Ep 89: Don't Miss the Encore

0:00 What can an encore teach us about the providential nature of our God? Let's talk about that in just a second. Oh, good morning and welcome to the show. I'm Daniel Dalp, and this is for your Sunday morning drive. We're the short podcast with the goal of providing some motivation and Dr. maybe even some encouragement on your way to worship and helping you recenter your mind on those spiritual things to help guide you on a hectic Sunday morning. Thank you so much for being with us this morning as we wind down the new year. We've had some great guests, 12 guests over the last year, and I'm excited to tell you that in the coming year I have even more plans. So look forward to that. Check out our website if you have a chance and look at some of the guests we've had in the past.

0:40 Thank you to all who joined us in that capacity over the last year. You'll certainly see some of those voices returning and many new voices added to that, and I'm excited to make that happen. Let's go ahead and get the last episode of 2025 on the road this morning. This is episode 89. Don't miss the encore. Let's go to church. Are we there yet? Just a few days remain as we begin to closeout 2025 and move into the new year. And as many are, I've been doing some reflecting on just exactly what this year has brought and overall it's been a great one. There have been some ups and downs for sure, but personally I feel incredibly blessed.

1:37 And maybe it's just me, but I often at the end of the year I get somewhat melancholy. I tend to get really bogged down on the finality of another year coming to an end and all of those moments in time that I feel that I might have just kind of wasted, or maybe I didn't put to good use, or the things that I didn't do, or the memories that I didn't make for my family. And it can be really depressing, especially if I don't reorient my thinking and realize that, Lord willing, there's the start of a new year right around the corner and it's brimming with opportunity. You see, sometimes we get so wrapped up in the end of things, or even in the the midst of what is here and now, that we miss the next act. And in doing so, we can miss out on what God has in store for us. I was reminded about this fairly recently. A couple weeks back, we took our daughter to a concert, and as the final arrangement was coming to a close, many people began to stand up and leave without realizing that there's going to be an encore.

2:37 One more number that would tie everything together and not leave anyone wanting. Doesn't it make you cringe a little bit when that happens? It's kind of like when people get up and leave at the end of a Marvel movie without about staying till the end credit scene. You want to shout, hey, there's more to the story and you're going to miss it. But it seems those people either don't know or they simply don't care. And because of that, they miss the encore. And I think oftentimes our spiritual life is the same way. We can get caught up in the doldrums or become so overwhelmed with the present or the ending of one stage in our lives that we miss out on what God has lined up next. And he always has more planned for his people.

3:18 We serve a God who rejoices, dare I say even revels in the encore. He told Noah to build an ark, saving him and his family. He stopped Abraham's knife, saving Isaac. He, through Moses, parted the Red Sea, saving them from a pursuing Pharaoh's army. He shut the mouths of lions, preserving Daniel. He raised up an Esther to thwart the plans of a murderous Haman. He was there, in the midst of the fiery furnace, saving Daniel's three friends. And he changed a murderous soul into a soul winning Paul. And of course, how can we not mention the Jesus who rose from the grave on the third day? All of these individuals had moments of perceived finality, only for God to work in ways both divinely miraculous and providentially ordinary to bring about his own plans, all for the benefit of his people. And if God can accomplish these things after the curtain has fallen, then why do we doubt that there's going to be an encore?

4:18 You see, he served that same God today and he is still living and active. So all of this to say, don't miss the encore. Don't give up when God is just getting started. Don't let the finality of the year coming to a close or maybe it's even a stage in life that is ending get you down. Whether it's those bittersweet moments that feel like loss, kids growing older and babies growing up and some of that magic slipping away, friendships changing in unexpected ways, relationships and marriage is evolving and maturing. Or maybe it's those hard times in life, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the splintering of a family. You see, even hardships, it seems, are woven amidst God's redemptive plan.

5:00 Romans 828 says we know that all things work together for good. To those who love God and to those who are called according to His purpose. Don't lose hope. Don't throw in the towel. Remember what it says in Lamentations 322 and 23. It gives this insight into the good of our God through the Lord's mercies. We are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I hope in Him. Yes, don't miss the encore, because don't you know there's more coming? There's always more that God can do. And just as every day, month and year ends, a new one begins.

5:44 Lord willing, there is more to look forward to in His service and shouldn't we wait and see what He has in store? Because sometimes when we see the curtain fall in our own lives, God is just setting up the stage for the next act Don't miss it. Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive. Now it's time to hear yours. Our discussion questions this week are in what ways do we get bogged down with the present that we don't look to the future? How does our outlook on the future reflect our trust in God? And what times can you identify in your life where you see evidence of God's providential hand providing for you? Thank you for being with me this year. I'm excited to see what next year has to bring for us. I hope it's full of good things.

6:25 Trust in God, Have a great week and I'll see you Sunday.