Devotional: When God Writes The Ending Before The Beginning

When God Writes The Ending Before The Beginning

Scripture:
"God… calls into existence the things that do not yet exist."
— Romans 4:17

We all live in the tension between who we are
and who God says we are becoming.

God speaks promises over us—
identity, calling, purpose—
long before our lives resemble any of it.

And without realizing it, we start to panic in that gap:

“I don’t feel like who God says I am.”
“My life doesn’t look like the promise.”
“I should be further along.”
“Why does my heart know something my reality hasn’t caught up to?”

But Scripture shows us a deep and ancient pattern:

God always gives the word first. The story grows into it.

He spoke to Abraham about nations before there was even a son.

He called David a king while he still smelled like sheep.

He named Jeremiah a prophet before Jeremiah could speak without trembling.

He called Peter “the rock” before Peter ever stopped breaking.

He called Paul to preach before a single word of Gospel was ever written down.

And He does the same with you.

So how do we live in that holy delay—
where God has spoken the identity,
but the story is still catching up?

We start with simple shifts. 

Let God define who you are before you feel it.

We rush to label ourselves:
“I’m still too broken.”
“I keep messing up.”
“I’m not who God says I am.”

But God names differently.
He speaks from the future backward.
He calls you holy before you act holy.
He calls you beloved before you feel lovable.

Pause and ask:

“Lord, who do You say I am today?”

Stop forcing the timeline.

When we sense a calling, we scramble to fulfill it.
When we see a promise, we try to make it happen ourselves.
When life feels slow, we assume we’re failing.
But God is never late to His own story.

Pray:

“Not my timing. Grow this at Your pace.”

Peace begins right there.

Welcome the divine delays.

Every great story in Scripture involved waiting:

Israel waited for deliverance in Egypt.

Noah waited for rain.
Joseph waited in prison.

Mary carried the promise in silence for nine months.

The disciples were called "fishers of men" before they even understood what it meant.

Delay isn’t punishment.

It’s formation.

Invite God into the waiting:

“Lord, shape me while the story catches up.”

Let Scripture narrate the gap.

Instead of letting fear tell you, "Nothing’s happening," let God’s Word speak louder than your impatience.

Today it might be: “He who began a good work in you will finish it.”

Or: “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.”

Let truth guide the parts of the story still unwritten. 

Surrender the unfinished chapters.

We crave clarity.
We want to know how it ends.
We want the promise now, without the process.

But surrendering the middle makes space for God to weave something better than you imagined.

Pray:

“I don’t need to see the whole story. I just need to trust the Author.”

And He is trustworthy.

A Simple Daily Prayer

“Speak Your promise over me today, Lord. Write Your identity into my heart. Give me patience for the parts of my life still growing. Teach me to trust You in the gap between who I am and who You say I will be. Let my story rise to meet Your word.”

Amen.