God Is Doing A New Thing!

Isaiah 43:18–19 (KJV 1900)

¹⁸ Remember ye not the former things, Neither consider the things of old. ¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing; Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, And rivers in the desert.

We come into a new year with this verse from Isaiah reminding us that God can bring new beginnings and triumphs in the most barren places. The prophet reminds people to drop everything related to the past – whether painful or successful – and instead pay attention to what God is doing or promising to do later.

God told His people to "forget the former things" not because they weren't essential but because focusing on them might hinder us from seeing the other new way He has taken. This is God Who renews and creates, who makes rivers in deserts and paths across wildernesses when there's no way. What appear as the most desolate spots in our lives are often when He is most active.

In this New Year, we should have eyes that see this "new thing" that God is causing to happen in our lives. It might mean mending damaged relationships, finding purpose again, or receiving unexpected blessings.

Let us believe in God's goodness even if we cannot trace our steps ahead. For when we move into unfamiliar territories, let us be assured He has already passed there to make a road and he is also giving us living water to refresh ourselves throughout this journey.

Prayer:

Dear God, Thank You for being a God who wonderfully creates everything afresh always. As we start another year, may we cast aside the past's difficulties and concerns so as to focus on what You are doing in our lives today. May our hearts be opened and our minds enlightened to perceive Your works even in places where we least expect them. Lead us through wildernesses while we thirst, enable us to believe in hard times, and make this year a living testimony to Your mercy. In Jesus Name, Amen.