The Best is Yet to Come

I pulled into the parking lot and shut off my car. I sat there and stared off into the tree line where the birds hopped from branch to branch in the late afternoon sun, carefree and full of song. Our church was hosting a worship night and, as staff, I needed to be there. But I had been holding back emotions from disappointing news I had received earlier that day. Some things that I thought God had arranged and affirmed months prior seemed to be crumbling around me. A future I had envisioned felt like it was being pulled out from under me. I was frustrated, sad, hurt, confused and disappointed. A worship night was the last place I felt like being. I didn't feel like worshipping.

After taking a few minutes in the car to shove all the emotions back down, locking them back in their box, I walked into the building and took my position to smile and greet people as they came in. I was holding it together and mentally high-fived myself as it seemed like no one even suspected anything was off. Then the music started, and I made my way into the auditorium.

Have you ever experienced a moment where you listen to or read something and it's as though God took a bright, yellow highlighter over a word or phrase?

While the band sang "Won't Stop Now" by Elevation Worship, Holy Spirit highlighted the lyric, "I'm believing that the best is yet to come." It stuck in my brain, bold and bright, and that box of emotions I had locked before coming in was threatening to burst. I prayed to God and asked Him, if that was what He was asking of me, that He would help me to believe that the best is yet to come.

A peace came over me and I felt His holy hands holding my heart, all cracked and bruised but starting a healing process simply from His touch.

I felt seen by Him, moved by His kindness to speak tenderly to me in that place, and was moved to tears. And in that moment I knew that despite my frustrations, disappointment, and broken heart that God was still worthy of praise no matter what I felt. I needed to sing those songs, even if I didn't believe what I was singing in the moment. I needed to choke out those words because I knew they were truths about Him, so I would sing them until I did believe.

He is good even when what I feel is not.
He is trustworthy even when the people around me aren't.
He is kind even when a situation hasn't been to me.

Going into that night, even though I didn't feel like worshipping, choosing to do it anyways was enough to do something in my heart - to shift it from the darkness it felt as though it was in to the light of the truth of God's Word and His promises.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

-Psalm 84:11

About a week later I sat in a friend's kitchen and we cried together as we both sat in the disappointment we both felt in our own situations while also acknowledging the fear of the unknown that was to come. I told her about that worship night and God promising me that the best is yet to come. The next night I met a friend for drinks at a hole-in-the-wall bar in Indianapolis. As we were finishing the owner told us to make sure we didn't forget to sign the guest book. He slid a gold and white striped notebook in front of me, and in bold, black text it read, "THE BEST IS YET TO COME." I laughed as I told my friend about that worship night and God's promise to me. As I drove home a strange song came on my Spotify playlist of the day. I looked at the song title: "family/best is yet to come" by Judah and the Lion.

And once again He is El Roi, the God who sees me.

Sure, it might be a current buzz phrase, but so many times this phrase has come up in the most unexpected places. God shows up in the unexpected to do something that we would never have expected in order to speak to us the words that we need to hear from Him, that we might not have known we even needed to hear. He does it because He loves us, and He does it because we have another opportunity to tell people about His goodness and glory.

And my God will supply every need of yours according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

-Philippians 4:19 

I've chosen to believe the best is yet to come, even on the days that felt heavy and my heart felt extra burdened. And I truly believe I am starting to see that play out. God has brought people and opportunities that have surprised me in the best ways. Some of the things that I thought were coming my way only to never come to fruition make sense now in the light of what God has done in recent months. He sees what we cannot, and His best is always coming. He hopes that you and I will believe that and hold onto it when we don't understand.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!

-Ephesians 3:20