Don’t Call It Finished Yet

August 27, 2026

📖 Today’s Scripture

Isaiah 52–54 & Matthew 27:21–23

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news… ‘Your God reigns!’”— Isaiah 52:7

Sometimes we look at one chapter of our lives and assume we already know how the story ends.

The plan changed.The answer wasn’t what we prayed for.Someone we love is struggling.A door we were sure would open stays firmly shut.

And suddenly we’re standing in the middle of circumstances that make absolutely no sense.

I’ve had a few of those seasons lately—the kind where I want God to hand me the next five pages because I’m not particularly enjoying the page I’m on. 😅

But today’s Scripture reminds me of something I desperately need to remember:

I cannot judge God’s story by the chapter I’m currently living.

Isaiah 52 announces good news:

“Your God reigns!”

Then Isaiah 53 describes the suffering Servant—despised, rejected, wounded and crushed.

And in Matthew 27, we watch it actually happen.

The crowd is given a choice between Barabbas and Jesus.

They choose Barabbas.

Pilate asks what should happen to Jesus, and they shout:

“Crucify Him!”

Imagine standing there that day believing Jesus was the Messiah.

Nothing about that moment would have looked like God was winning.

It looked unfair.

It looked heartbreaking.

It looked completely different from what His followers expected.

And yet…

God was saving the world.

The innocent One took the place of the guilty one.

Jesus willingly carried what we could never carry ourselves.

What looked like the greatest defeat in history was actually becoming the greatest victory.

And then comes Isaiah 54.

After the suffering comes a promise of restoration.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken.”— Isaiah 54:10

✍️ Trusting the Author

There’s a Brandon Lake song called “The Author” that feels especially fitting here.

01 The Author

4:36

It reminds me that God isn’t simply watching our stories unfold from a distance.

He is the Author.

And an author sees something the character in the middle of the story cannot see:

the whole story.

We see the page we’re living.

God sees the beginning, the middle, the ending—and every thread He is weaving together along the way.

There are pages I would have written differently.

There are chapters I would have skipped completely.

There are things I’ve prayed for God to change because I was absolutely certain I knew how the story should go.

But following Jesus means eventually placing the pen back into His hands.

It means saying:

“God, I don’t understand this chapter. But I trust the Author.”

Because if the disciples had been allowed to rewrite the story at the cross, they probably would have removed the crucifixion altogether.

And yet the chapter they would have erased was the chapter God used to save the world.

That doesn’t mean every painful thing that happens is something God desired or caused.

It means nothing—not even our hardest chapters—is beyond His ability to redeem.

Maybe that’s the reminder we need today.

Don’t call it finished yet.

If something isn’t going the way you hoped, don’t assume God has abandoned the story.

If someone you love is struggling, don’t assume this season defines their future.

If the plan changed, don’t assume God’s purpose did.

We don’t have to pretend the hard things aren’t hard. Jesus Himself shows us that suffering is real.

But we also don’t have to decide what the ending will be while we’re still standing in the middle.

Because even when we cannot see what God is doing…

Our God still reigns.

And sometimes the page that makes the least sense becomes the very place where His redemption begins.

🌿 Hope for Today

You are living a chapter, not the whole story.

God sees what you cannot see.

He knows what comes next.

And His love for you—and for the people you’re praying for—has not moved an inch.

Maybe today you don’t need to figure out the ending.

Maybe you just need to trust the Author.

Release the need to know how everything is going to turn out.

Give God the unfinished story.

Give Him the people you love.

Give Him the plans that changed.

Give Him the pages you wish you could rewrite.

And then place the pen back in His hands.

He’s still writing.

🙏 Prayer

Father, sometimes I look at what is happening around me and I don’t understand what You are doing. I want answers. I want resolution. I want to know that the people I love are going to be okay.

Help me remember that I only see one page while You see the whole story.

When circumstances look disappointing or frightening, remind me that You still reign.

Help me trust Your heart when I cannot see Your hand.

And when I’m tempted to grab the pen and try to write the ending myself, help me surrender it back to You.

You are the Author.

I trust You with the unfinished chapters, the unexpected plot twists, the people I love, and the parts of my story I still don’t understand.

Thank You, Jesus, for showing me through the cross that even what looks like defeat is never beyond Your ability to redeem.

Today I give You my unfinished story.

Keep writing, Lord.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

💜 Carry This With You

Don’t call it finished while God is still writing.

You’re looking at one page.

God sees the whole story.

So when you don’t understand the chapter…

trust the Author.

Hope 40:31 Hope for the Heart. Strength for the Journey. Faith for Every Season.