My beautiful friend, Oral Roberts University roommate, and adventurer Caroline Baldwin recently asked this great question, “What’s next for me, Lord?”
When the future feels uncertain, we can turn to the One who knows it. We can trust Him to guide us through it. Below are some Bible verses for facing the unknown.
What God Says About the Unknown
Joshua 1:9 NLT – This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Psalm 32:8 NLT – The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.”
Psalm 37:23-24 NLT – The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT – Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT – 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Face Your Future With Confidence
The question “What’s next?” offers so many possibilities. This can be both freeing and intimidating. Here are a few practical ideas for addressing it.
- Be still. Our gut is hiding God. He often speaks to us in a still, small voice, but we have to get quiet in order to hear it. Whether we journal, meditate, and/or spend time alone with God in nature, these and other activities can help us clear our minds and tune in to the Holy Spirit, our divine inner wisdom. He usually will not reveal our entire destiny, but He will tell us the next step to take. We must simply act on what He shows us.
- What’s the next right move? Oprah Winfrey has given this advice to people dealing with this internal battle. The way through the challenge is to get still and not look at the big picture, but instead ask, “What’s the next right move?” Do that, and the next step will unfold. When we don’t know what to do next, we can simply do the next thing.
- Eliminate as many choices as possible. We can get stuck in uncertainty because we have too many choices. More choices often lead to fear rather than freedom. So for instance, rather than making ten New Year Resolutions, I now focus on just one word that I want to manifest during the year. Rather than check out five interesting books from the library, I only check out and read one book at a time.
- Let go of the outcome. Sometimes we are afraid to make the next step because we do not know what to expect. But life would be boring if we always knew exactly how each day would turn out. Life becomes more interesting and exciting when we have to change directions. Stay open. We may be surprised with an even better outcome than we thought.
- What’s on your vision board? God has written a book on each of our lives (Psalm 139:16), so there is plenty for us to do. Once we accomplish one dream, we can start on the next one that He shares with us :).
Hope these ideas help you! What other items would you add to this list to answer the question. “What’s next?” I’d love to hear from you!