Doing a New Thing

by Rev. Tim Bias

“Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

– Isaiah 43:18:19

Read

Isaiah 43:14-19

Reflect

Israel is in exile.  The people have been separated from all that they hold important. Their lives have been disrupted. They are in a situation of hopelessness. Isaiah reminds them who created them, who formed them, and who redeemed them.  Isaiah reminds them they have nothing to fear because God has been with them through all the trials, the disruptions, and disconnections.

In the midst of their hopelessness, God is going to make a way for them.  So, Isaiah challenges them to set aside the past. God is doing a new thing, a new work in their midst.  They are reassured that they can trust God because God is able to make a way in the wilderness and a river in the desert.

In the midst of your current circumstances, look for the “new thing” God is doing in your life and in the lives of the people around you. Are you able to see it and embrace it?

Respond

O God, I do believe you are doing something new in my life and in the lives of the people around me. Give me the eyes to see it and the heart to embrace it, so that I may become the person you have created me to be.  I offer myself to you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Remember

What new thing did you experience today that helped you see a way forward in the midst of the chaos and confusion that has been holding you back? Give God thanks for the experience and pray for the faith to continue to step into the unknown with courage and hope.

Comment below or use a journal to record how God is with you each day of this journey.