You Never Know What’s Around The Corner

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. – Isaiah 40:28

We’re coming up on the one-year anniversary of when my husband and I closed on our very first house. I still can’t believe we’ve lived here for almost a year. It seems like yesterday we were touring the house for the very first time.

From the moment we saw the house, one of our favorite features was the big fenced-in backyard. We had no doubt our golden retriever, Sparky, was going to love having a big yard to run around in because it was the total opposite of what he had been used to since we adopted him a few months prior.

For his first few months in our family, Sparky had only experienced apartment living. Anytime we took him outside, whether to go on a walk or to take him to the bathroom, he had to be on a leash. In addition to that, the apartments we lived in have both been quite a bit smaller than the house we’re moving into, so it’s not like he had a lot of space to be energetic inside or outside.

So in the weeks leading up to moving into the house, Kevin and I both would make comments to Sparky like, “Oh buddy just wait until you see the backyard you’re going to have,” or “You’re going to love being able to roam free in the backyard and just run around and play.” We were fully aware that Sparky couldn’t understand what we were saying (even though that would help a lot if he could). But we knew that his circumstances were about to change for the better if he could just wait a few more days.

As I think about that season with Sparky and waiting for the new house, I can’t help but see the parallel between our relationship with God. I wonder how many times God has had something amazing in store for us, something He knows we’re going to love and enjoy, but even if He tried to explain to us what was coming, we wouldn’t understand.

That’s a humbling thought, the more you think about it. We automatically assume that when we ask God to fill us in on His plan, we will understand everything about it if He chooses to share it with us. But I just don’t think that’s true. The Bible makes it clear that God’s thoughts and His ways are so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). His understanding no one can fathom (Isaiah 40:28). So a lot of times, I think we have a lot more in common with Sparky than we think. But even though, like Sparky, we don’t always know what’s coming next in life, we can trust the One who does.

I say all of this to encourage you – you never know what God could have in store for you around the corner. You never know what His plans are going to entail. But the good news is that we can trust Him, and we can be sure that He wants what’s best for us.

So if you’re waiting for your circumstances to change, if you’re waiting for God to come through for you, or if you’re waiting for Him to answer a specific prayer, hang in there, friend. The change, the breakthrough, or the answered prayer you’re looking for could be just around the corner.