What to do… when you don’t know what is next?
As a recent college grad, I understand that feeling of uncertainty. It’s something that no one talks about when it comes to post-grad life. Until this point you constantly have had the next step, your life laid out for you. First, four years of high school just to graduate and pick a university to go to. Then, you spend four more years studying away but once you get that diploma. No one tells you what’s next …
I am sure you have dreams, goals, and maybe even a vision God’s given you for your life. But even still you find yourself floating in the oblivion of your thoughts on what the “perfect” next step is. Maybe you are a planner like me and so as soon as you took your last final. You began the never-ending cycle of job and grad school applications. In the midst of trying to find the “perfect” next step for yourself, you failed to stop and ask God.
That’s me, the girl who has sent in hundreds of applications to various jobs and grad school programs but in the midst of trying to figure it all out herself. Forgot that she can and should ask the one who holds all the answers, the one who is working all things together for her good. My inability to rest in the search for my next step was more of a deep-rooted problem in the fact that I truly didn’t trust God. My soul needed to find rest and peace in Jesus when all I was trying to feed it, was man-made hope.
It was time to ripe up the checklist, the five-year plan I had for my life, and stop trying to be my own God and set it all down at the altar. My feelings and circumstances had tarnished my view of God and in the process of finding this next step, I was left discouraged and lacking trust in him.Often our inability to trust God is directly correlated with our lack of knowing him. Maybe that is you too, your inability to trust God is really him calling you to know him more. Over the next couple of weeks, I made the shift to place my next step in God’s hands. Maybe, you need to make the shift too.
I would love to sit here and tell you it was so easy, but that is far from the truth. I got email after email being denied from various jobs and programs. Pray after pray was spent on the floor weeping to God asking for clarity and answers. The shift of peace didn’t truly start happening until I started reminding myself of who God is and reading his word.When I found myself in Joshua 6, also known as the passage where the march of Jericho takes place. In this passage, there is a wall, something that stands in the way of what Joshua and the Israelites are trying to accomplish. (We all have that point in our lives where we reach a wall something that seems to be standing in our way, for me that was figuring out my next step)
The Lord gave them instructions to silently march around the walls of the city once a day for six days straight. Then on the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times with seven priests. As they marched, the priests were to blow the shofars (an ancient musical horn). On the seventh trip around, they were to give one long blast in unison. Then the people were to give a great shout. When they did this, the fortress walls of Jericho fell flat to the ground. When reading this passage we come to see that we may not always see God’s logic, but He is faithful when we are obedient. But a couple things stood out to me that I began putting into practice in my life, don’t we know that when we put our faith to action through obedience a shift in our spirit takes place.
Know when to be silent and when to shout
The Lord called them to silently march around the walls for the first six days. I think a lot of times we like to do the talking, we come to God with a whole list of talking points already prepared. ” God I want this, can you do that” but in the midst of the talking, we lose sight of who our faith is in and what we are truly asking for.
So”if you can’t speak faith don’t speak at all”. I think it’s in the silence, listening to God that we are reminded of who our faith is placed in, and where our help comes from. Then when the time to shout comes, we have the ability to speak faith. SHOUT FAITH.
That looked like stopping the endless applications of jobs and programs that interested me and sitting in his presence allowing him to highlight where he wanted me to go. That didn’t mean I sat on my butt doing nothing. It means that I kept applying, knocking on doors but not trying to force them open out of my own ability but trusting in Jesus to open the right one.
2. You gotta keep marching
Everyone wants to be there when the walls fall but no one wants to be there for the march.
The march looked like a lot of time on my knees praying, specifically for God to close every door he didn’t want me to walk through. It was discouraging at times reading rejection email after rejection email. But I kept marching speaking the truth that God had plans to prosper me and not to harm me, that he works all things for my good and his glory meaning he wouldn’t withhold from me.
After days, that became weeks and then became months of prayer, marching, and speaking faith. My wall fell and I got accepted into a grad school program, I know that I can walk into that program confidently because I know that there is no way that isn’t where God wants me after the journey I have been on.
3. Praise the one who made the wall fall
You gotta remember there’s no way you made the wall fall. I don’t care what your wall is scripture tells us every good and perfect gift is from above. Every promotion, financial provision, blessing, open and closed door is from the father. He is worthy of all praise before the blessing and the breakthrough but most certainly after!
It’s time we give credit where credit is due. I didn’t get into this grad school program cause of my own abilites or resume. I got in simply because it was where God wants me. For no one can open a door that God doesn’t want open or shut one he has opened.
I don’t know who you are or what your wall is, but I know who our God is and I am believing for incredible breakthrough for you in your circumstances and I know the best is yet to come my friend!
With love (and lattes),
