do not struggle alone. Sometimes God keeps us in seasons of waiting longer than we expect but we can trust that everything God does is for our benefit and his glory. If you are finding yourself weary, rest in the fact that all he asks for is your obedience today. We may not know what tomorrow will look like, but as long as we continue to take small steps of obedience every single day, he will be faithful to open and close doors, showing us what we need to learn during this season of waiting. And instead of saying Thank You Next, our song becomes Thank you for Today.
