And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6
Unfinished Projects
I have a history of unfinished projects; some are best left incomplete, but others have been buried under the tyranny of the urgent. Still others had great promise but no real plan, and so they sit waiting for the season to change and their time to come.
It’s said that the only bad plan is the one you don’t follow through on. The children of Israel were promised freedom and a land filled with good things, but a newly freed multitude of slaves couldn’t let go of the past and embrace the future. It didn’t matter how enticing the grapes were; the giants and uncertainty felt bigger, and in their estimation, they were like grasshoppers, tiny and easily squashed. God had been faithful every step of the way, but despite all the miracles, they struggled to trust Him fully.
A Change of Season
God had been ready forty years earlier, but without a heartfelt yes from the people, the outcome was doomed. Then the season changed: Moses died, and Joshua became the leader. God was direct: it was time to leave the desert wandering and embark on the journey of fulfillment. The comfort of the mundane could have kept them in a holding pattern. But a restless generation, ready for change, gathered the courage to face the challenges ahead.
The long wandering season could get us to question God’s commitment to finish. That He somehow misjudged the people, or that the promise wasn’t real. With all their failure, it would be legitimate to believe He changed His mind. But that would be a mistake. Just because God was overseeing an unfinished project doesn’t mean the original plan wasn’t worth following through on.
God hadn’t abandoned the project. He had simply brought it into a new season. When it was time for Joshua and the people to cross over, the Jordan was overflowing its banks, Jericho was visible in the distance, and the shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a warrior nation was daunting. And yet, this is the very place that God intended to show up.
A Bigger Plan
Miracles were waiting to be released that had never happened before. God was looking for a nation to step into its identity for the first time. I believe heaven stood at attention, giddy with the expectation that something was about to change.
This wasn’t just about acquiring or removing enemies from the land. The success of these people and this nation was tied to a larger, grander plan. Jesus would come through this lineage and change the world. The stakes were high and the outcome unsure, but God was committed to finish.
This was one promise, a nation inheriting land; one plan that deserved to be resurrected and finished. And so, Joshua stepped up to lead, the people prepared for the unknown, and the priests were tapped to take the first steps into the swollen river and hope God would show up. He did, and the rest of the story is history.
Not every battle was easy, and some losses came along the way, but each one became a new testimony of God’s powerful intervention. One city, one enemy at a time brought the promise closer to completion. The word given hundreds of years earlier was finally becoming visible.
Pick it Back Up
I recently finished a book that I had started in 2024. It was a smaller project, but even the small ones can take longer than expected. I undertook aspects of the production I had never done before. Without a plan to finish, publish, and market, it could easily have slipped to the back of my mind and desk. But when the cover was uploaded, the content approved, and a proof ordered, the satisfaction is hard to describe in words. My heart was happy, and my soul could rest.
Unfinished Does Not Mean Over
Maybe you’re struggling to finish something. Maybe somewhere along the way you lost momentum, questioned the plan, or got buried under the tyranny of the urgent. Before you decide it is too late, take another look. Revisit the original plan. Make adjustments where necessary. Ask God what this season requires, and then take the next step.
An unfinished project is not necessarily a failed project. Sometimes it is simply waiting for us to believe in the original promise again.
You may have to sprint. You may have to run. You may have to walk. You may even have to crawl. But keep moving! Don’t confuse unfinished with over.