A month ago, I clearly heard the Lord give me direction that I did not expect. If I didn’t know the voice of the Lord, I might have questioned or resisted. However, I did ask Him to confirm what He spoke to me. I asked Him to tell Jan, my most trusted voice and ministry partner. 

Early that same morning, she was praying over a couple of churches I was scheduled to preach in. She had such a strong sense that God had made a change, but she questioned whether she heard right, and asked Him to confirm it to me, without her saying anything. 

A while later, I walked into the room and told her what I had just heard. And she said, “You heard right. I heard the same thing.“ That day I cancelled my existing preaching calendar. God once again had transitioned our assignment.

Some would say our last five decades were our most significant, productive years. We do tend to measure ourselves by what we accomplish. We look at seasons when we carried significant responsibility. We feel resilient, strong, faithful, productive. We build careers. We raise families. Others look to us and depend on us. But it was never about our productivity. 

Our worth doesn’t come from what we accomplish. We gradually learn that our own strength is never enough. Rather, it is all about our oneness of heart with God and His strength-giving life flowing through us. As a result, our purpose won’t diminish—it advances with our years. 

Jan and I continue to share, release, write, and minister His word in settings around a table, in homes, in communion, in testimony, and in prayer. A word from God keeps unfolding down through our years: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

When we seek His will, we will decrease; He will increase. His divine nature will continually be formed in us. We will keep maturing. Our calling to follow after Him increases. We will keep multiplying through our spiritual sons and daughters.

The Lord is showing so many of us a new path to take. We may not understand. We may only have one step in front of us. But any act of obedience will bring the fruit of peace. I embrace this new season with a mixture of contemplation and gratitude. What an honor to be here and now in this new hour, in each new day.