The Future Isn’t Your Problem… This Is | Steven Furtick
At some point in Paul’s spiritual struggle, he shows us exactly what to do when we find ourselves in uncertainty. When we lack clarity but need courage—when we don’t know how to handle our situation but desperately need God’s help—Paul becomes a model of faith. Some of us don’t even know what to hope for or what to ask God to do next.
It’s hard to trust God for a future we can’t yet see, and that can make it tempting to give up. But then, a deeper need begins to pull at us. At some point, that need becomes strong enough to shift us away from what we want and toward what God requires.
Do you see it? Paul was pulled by purpose. One force was pulling him toward giving up—longing for heaven, longing for relief. But just as he was ready to surrender, something else held him back. He realized, “This would be easier, but this is what’s needed.”
As followers of Christ, we must decide: Will we choose what’s easy, or will we allow God’s purpose to pull us into what is necessary? There is a “next step” in your life that is essential. If one door has closed, God is already preparing another way forward—just like when He sent Elijah to the widow in Zarephath. Right now, God is positioning you for a purpose you don’t even know about yet.
Paul’s example is a picture of all of us—a picture of being pulled between what we want and what is needed. Sometimes, our desires pull us one way, but God’s purpose calls us in another direction.
As we grow older, our physical vision changes. The other day, my wife, Holly, gave me a look while I was trying to read the bill at a restaurant. At first, I thought she was judging my tipping habits! But later, she left something for me in the bedroom—reading glasses. She said, “It’s time.”
I resisted. “No, I can just increase the font on my iPad!” But she had already done her research. “It’s called aging eyes,” she told me.
