I listen to a lot of podcasts and music.
According to my Spotify account, maybe too much.
But over the years, I’ve discovered that the voices I listen to can significantly shape the way I think, lead, pray, and live. A great podcast can challenge an assumption. A meaningful worship song can become a prayer. Sometimes, the right words at the right time can help us see our circumstances—and God—differently.
With so many podcasts, songs, and voices competing for our attention, it can be overwhelming to know what is actually worth listening to. So, every once in a while, I want to share something that has been meaningful to me. This time, I have two recommendations for your listening queue: one podcast and one worship song. Both have been speaking to something God has been teaching me in this season: I don't have to control what happens next. I can trust God with the future.
A Conversation About Our Future with Ruth Haley Barton & The Transforming Center
Listen to the conversation
Ruth Haley Barton is an author, spiritual director, and the founder of The Transforming Center. In this conversation, Ruth and the board of The Transforming Center invite listeners into a season of discernment about the future of their organization.
What impacted me most wasn't simply what they were discerning. It was how they were discerning. They openly share their questions, uncertainty, and willingness to listen for what God might be doing.
I found their honesty refreshing. As leaders, we can easily feel pressure to have all the answers. When we're facing uncertainty, our instinct can be to worry, over-plan, or try to control the outcome. But sometimes faithfulness looks different. Sometimes it looks like slowing down. Listening. Asking better questions. Paying attention to what God might be doing. And being willing to trust Him when we don't know exactly what comes next.
This conversation reminded me that God is not surprised by the future. He is already there.
Whether you're leading a church, organization, business, family, or simply trying to navigate your own life, I think you'll find this conversation encouraging. It reminded me of something I often need to hear: God cares more about the future of the things we love than we do.
We can trust Him with our churches.
We can trust Him with our organizations.
We can trust Him with our families.
We can trust Him with our marriages.
And we can trust Him with our own lives.
"Waiting to See What God Does / The Stand" by Benjamin William Hastings & Aodhán King
Listen to the song
Over the past few months, I've found myself coming back to this worship song again and again. The message is simple, but it's something I need to continually remind myself of: I don't have to control the outcome. I can trust God with what happens next. One part of the song has especially resonated with me:
"I'm just waiting to see what God does, I'm waiting to see what happens next, I won't try to control the outcome. At the end of the day, that's up to Him."
That has become more than just a lyric for me. It's becoming a way of life. I'm learning that faith isn't always about knowing what God is going to do next. Sometimes faith is being willing to say: "God, I don't know what happens next. But I trust You."
That's difficult for someone like me. I like having a plan. I like knowing where I'm going. I like setting goals and figuring out the next steps. But there are seasons when God invites us to release our need to know and simply trust Him.
To wait.
To listen.
To surrender.
To see what God does.
What Are You Listening To?
Maybe you need a new podcast to challenge the way you think. Maybe you need a worship song that helps you turn your heart toward God. Or maybe, like me, you need the reminder that you don't have to control the outcome.
Whatever you're listening to this week, be intentional about the voices you're allowing to shape you. Because what we repeatedly listen to can shape what we believe, how we think, and ultimately how we live. So put these two on your playlist.
Take a walk.
Go for a drive.
Put in your headphones.
And create some space to listen.
Maybe God has something He wants you to hear.
Happy listening!
Zach Imboden
Photo by Jaz King on Unsplash
