Unresolved Endings

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

In Castaway, Tom Hanks' plane goes down in the middle of the ocean. He's the only survivor. And suddenly, this man who once lived by schedules and deadlines is stranded—completely alone. So, when pieces of the wreckage start washing ashore, they're not just debris. They're possibilities. Tools. Hope. A pair of ice skates became cutting tools. A dress transformed into a fishing net. And the volleyball—the one we all knew as Wilson—became his companion. 

But then, there was the box. A plain FedEx package with angel wings drawn on it. And he didn't open it. Seriously? We're all sitting there thinking: Just open the box! What if it's a survival kit? A bowie knife? A pack of Bic lighters? A two-way radio? But no. He keeps it sealed. And let's be honest—that drove us nuts. It felt reckless, even foolish.

Cut to the end of the movie. Tom's character is rescued, and the box—still sealed—gets delivered. We're leaning forward in our seats, waiting. Surely, this is the moment we find out what's inside. We expect the camera to zoom in as she cuts it open, revealing the contents we've been dying to see. But no. He hands over the package, turns around, and drives away. That's it. The box stays closed. As the credits rolled, a guy in our theatre stood up and shouted at the screen, "What's in the box?".

We all hate unresolved endings.

ENDINGS I WISH I KNEW

The Bible is full of stories that leave us hanging. Take the Prodigal Son's brother (Luke 15:25-32), for example. Does he eventually join the party? Does he reconcile with his father and brother, or does his bitterness linger? We never find out. It just... ends.

Or Jonah (Jonah 4). After preaching to Nineveh and seeing them repent, Jonah is furious with God for showing mercy. God responds with a question—"Shouldn't I care about these people?"—and then? Silence. We're left wondering if Jonah's heart ever softens or if he stays angry and self-righteous.

Then there's the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-22). Jesus tells him to sell everything and follow Him, and he walks away sad. But what happens next? Does he ever return? Does he let go of his wealth, or does it keep him trapped? We never know.

HABAKKUK IN THE MIDDLE OF AN UNRESOLVED ENDING

Habakkuk’s story begins with a cry—raw, unfiltered, desperate. He’s looking around at his world, and it’s a disaster. Violence everywhere. Corruption in the courts. The wicked getting richer while the righteous suffer. And Habakkuk can’t take it anymore. So, he does what many of us do when life feels unfair—he takes it to God. “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?” (Habakkuk 1:2-3).

And you can feel the tension in his words. It’s not just confusion; it’s frustration. He’s holding all this pain and injustice, begging God to do something. But what’s worse? God answers—and it’s not the answer Habakkuk was hoping for. God says, “I’m doing something… I’m raising up the Babylonians” (1:5-6). The Babylonians? They were worse than Judah! More violent. More corrupt. More ruthless. Imagine asking God to fix your broken situation, and His response is, “I’m sending something worse first.”

For Habakkuk, this was the worst kind of unresolved ending. He’s stuck in the middle, holding onto unanswered questions. He’s living in the tension between what he knows about God—His goodness, His justice—and what he sees happening around him. It’s unnerving, painful, and deeply confusing. And maybe you’ve felt that too. When you’ve cried out for God to step in, to make things right, and instead? Silence. Or worse, an answer that makes the situation feel even more hopeless. Habakkuk’s story is one of unresolved tension, living in the messy middle where the ending isn’t clear—and the waiting feels unbearable.

MANY OF US CAN RELATE

The Seemingly Endless Custody Battle - Every court date feels like a new emotional roller coaster. Papers are filed, hearings are postponed, and lawyers go back and forth—but there's no resolution in sight. How long will you have to keep fighting? Will there ever be peace for your children?

Student Debt and a Terrible Job Market - You took on loans and believed the degree would open doors. But you graduated into a brutal job market. Work barely covers rent, let alone the mountain of student debt looming. The future feels like a long stretch of uncertainty—working hard, paying off debt, and wondering when life will actually begin.

The Retirement Dilemma - At 65, you should be ready for retirement. But you're not. A small 401k with only a 5-digit balance and minimal Social Security. How will you live for the next 20 or 25 years? You wonder, will other people have to take care of you, or will you spend the rest of your life living in poverty? You’re right in the middle of a terrible, unresolved ending.

The Wayward Loved One - You've been praying for years for her to come back to her faith in Christ. But, the only movement you see in her life is running from Jesus and animosity towards the church. With each passing year, the ache of waiting grows heavier.

WHAT IF GOD RESPONDS TO YOU THE WAY HE DID TO HABAKKUK?

Imagine this: You’re in the middle of that exhausting custody battle. You’ve prayed for peace, clarity, and resolution—for your kids to have stability, finally. And God answers. But instead of saying, “I’m bringing peace,” He says, “You’re going to lose custody of your children first.”

Let that sink in.

How do you handle that? How do you keep showing up to court, filing papers, holding yourself together—when everything you’ve been fighting for feels like it’s slipping away?

Or picture this: You’re praying about your woefully insufficient retirement account. And God responds, “There’s no bailout coming. In fact, your investments are going to lose value.”

That’s exactly where Habakkuk found himself. He wasn’t asking for wealth or comfort—he was crying out for justice, for an end to the chaos and corruption in Judah. But instead of calming his fears, God tells him, “I’m sending something worse first.” That’s not the answer any of us want. It’s not the resolution we’re hoping for.

And that’s the tension of living in the middle of an unresolved ending. God doesn’t always give us the answers we’re praying for. He doesn’t always fix things on our timeline.

Then, when God does respond, He doesn’t hand Habakkuk a neat, resolved ending. No promises of quick justice. No clear timeline. Instead, God gives him this: “The righteous will live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

Living by faith means trusting God is working behind the scenes, even when everything in front of us seems chaotic and even depressing. God’s promises always happen on His timeline, not ours. And that waiting—living in the unresolved ending—is where faith takes root and grows.

Habakkuk also shows us that God’s justice is never absent. Evil and injustice might seem to win for a while, but they don’t get the final word. In Habakkuk 2, God declares that Babylon’s arrogance and violence will end. Their empire will fall. It won’t happen right away—but it will happen. And that same assurance is true for us today: God sees the injustice, the pain, the brokenness in our world. He sees what we’ve endured. And in His time, He will make it right.

But here’s the real challenge. Faith isn’t just about waiting—it’s about how we wait. As Habakkuk processes everything God has revealed, he reaches a profound conclusion: Even if everything falls apart—even if there’s no fruit on the trees, no livestock in the fields, no visible sign of provision—I will still rejoice in God. He declares, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:19).

This is the final movement of faith: choosing joy in the unresolved. Joy that isn’t tied to our desired outcomes or timelines but is anchored in God’s unchanging character. Joy that says, “Even if I don’t see the ending I hoped for, I will trust God’s goodness and faithfulness.”

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

So, if you find yourself shouting at the movie screen of your life, “What’s in the box?”—then you’re in good company. Habakkuk was shouting too. So were the disciples when Jesus was crucified. So were countless people in the Bible, waiting in the middle of unresolved endings.

But here’s what we learn from their stories: Even when the box stays closed and life doesn’t make sense, God is still writing. The unanswered questions, the waiting, the tension—it’s not wasted. Faith grows in the waiting. Trust deepens in the tension. And joy? Joy comes not from knowing the contents of the box, but from knowing the One who holds it.

So, if you’re frustrated, confused, maybe even angry—remember this: God’s not finished yet. The story isn’t over. He’s still writing And He’s inviting you to trust Him in the middle, even when the ending feels miles away.

Why? Because someday that box will be opened. And you’ll see that God’s been working all along—bringing justice, redemption, and a conclusion far better than the one you imagined.

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