“I don’t know what I’m doing,” has become a familiar phrase in my vocabulary lately. But I remember listening to this sermon by Pastor Steven, and something he kept saying was, “We don’t need to know the how, we just need to know the Who.”

Let me explain.

I have been trying to pursue a career in medicine since I was practically 6.

I studied really hard in high school
went to college
took all the prerequisites
studied for the MCAT
and even applied to medical school in 2017.

But my journey to the field of medicine has been anything but easy. I failed the MCAT the first time I took it, I had to delay my plans to apply twice because my application wasn’t ready, and I didn’t get in when I applied.

As a result, I have tried to do everything to make my application stand out. I’ve worked with a wedding planner to help grow her business. I’ve volunteered with a local non-profit to help grow their organization. I’ve served with a ministry to help it grow. I’ve worked at another non-profit in its marketing and sales department. And it looks like I might be working in a doctor’s office in the next year or so if it’s in God’s will.

I’m not listing all these things because I’m trying to give you my resume, but I am writing them because I noticed a common theme, and it wasn’t until a friend pointed it out that I noticed. All of my experiences have involved working with start-up companies and businesses.

With the exception of 1, every business was no older than 2 years old when I began serving or working with them. My friend then shared that she thinks that God would be moving me into owning and starting businesses and this makes tons of sense because I believe that I will own my own practice one day.

But then, I was reading the story of Joseph, and it hit me all over again.. I saw a similar experience within his life, and God gave me a fresh revelation while reading Genesis 39-40. Of course, I wanted to share them with you.

1. Your seasons are always connected, even when you don’t know the connection.

There were two placements for Joseph before he was ever second in command of the entire nation of Egypt. A lot of preachers talk about Joseph going from the pit to the palace. And yes, God can take your life and turn it completely around! But let’s think about Joseph’s life from a career perspective.

Minus being sold into slavery, his life from a modern day perspective might look something like this:

A young adult gets a job right out of college and begins working at a popular company. Doing really well, he gets promoted to a leadership role only to be accused of a crime that he did not do and is sent to jail.

Nevertheless, in jail, he is trusted and gets promoted to another leadership role, and once out of prison, God’s favor rests on him so greatly that he works in the White House as the Vice President.

[bctt tweet=”Your seasons are always connected, even when you don’t know the connection.” username=”heyhanha”]

This is legit what happened to Joseph. And Joseph may not have immediately worked for Pharoah, but God was always preparing him to lead. In every season of his life, God had put him in some form of leadership.

In Chapter 39, we see that he was put in charge of Potiphar’s entire household. And we also see that he is put in charge of an entire prison even as a prisoner. And then he becomes second in command.

2. God is intentional about preparing you.

I’m sure Joseph never thought that he would be working second in command whenever he was thrown into prison. But God was so strategic with his life if you look at it from a bird’s eye view.

There were lessons that Joseph needed to learn in order for him to be a great leader. Being someone who was wrongly accused of a crime, he probably learned how to have compassion towards people. And since he learned how to rule an entire household with Potiphar, God promoted him and made him ruler over an entire nation.

Nothing was wasted in Joseph’s life.
Even in your uncertainty, nothing is wasted in your life either.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we need the seasons that teach us how to be more like Christ. We need the seasons that reveal our insecurities so that we can root our identity in who God says we are. We need times when we realize how our pride is preventing us from being better servants to others.

You may not know how you’ll get to your end destination, but as Pastor Steven said, you don’t need to know the how. You just need to know the Who. You don’t have to know what you’re doing or even where you’re going.

Honor where you are now.
Serve where you need to serve.
And be diligent with what’s already been assigned to you.

These lessons are important for our growth and maturity. They’re important for wherever God wants to take us. And it’s only when we are faithful over the little, that He can make us ruler over much (Luke 16:10).

3. Purpose is not a destination, it is a journey.

When you’re walking in purpose, it’s not always going to be easy. Hard days are coming which includes uncertainty. Jesus even said it Himself! He said in John 16:33 that we would have trouble in this world. And that’s why Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:13 to put on the FULL armor of God so that we can stand our ground when the day of evil comes.

[bctt tweet=”The enemy knows he can’t steal your purpose. Don’t let him steal your joy in the process! ” username=”heyhanha”]

The enemy knows he can’t steal your purpose, but don’t let him steal your joy in the process! God’s got you and He knows exactly what He’s doing in your life. When you don’t understand what’s happening or when you have no idea what to do next, He knows because He’s already planned it, down to the tiniest details.

Related: A Video on Navigating Uncertainty

The catch is you must be willing to trust and obey Him. Trust that His plan for your life is better than anything you can imagine. Trust that the seasons you are going through are important for your purpose. And obey Him when He tells you to do something:

move to another city
go to a specific school
apply for a certain job
be kind to a certain person that you don’t necessarily like.

Because you may be focused on the end destination or the final outcome, but God is more concerned about your heart. He’s more concerned about the type of person you will be once you get there. That’s why it took years for the children of Israel to enter the Promise Land. What was supposed to be an 11-day journey turned into 40 years because their hearts were not pure.

[bctt tweet=”You may be focused on the final outcome, but God is more concerned about the type of person you will be once you get there.” username=”heyhanha”]

When it comes to purpose, there is no moment of arrival! We must be careful not to deceive ourselves into thinking that our lives will automatically get better once we reach a certain destination or a certain goal. That’s like moving to a new city with all of your baggage. Once you get there, you’re still going to have to unpack everything you brought with you.

Just because our environments change doesn’t necessarily mean that our hearts will.

If we are discontent or unhappy with how we feel towards ourselves at this moment right now, a shift in situation is not necessarily going to change that. I think God allows seasons of uncertainty so that what cannot be shaken will remain (Hebrews 12:27). He uses them to show us that apart from Him, we cannot do anything (John 15:5), and that the only thing that matters is Him.

That’s why it’s so important for us to spend consistent time with Jesus and worship Him in our uncertainty because that is the only place where we’ll find everything we need.

So can I end in prayer for you?

God, thank you so much for the person reading this post. Thank you for their life, and thank you even for the moments that make them feel uncertain. Thank you that you are using this season to teach them that you are sovereign and that you hold ALL things together.

I pray that you would give them comfort and show them that You are always with them. Help them to trust and obey You. I pray that You would continue to reveal the plans You have for them and show them that You know EXACTLY what You’re doing. Bless them and touch them in a special way – so intimately that they know it’s you.

In your name I pray, Amen.

As a final note, attached are some scripture cards you can use as you handle your season of uncertainty. Meditate on them and take time to memorize them! Once you get the Word in your heart, you can use it to cast down any fearful or anxious thoughts.