"I don't know to I don't know yet

Have you ever had so many questions coming at you that you started feeling like you should have all the answers?

Lately, I've found myself saying, "I don't know" a lot. Questions about the women's conference, decisions that need to be made, life, leadership, and simply what comes next.

Then God began changing the way I looked at those three words.

Maybe it's not "I don't know."

Maybe it's "I don't know... yet."

In this episode of Unrelated Sisters: Truth & Grace Conversation, we're talking about what it means to trust God when you don't have the whole plan. From Abraham leaving without knowing exactly where he was going, to Moses questioning whether he was capable, Scripture reminds us that faith has never required having every answer.

Sometimes God gives us the destination. Sometimes He only gives us enough light for the next step.

I'm learning that spiritual maturity isn't necessarily having fewer questions. It's learning where to take my questions.

I don't know everything that's coming.

I don't know how every detail will work out.

But I know the One who does.

And for today, that's enough.

Main Bible Verse

Proverbs 3:5–6

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."

The beauty of this Scripture is that God doesn't tell us we will always understand.

He tells us what to do when we don't understand: trust Him.

Supporting Bible Verses

Hebrews 11:8 — Abraham Didn't Know

Abraham obeyed God and went, "even though he did not know where he was going."

He didn't know where—but he knew Who.

Psalm 119:105 — Enough Light for the Next Step

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

Sometimes we're asking God for a floodlight showing the next five years while He's giving us a lamp for today's step.

Exodus 3:12 — God's Answer to Moses

"I will be with you."

Moses had questions about his calling, his ability, and what would happen next. God didn't answer every future question at once. He promised Moses His presence.

Sometimes God's presence is the answer before His plan becomes clear.

John 13:7 — You May Understand Later

Jesus told Peter:

"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."

Some things won't make sense today.

That doesn't mean they will never make sense.

James 1:5 — Ask God for Wisdom

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God..."

Not knowing isn't something we have to be ashamed of. It's an invitation to seek the One who knows.

Encouragement

Maybe you're in your own "I don't know yet" season.

You don't know what's next.

You don't know which decision to make.

You don't know why something changed.

You don't know how God is going to work something out.

Don't allow uncertainty to convince you that God has abandoned you.

Your uncertainty does not mean God is uncertain.

You don't have to manufacture an answer just because waiting makes you uncomfortable.

Pray.

Prepare.

Listen.

Seek biblical wisdom.

Do what God has already made clear.

And trust Him with what He hasn't revealed yet.

When you catch yourself saying:

"I don't know..."

Try adding one word:

"Yet."

Then add:

"But God, You do."

Prayer

Father,

Thank You for being the God who already knows the answers to questions we haven't even thought to ask.

You know what's ahead.

You know what needs to happen.

You know which doors need to open and which ones need to remain closed.

Lord, sometimes not knowing makes us anxious. We want answers. We want timelines. We want confirmation. We want to see the whole road before we're willing to take the next step.

Teach us to trust You differently.

When we don't know, give us wisdom.

When we need to wait, give us patience.

When it's time to move, give us courage.

When we're tempted to force an answer, teach us to be still.

And when You only give us enough light for the next step, give us enough faith to take it.

Help us remember that our uncertainty never means You are uncertain.

We may not know yet...

but You do.

So we place the conference, our families, our jobs, our relationships, our decisions, our futures, and every unanswered question into Your hands.

We don't need to know everything when we know the One who does.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Episode Takeaway

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your mercy and your blessings and your grace. And we thank you for every day for just letting us wake up and letting us who continue to walk with you and to talk with you, Lord Jesus, and continuing to just listen to you and and kneel at your feet, Lord Jesus. And there's so many things to be thankful and grateful for, Lord Jesus. And I just want you to know that we love you. And I hope today's episode reaches the people that it's supposed to reach, Lord Jesus. I hope it's your words and not mine. I pray that your presence be during this episode, Lord Jesus, and that everyone feels your presence while they listen. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So this week has been, or this past week has been just kind of trying, kind of just a lot going on. A lot going on in my personal life, a lot going on in my work life, just a lot going on. And I feel like this this week was I was the mom and everybody else was the two-year-old. And in that point, in that part, they kept asking questions, you know, and it seemed like every answer I had was I don't know. I don't know. So, you know, what's happening next? I don't know. How is this going to work? I don't know. What are you going to do about that? I don't know. And what is God going doing here? I don't know. And you know, after you say I don't know enough enough times, you start questioning whether you should know. You know, am I missing something? Am I unprepared? Am I doing something wrong? And I'm not truly hearing God. But have you ever thought about if you just change the one sentence, if you just add one word, the difference that it would make, maybe not to the people that you're saying it to, but to you. And maybe it's not that I I don't know. It's I don't know yet. And there's a big difference in I don't know. Because it sounds hopeless, it sounds lost, it sounds confused, it sounds like you're not ready. And I don't know yet leaves room for God. And lately, I feel like I've had a lot of I don't know yet moments. There have been questions about the women's conference, like what are we doing? You know, and honestly, nobody's signed up that I know of. Nobody, if they have, if people are saying they're coming, they haven't paid the $20 or the $10, whichever they want. Um and so I don't know. And then there's been questions, you know, about what's next in life and what's next for me and my husband, and and are we leading the path that God wants us to lead, or are we sitting still because we're comfortable and we're happy? You know, there's been questions at work about just different situations about how are you gonna handle this, or how you're gonna take care of that, or how are you gonna fix this, or how are you gonna fix that, you know? And here lately, I feel like the need to be very transparent in all aspects of my life has just been extremely important, especially the last couple of weeks, and a lot of it, I don't know the answers yet. I don't know. I don't know how we're gonna fix what's going on at work. I don't know how I'm going to fix, I don't know how or what more to do for the women's conference. You know, we've posted it on Facebook. Um, I printed up some flyers and took it around town and hung them up. Um maybe we need to talk about it more. I don't I don't know. Um sometimes the answers just not yet. I just don't know yet. You know, and I feel like I should know. I feel like, you know, I've walked with God for a long time and that that you know our relationship is is there and and but I don't know. You know, when you sit down and you start trying to put things together and you start trying to plan for you know for the just for the conference itself, like okay, so this is what we're gonna do, this is gonna be this, this is gonna be that, and then you get to thinking, is that enough? Is that not too much? Is it you know, is is this worth their money, or are they gonna want to come back next year? You know, I've been to a lot of big women's conferences, um, you know, and and they're always huge, right? There's always thousands of thousands of people there, and and it's an amazing experience. If you ever get the opportunity to go to one, you should go. To be in a room with uh over a thousand women, just praising and worshiping Jesus is amazing. You can feel the strength that God gives his women in a in a moment like that, but that's not where we're at. There's not gonna be a thousand people come to our little conference, and I'm okay with that. You know, I've been praying for 50 people, you know, and we're almost 30 days out, you know, and so I feel a little nervous about it, you know, but and then at one point this week, I'm like, well, five people show up, that's five people, you know, and we're just gonna pray, and we don't know yet, and that's that's what we don't know. So I want to talk about Abraham for a minute in Genesis 12:1. God tells Abraham, go from your country, your people, your father's household to the land I will show you. And you know, God doesn't notice what God doesn't give him. He doesn't give him the address or a map, he doesn't tell him he's gonna be there in ten days, he doesn't give him every detail. God essentially just says, go and I'll show you the way. In Hebrew 11:8, Abraham opened, obeyed, and went, even though he didn't know where he was going. And that's huge, right? I mean, Abraham blindly had faith in what Jesus was telling him to do, and he didn't know, but he went, he didn't know the why, because Abraham didn't have confidence in the destination, he had confidence in the one leading him there, and that's what I've been trying to grasp this week, right? It's not whatever happens, happens at the conference, whatever God chooses, whether it's just me and Deb and Miss Alice and and the girls and the people from from Patsy's place, then that's what it is, right? And it'll be okay. It'll be a room full of pre of women with waiting to worship our Lord Jesus Christ. You know, some sometimes we want God to explain step 10 before we ever take step one. And that's definitely me. I feel like that is so me. Like I I want to skip steps two through eight, right? I just want to know the first step and the last two. But God just simply says, trust me, trust me with these steps. So I don't know yet is not the same as God doesn't know. And the distinction can carry the whole meaning of of I don't know yet. My uncertainty doesn't mean God is uncertain. Me being confused, God is not. I may not know what's next, but God does. I may not understand why something's changed or why it looks different, but God sees what I can't. In Isaiah 55, 8 through 9, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Let's sit on that a minute. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. Sometimes we coat we quote this when something terrible is happening, but it's also comforting in ordinary uncertainties. God sees the Father than we do. You know, in Proverbs 3, 5 through 6, trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. And when you think about what that is actually saying, it's saying God tells us not to lean entirely on our own understanding. So there must be moments when we won't understand, when we don't know yet. You know, faith isn't I understand everything God is doing. Faith is I trust God even when I don't understand what He is doing. And I think that's kind of where I've been at this last couple weeks is I just don't, I don't understand, right? I guess I want I want the fireworks and I want everybody to be as excited as I am about this women's conference. And I know my aunt, my family's gonna come. Um, they're super excited about it, and I know that other people will show up, and I know they're gonna come. And I know it's gonna be okay. You know, there's just been moments through the planning where I've had all these different questions go through my head. You know, when should this happen? How do this work? Who needs to be involved? Uh, what needs to change? What needs to be next? Do we need to have a breakout session? Do we need to do crafts? Do we need to do, you know, do I need to decorate more? Um the place we're having it at is Providence Ministries. And um it uh there's a thrift store on one side, and then there's a counseling area on another side. Um, there's a men's homeless shelter in the back. Uh, there's a women's shelter um on the property also. Um people bring their old stuff and they drop it off and donate it. They do a food bank where they feed people. Um it's it's truly not it's not fancy. It's not it's not going, it's not, it's not fancy. When you pull up in the parking lot, there's homeless people sitting out on the sidewalk or sitting over away from it, you know, and there's people shopping in the thrift store, and it's not, and I worried at first if that was the place to be because we could have done it at a much nicer place, you know, we could have done it and made it a much more comfortable environment to people who haven't lived in that life, but you know, God said that we are here to heal the broken and we are here to tell our stories, and I couldn't, I couldn't bring myself to do it anywhere else. Maybe what God's been teaching me through the conference isn't simply how to put a conference on. Maybe he's been teaching me how to follow him without controlling every detail. That is true, and that's different for me. You don't need every answer today to obey what God has clearly told you today. Psalms 119, 105. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Think about a lamp. A lamp doesn't necessarily illuminate five miles ahead, it gives enough light for the next step. Maybe you've been asking God for floodlights, and he's just giving you a lamp, a headlamp. And you're saying, but what's over there? And God's saying, You don't need to know that yet. Walk this way. We'll talk about that a minute. Maybe you've been asking God for floodlights and he's giving you a headlamp. And you're saying, but what's over there? Because you know, when you turn your head with a headlamp, the light shines that way. If you turn left, it shines left. If you turn right, it shines right. If you look straight ahead, it looks straight ahead. And God is saying, You don't need to know that yet. Walk here. When I think about that, I think about Mexica, I think about Moses in Exodus. And Moses has had questions. Who am I? What if they don't believe me? What am I supposed to say? I'm not going to speak at all. Please send somebody else. Moses didn't respond to God's calling with absolute, I understand everything. He had questions, insecurities, uncertainties. In Exod, God answers is important. I will be with you. God didn't answer every future question Moses would ever have. Sometimes God's presence is the answer before his plan becomes clear. You know, sometimes we want to force an answer, and the danger of forcing an answer, when we become uncomfortable with I don't know yet, we can start creating answers ourselves. We rush decisions, we force doors, we ask everybody for opinions, we Google everything, we overthink it, we replay conversations, we make a decision simply because having an answer feels better than waiting for God's answer. You know, and that's how I felt last year. I so badly wanted to be a part of the women's group that I was going to, and so badly wanted it to be an important part of that that I think I placed myself where I shouldn't have been. And it's not that it was bad, because by no means the women's group was amazing, the Bible study was amazing, the women that was a part of it was amazing, but it wasn't where I was supposed to be, you know, and I had to walk away. And I don't have a ton of female friends that I can sit and talk about God with, or that I can sit and just talk with, you know, and sometimes it makes me feel lonely and it makes me want to rush things. I want things to happen. But we make a decision simply because having an answer feels better than waiting for God's answer. But scripture repeatedly teaches us to wait. Psalms 27, 14. Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. Waiting isn't doing nothing, waiting can be praying, preparing, listening, just seeking wisdom, doing what God has already told you, and refusing to manufacture an answer He hasn't given you yet. There's wisdom in being able to say, I don't know yet. So I'm going to wait before I pretend that I do. Have you ever thought about the disciples? They followed Jesus without understanding everything. They didn't fully understand the cross, they didn't understand the resurrection beforehand, they didn't understand everything Jesus was teaching in the moment. They asked questions, they misunderstood things, and Jesus just kept teaching them. In John 13, 7, Jesus tells Peter, you do not realize now what I am doing. But later you will understand. That verse fits so perfectly with this episode. Jesus tells Peter, you do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand. You don't understand now, but later you might. Now I understand. Not everything, but enough to know he's trustworthy. Questions aren't necessarily the problem. What we do with them matters. A question can lead me towards God, or a question can become something I obsess over until I'm overwhelmed. Philippians 4, 6, 7. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. So bring your questions to God. Not just God, give me the answer, but God give me peace while I wait for the answer. Give me wisdom. Give me discernment. Keep me from moving ahead of you. Keep me from being paralyzed because I don't know. And show me what I need to know today. And show me what I need to wait for tomorrow. This is for the person who feels overwhelmed because everybody seems to want an answer from you. Maybe you're asking, what am I supposed to do with my career? What's happening with my marriage? And what's next for my family? Should I stay? Should I go? What is God calling me to? Why hasn't this happened yet? And how is this going to work? Maybe today you can give yourself permission to say, I don't know yet. Not because you're giving up, but because you're trusting in God. James 1:5. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God. You don't have to pretend to pose wisdom. God hasn't given you yet. Ask. Listen. Wait. And when He gives you that next step, take it without hesitation. Maybe maturity isn't having an fewer questions. Maybe maturity is having where to take your questions. Years ago, uncertainty might have sent me into panic. And now I I want uncertainty to send me into prayer. That's growth. I don't know everything about the conference. I don't know everything about what's coming next. I don't know the answer to every question that comes up this week. And for once, maybe I don't have to because I don't know yet. But I do know Jesus and He knows right now, and that's enough for me. I challenge every one of you this week to catch yourself saying, I don't know, and add the word yet. I don't know yet. Then follow it with, but God you do. Turn your uncertainty into prayer. I don't know how this is going to work yet, but God you do. I don't know what decision to make yet, but God, you do. I don't know what's next yet, but God, you do. Then ask, what do I need to know for today? Maybe that's the only answer you need right now. Dear Lord Father, thank you that you don't require us to have every answer before we come to you. You already know the questions we're carrying. You know the decisions we're trying to make. You know the things keeping us awake, and you know the places where we're confused. You know every I don't know before we ever say it. Lord, forgive us for the times we've mistaken uncertainty for failure. Forgive us for rushing ahead because waiting made us uncomfortable. Forgive us for trying to manufacture answers instead of trusting you. Give us wisdom where we need wisdom. Give us direction where we need direction. Close doors that aren't for you. Open the doors that are. Give us the courage not to force either one. But more than anything, Jesus, give us peace in the not yet. When we don't know what's next, remind us that you do. When we can't see the entire road, give us enough light for the next step. When we're afraid we're falling behind, remind us that your timing is not yours. When questions overwhelm us, teach us to bring them to you instead of carrying them alone. And if the answer today is simply wait, help us wait well. If the answer is move, give us courage to move. And if you haven't given us an answer yet, give us enough faith to say, I don't know yet, but I know the one who does. We trust you with what we know, we trust you with what we don't know, and we trust you with what you've haven't revealed yet. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. I don't know isn't always a dead end. Sometimes it's simply the space between the question and God's answer. So maybe today you don't know yet. And that's okay because you know the one who does. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it. If there's anything you need, please email us at unrelated sisters podcast, truthandgrace conversation at gmail.com. We would love to pray with you, walk with you, and stand by you. But until next time, you may not know yet.