You have been bracing for more of the same for so long that you stopped expecting anything different. Hope started to feel risky, so you quietly put it down. But what if the season you stopped believing in is the one that is already on its way? This is a message for anyone who has forgotten what it feels like to be surprised by good things — a reminder that God is not finished, and what is coming will catch you off guard in the best possible way.

New Voicemail from God — 5:33 AM

“I want to tell you about the season that’s about to surprise you.

You’re going to look up one day and realize things have shifted.

– Jacqueline Whitney

You’ve been bracing for more of the same. You’ve gotten so used to the heaviness that you’ve started to assume that’s just your life now. You’ve stopped expecting good things because you’re tired of being disappointed.

But this season is going to surprise you.

Not in the dramatic way you used to imagine. In quieter ways. In the way joy starts showing up unannounced. In the way doors you stopped knocking on start opening on their own. In the way people you didn’t expect become exactly who you needed. In the way peace becomes your normal instead of an occasional visitor.

You’re going to look up one day and realize things have shifted. That you’ve been laughing more than you used to. That you wake up without dread. That you trust yourself in ways you didn’t before.

Don’t try to predict what this season will look like. You’ll miss it if you do. Just stay open. Keep showing up. Keep believing. This season is going to be the answer to prayers you stopped praying. I promise.”

Jacqueline Whitney is the author Held: A 50 Day Devotional For Parents and All That You Deserve.