Proverbs 23:18:“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”Today’s Episode: Not Now Doesn’t Mean NeverThere are two seasons we don’t talk about enough:Now…and not now.Now is when the door opens, the call comes and the thing we prayed for steps into the room.But just as surely as there is a now season, there is a not-now season.Wait long enough, and “not now” starts sounding like “not ever.” Delay starts to look so familiar that you’re tempted to accept denial as your new normal. You begin accepting an ending God never announced.Proverbs 23:18 says:“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”That “future hope” is what helps you survive your not-now season. It also reveals that “not now” does not mean nothing is happening now.Maybe now is not your season to step onto the stage.But it may be your season to practice.It may not be your season to shine in public, but your season to hone your craft and sharpen your gift.This could be your season to develop your authentic voice so when the microphone reaches your hand, you have something to say.See, we can become so focused on what’s not happening that we miss what’s really happening. The harvest may not be ready now—but roots are growing now. Character is forming now. Wisdom is deepening now. God is doing work in you that the spotlight could never do for you.Now, for the balance. Biblical hope does not guarantee every desire will arrive as pictured. This proverb does not make God responsible for every personal prediction.Our hope is confidence that our future remains in God’s hands. Therefore, delay, disappointment and loss do not get to have the final say.So don’t call this season empty simply because it isn’t the season you requested.Ask a better question:What is this season for?The answer may not be what you wanted now. But there is still something sacred for you to do now.Not now doesn’t mean never.And not now certainly doesn’t mean nothing.

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