For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:8

One afternoon many years ago as I walked through the front doors of my favorite grocery store in Colorado Springs, my heart was heavy. I feel so alone, I thought. My friend, Judi, had died unexpectedly days before from a brain aneurysm and my friend, Gene, had died the month before. When I reached the checkout, I made small talk with the woman in front of me. “This weather is really great, huh?” I scanned the beautiful Rocky Mountains out the large picture windows. “Yes, it’s awesome. I moved here last year, and I love it.” She smiled and rolled away her cart. I found a seat where I could quietly eat my lunch. Loneliness engulfed me.

As I stood to put away my plate, the woman from the checkout approached me. “You were really nice to talk to me, but the Lord wants me to tell you something.” She gently placed her hands on my shoulders and turned me to face her. “He wants you to know that you are not alone and that He hears you.” Tears of relief and gratitude rolled down my cheeks. What a gracious and kind Lord we have! He was giving me His love through a stranger. She went on. “I believe He also wants you to know He is going to put your feet on a new foundation. I don’t know what that means, but be open to change.” We hugged, I cried some more, and she walked away.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:7)!

As I drove home, I pondered these things in my heart. It seemed God was confirming what I had been sensing for several months. God is going to do something new.  If change meant emotional and spiritual relief, I was ready because I was in an in-between place brought on the deaths of my friends and other life changes. As it turned out, within a matter of months, I had moved away from Colorado Springs and within a year, I met my husband. How faithful the Lord is!

Maybe you feel like you are in an in-between place. An in-between place is when you have let go of the old, and you are ready to embrace the new thing God has for you.  Perhaps you have let go of a job, home, a friendship, dream, or calling, and you are wondering what’s next. Rest assured. Just like the woman in the grocery store told me, He is telling you:

“I hear you. You are not alone. Behold! I do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:18-19)!

Prayer: Lord, thank you that I can trust you even though you haven’t revealed my new thing yet. I know that it’s coming and you are orchestrating the events of my life because you are always at work in the lives of your children. Help me to wait patiently by faith. I love you. Amen.

Application: Make a timeline of your life on a piece of paper and mark all the times when you have been in an in-between place, then remember God’s faithfulness.

Related Readings: Isaiah 43:2; Isaiah 40:31; Lamentations 3:25; Proverbs 3:5-6

By Shana Schutte

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