What's Next God?

“Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Ninevah and proclaim to it the message I give you.’” Jonah 3:2

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” John 16:12

My dear father-in-law is in the severe stage of Alzheimer’s as he tries to navigate his days through the confusion of the disease. When he first came to live with us six months ago I would speak to him in the same manner I spoke to other family members. A simple request would turn in to frustration on both of our parts. The request to get his jacket and sunglasses from his room would be lost by the time he got to his room. If my instructions included more than one thing at a time everything unraveled fairly quickly. I learned that for him to be successful I had to reveal my request one step at a time. His trust lay squarely on the shoulders of the person requesting something from him. He could never have accomplished a series of requests with the limited capacity to understand.

Both of the verses above support the idea that God will reveal His plan for our lives in connection with the ability for us to receive. There are been many times in my life when I realize that it was through the grace of God that I didn’t realize certain things. When Kristen began her journey into drug addiction I always felt that reconciliation was right around the corner. If God had revealed that I would be immersed in this deep valley for 8 years I couldn’t bear it. He knows not only what capacity we possess to understand but also what revelations we can and cannot handle.

Another example of God revealing one step at a time is to build discipline and trust. Anytime I spend time with my grandson Carson he is always looking to the next event. During time with him at the McDonald’s playground the other day he yelled from the top of the playground slide with french fries and Happy Meal toy. As he was enjoying one blessing he wanted to know what we would be doing after McDonald's. He wants to know the ‘line-up of events’ instead of experiencing the revelation one by one.

Whether our revelations are doled out to us by God due to our limited capacities or our need for spiritual discipline we must respect His timing, His knowledge and His purpose for our lives. We all have a desire to know the ‘line-up of events’ like Carson. I wonder how long my father-in-law will suffer with Alzheimer’s and when will my college graduate get a job. I wonder where ELM will be in one year and what plans God has for this ministry. It is human nature to wonder about the future but it is spiritual nature to receive God’s plan one step at a time and use that stepping stone to move forward. You will eventually get to the spiritual spot God has for you.

If we are always looking towards what is next we will miss the blessings of what is now.