Sooner or later, every crisis ends. We will then face the question of, “What’s next?” It’s an important question. While God wants and wills only good for His people, He also uses what the enemy intended for evil to mold us into someone better and stronger. As we emerge from trials, we will be changed. Life will be at once different and familiar.
If we use the time of crisis to draw closer to God, we will be better equipped to handle the next obstacle life puts in our path. But if we cower in fear, embracing our anxiety while we think the world is caving in around us, we will be weaker and poorly equipped to deal with what’s next.
What’s next for you in your walk with Christ? Do you recognize how He has been with you every step of the way throughout the trial? As we emerge from unprecedented times, I encourage you to make a list of every way God sustained you. I suspect you’ll be adding to it every day. God is never absent. He is always working on your behalf. Don’t fail to notice the little blessings He is always sprinkling throughout your days. When you recognize how He provides for you through hard times, your faith in Him grows. Perhaps you will, at last, come to trust Him with everything you have. If the result of the crisis is a deeper reliance on God’s goodness and grace, then the crisis is more than worth enduring.
We also must deal with the practical aspects of what’s next. How will we encourage others on the other side of this? What areas of weakness did the crisis reveal in your life? What can you do to develop more faith in those areas? In what ways were you unprepared for what happened? Are there things you can do to prepare better in case of a next time?
Often, the lessons we learn in the middle of the storm will allow us to build habits and muscle to prepare us for what’s next. God always has a plan for you tomorrow. He knows how you can best further His Kingdom and gently nudges you towards it. Sometimes we aren’t yet strong enough for what’s next, and Christ will allow circumstances to come into our lives that will build us into the person we need to be to best serve Him and His Kingdom. We should not avoid these times, but embrace them.
What’s next for you? Are you stronger for what you’ve been going through? Are you more thankful, humble, and reliant on God than when this all began? If so, how can you use your bolstered faith to serve Him and others? If you aren’t doing so well in the middle of all this, ask God to strengthen you. Ask Him for His peace, to increase your faith, and that He will provide everything you need (Matthew 6:31-33). Don’t let the waves drag you under. He is always reaching out His hand to keep your head above water (Matthew 14:25-33). What’s next should be a time of great excitement. You will be better equipped to honor and glorify Him. The storm will pass. Be prepared for what’s next.