New wine cannot be placed in old wineskins. That’s what My Love (God) keeps telling me. As the tears drop on my pillow, I am constantly reminded of this journey I am on—the journey of the wait. As I resist the urge to walk the path the Israelites walked by refusing to complain, long for my past or distrust to resist disobedience even in its subtlest form, all I hear is, "New wine is not equal to an old wineskin." It’s as though God is trying to comfort me in my pain, letting me know that it’s all part of the process of the new wineskin and that everything will be okay.

I had a conversation with My Love amid this chaos. I wanted to know how to continue this journey because now it seemed like we (Him and I, but mostly me) had found ourselves at a crossroads, and I didn’t know what direction He was pointing me in. I didn’t know how to move or if I should be moving at all. Do you know what My Love said? He said, “Seek me.” I thought to myself, “But that’s part of the journey, right? I’ve been doing that, right? I’ve been cancelling the noise so I can focus on You and not be distracted, right? So, what’s the next step? Are we going left or right? Do we go straight, or is it simply time to stop for a while and breathe? We haven’t done that in a while.” But My Love said, “No, it’s not part of the journey; it is the journey.”

I’ve listened to a number of sermons and podcasts lately that have emphasized that God never promised us riches or a good life (at least not what we describe as a good life). He said the opposite. In John 16:33, He said, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world, you have tribulation, distress, and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” (AMP). This message was for the disciples, as Jesus was mentally preparing them to face a difficult season in their lives. As everlasting and timeless as the word of God is, He meant it for us too. He wanted us to know that we would have peace in Him because He is peace. He wanted us to know that it wouldn’t always be easy. In fact, He nicely pointed out the trials and tribulations we will face. Despite not promising us wealth, a life partner, or a child, He did say, “Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33). He knew that even when the storm hit, once we continued to seek Him and remained in Him, we would remain in the eye of the storm because He is the eye of the storm. And there, up until the storm ends, He will continue to give us everything we need.

Learning this settled my spirit in understanding where to turn next. But it didn’t clear my thoughts on why new wine, not old wineskin. My Love said, “Pick up your phone and do research on it.” Did you know that when new wine is poured into storage containers, it continues to ferment? And as the fermentation process goes on, these storage containers continue to expand. New wineskins are fresh and flexible enough for that expansion process to take place within them, but old wineskins aren’t; they’ve already been stretched to their capacity and can no longer hold the expansion that comes with new wine. They cannot contain it! My Love said, “Sometimes the journey may be painful, but that’s only because I’m sewing together the skins to form the new wineskin. I’m bringing it all together to complete the container for the new wine I will pour. That new wine (the new future, the promised land) needs room to expand because the old wineskin (old structures, old environments, old characteristics, and personalities) cannot hold it. I love you, and I want the best for you.”

So there in my heart, I found peace. Not that the tears stopped, but peace in Him as I continue this journey of seeking and remaining in Him as He puts together my new wineskin.