He Is There in the Unfinished

I opened my Bible to Genesis 1 today, a passage I have read more times than I could count. But before God spoke light into the darkness, something in Genesis 1:2 caught my attention: “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” The earth was still formless and empty. Darkness covered the deep. Nothing looked finished, ordered, or settled yet, but God was already there.

I kept thinking about that word hovering. God was present before there was visible evidence of what He was about to do. Before the light. Before the land. Before anything began to take the shape God intended for it, His Spirit was there over the waters. The unfinished condition of creation was not evidence of His absence. In fact, His presence came before the transformation.

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Then God began to speak. He brought light into darkness, separated the waters, gathered the seas, brought forth the land, and filled His creation with life. I know the story well, but as I continued reading those familiar words, something else stood out to me:

God called things good before He was finished.

That thought stayed with me because there are places in my life right now that feel unfinished. There are situations where I would love to know exactly what God is doing and where He is leading.

I like answers. I like direction. I like knowing how the pieces are going to fit together. When I cannot see those things clearly, my mind has a tendency to start working overtime. I begin looking for answers, trying to solve what I can, and searching for something that will make everything feel settled again.

Genesis 1 reminded me that God is not uncomfortable with the unfinished.

Creation did not happen all at once. God worked in an intentional order, bringing purpose and beauty

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into what had been formless and empty. At the end of each day, there was still more to be done, yet God looked at what He had created and called it good. 

The story was not finished, but God was still completely in control of it.

Maybe that is what I need to remember when I find myself wanting answers God has not given me yet. His presence does not depend on my ability to see the finished picture.

He is present in the middle of the process. He is present when I cannot see the next step, when circumstances do not make sense, when I am waiting for direction, and when parts of my life still feel unsettled or incomplete.

As I read, I realized how easy it is to mistake unfinished for forgotten.

That takes me right back to Genesis 1:2. The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Before the light appeared, before anything began to take shape, and before there was visible evidence of what God was about to do, He was already there.

Unfinished did not mean forgotten then, and it does not mean forgotten now.

There are times when I want visible evidence that God is working. I want something I can point to and say, “There it is. Now I understand what You are doing.” I want the answer, the direction, or at least a glimpse of what comes next.

But faith does not always give me that luxury. Sometimes what I have is the truth of who God is and the promise of His presence. I am learning that I do not have to know what He is doing to know that He is there.

That changes the way I look at the unfinished places in my life.

I do not have to figure out tomorrow today. I do not have to force an answer simply because uncertainty makes me uncomfortable. I do not have to mentally work through every possible outcome until I find one that makes me feel safe.

Instead, I can be still long enough to remember who God is and who I am because of Him.

I am His child. I am known by Him, loved by Him, and held by Him. The God who spoke light into darkness is not confused by the things that confuse me. He sees what I cannot see, knows what comes next, and understands exactly what He is forming in my life.

I do not have to carry the responsibility of knowing how everything will turn out. That responsibility was never mine.

Maybe my assignment in an unfinished season is not to figure everything out. Maybe it is simply to remain close to God while He continues His work.

Genesis 1 reminds me that God has always been a God who creates with purpose, works in an intentional order, and remains present throughout the entire process. What looks unfinished to me is not unknown to Him. He already sees the whole story.

And maybe the next time I find myself looking at an unfinished place and wondering, God, where are You in this? I need to picture Genesis 1:2.

The darkness was still there. The earth was still formless. The waters had not yet been separated. God had not spoken the first “Let there be.”

But He was hovering over the waters. He was there.

So today, my prayer is this:

Lord, thank You for reminding me that You are present even when I cannot see what You are doing. There are places in my life where I want answers, direction, and things to feel settled. Help me not to mistake unfinished for forgotten.

When my mind will not slow down and I begin trying to fix what I cannot fix, remind me who You are. Remind me who I am. When I cannot see Your hand, help me trust Your presence. Teach me to be still with You and trust that You are still creating, still working, and still present. I love You. Amen.

The story may still be unfinished, but God is already there.

A Time to Reflect

Before you move on with your day, take a few quiet minutes with God. Think about the places in your life that feel unfinished right now. Instead of immediately trying to find the answer or determine what should happen next, simply acknowledge those places before Him.

Go back to the beginning of Genesis and remember the picture Scripture gives us. The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the deep. Yet the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

God was present before anything changed.

Where in my life am I struggling with something that feels unfinished?

Have I been mistaking unfinished for forgotten? What am I afraid God may not be doing?

Where have I been trying to create an answer, fix a situation, or control an outcome because I want to feel settled?

What does Genesis 1:2 teach me about God’s presence before I can see His work?

What truth about who I am as God’s child do I need to remember today?

God, today I am giving You ________________________________________.

I do not know how this part of my story will unfold, but I know You are present in it. Help me stop looking for security in having all the answers and find my security in You. When my mind begins to race, remind me who You are and who I am.

Today, I choose to trust You with the unfinished.

The Hope of Jeremiah 29

The older I get, the more I realize how quickly life can change. One phone call, one diagnosis, one unexpected loss, one season you never saw coming can shift everything. We spend so much of our lives trying to plan, prepare, and hold things together, only to discover how little control we actually have.

The world talks about hope as if it is wishful thinking. “I hope things get better.” “I hope this works out.” “I hope tomorrow is easier.” But biblical hope is completely different. Biblical hope is knowing Who is walking with us, Who already holds the plan, and Who remains our anchor when the waves of life hit hard.

Hebrews describes hope as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” An anchor does not stop the storm from coming. It keeps you steady in the middle of it. And if I am honest, some of the seasons where I have known Jesus most deeply were not the easy ones. They were the seasons where life felt uncertain and I had no choice but to cling tightly to Him.

So, what do we do when life hits hard and we desperately need hope in the middle of it all?

Jeremiah 29:11-14 tells us.

Most people stop at verse 11 because it feels comforting: “For I know the plans I have for you…” But the passage keeps going, and I think the rest of the verses are where we really begin to understand biblical hope.

God was speaking these words to people living in exile. Their lives did not look the way they expected. They were grieving losses, facing uncertainty, and wondering what God was doing. Yet right in the middle of that difficult season, God reminded them that He still had a plan and a future for them.

One of the most misunderstood words in Jeremiah 29:11 is the word “prosper.” We often hear that word through a worldly lens and

immediately think of success, comfort, money, or an easy life. But the Hebrew word used here is “shalom.”

Shalom means peace, wholeness, completeness, well-being. It carries the idea of something being restored and made whole the way God intended it to be.

That changes the meaning of the verse completely.

God was not promising the Israelites a painless life or instant rescue from difficulty. He was promising His presence, His peace, and His restoring work even while they were living in exile. He was reminding them that their suffering was not the end of their story.

I think sometimes we want God’s plan to mean easier circumstances, but so often His greater work is happening inside of us. He is restoring hearts, deepening faith, teaching dependence, shaping character, and drawing us closer to Himself. Sometimes the greatest evidence of God’s “prospering” is not what is happening around us, but the peace He is creating within us in the middle of chaos.

And maybe that is part of the beauty of suffering we do not always see at first. God is not only working for us or around us. He is working in us so He can work through us. The very places where life has wounded us often become the places where God allows us to minister to someone else. The comfort we receive from Him becomes comfort we can offer others. The hope we cling to in hard seasons becomes the testimony that points someone else back to Jesus.

Then God tells them what to do next.

“You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you…”

When life hits hard, we pray.
When life feels uncertain, we seek Him.
When we cannot see the future clearly, we hold onto the One who already can.

That is biblical hope.

Hope is not pretending life does not hurt. Hope is not denying grief, fear, exhaustion, or heartbreak. Hope is knowing that none of those things have the final word because Jesus is still present in the middle of them.

Over the years, I have watched God prove Himself faithful through seasons I never would have chosen. Financial struggles. Grief. Cancer. Exhaustion. Waiting. Parenting adult children. Questions without immediate answers. And through every season, God kept reminding me that He was already ahead of me. Nothing has ever caught Him off guard.

Looking back now, I can see His hand in places I completely missed at the time. Strength, He provided before I even knew I would need it. Open doors I never could have arranged myself. People He placed in our lives at exactly the right moment. Peace that made no sense except that Jesus was holding us steady in the middle of the waves.

Biblical hope is not confidence that life will always unfold the way we want it to. Biblical hope is confidence that Jesus remains faithful no matter what this fallen world brings.

He is the anchor.
He is the peace.
He is the One making us whole in the middle of broken places.

And when the waves hit hard, Jeremiah 29 reminds us exactly where hope is found:

Pray.
Seek Him.
Trust that He is still working.
And trust that He is working in us so He can work through us.

Journal Reflection

What storm or uncertain season in your life is requiring you to trust God right now?

Have you been looking for hope in changed circumstances, or have you been resting in the unchanging character of Jesus?

Read Jeremiah 29:11-14 slowly again and notice the progression:
God has a plan.
We pray.
We seek Him.
He promises we will find Him.

Sometimes God’s greatest work is not changing our circumstances immediately, but creating shalom within us — peace, wholeness, completeness, and deeper dependence on Him in the middle of the storm.

Where have you seen God sustaining you before you even realized you needed Him?

How might God be working in you right now so He can eventually work through you to encourage someone else?

Prayer

Jesus,

Thank You for being my anchor when the waves of life feel overwhelming. Thank You that my hope is not based on circumstances, outcomes, or what I can control, but on Your unchanging character.

Help me remember that You already know the plan even when I cannot see it clearly. Teach me to trust You in the waiting, seek You in the uncertainty, and pray with confidence knowing You hear me.

Create shalom within me. Bring peace where there is anxiety, wholeness where there is brokenness, and completeness where fear tries to take over. Continue working in my heart so that my life points others back to You.

And when life feels heavy, remind me that I am never walking through it alone. You are with me in every storm, steady and faithful, holding me securely even when the waves hit hard.

Amen.

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