August 26, 2025


“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

Letting Go of the Past

We all carry memories – beautiful, painful, and everything in between. For leaders, the past can be comforting, even when it wasn’t perfect. We may romanticize “the way things used to be” and cling tightly to what once worked. Isaiah’s words remind us that while memory matters, we cannot live in the past.

Nostalgia can freeze us in time. We hold onto old ways so tightly that we miss what God is doing right now. The prophet reminds us: the future is not a repeat of the past. God is making a way in the wilderness. That’s transformation, not tinkering.

When God’s New Thing Meets Our New Things

What feels “new” to us as individuals is often intertwined with God’s greater new thing. As we meet new people, build new relationships, and join God in creating new opportunities.

The former things can still be in the recesses of my memory, but they are being replaced with new realities. And isn’t that exactly what Isaiah points us toward? God’s new thing is far more exciting than our small adjustments.

One of the lessons in returning to a familiar yet different place is this: if the church were still clinging to the old way, it would not exist today. Transformation has been necessary for survival and for faithfulness.

This is the essence of God’s promise in Isaiah 43. New life is transformative.

God’s Surprises

If there’s one thing leaders know, it’s that change is messy. Transformation rarely happens instantly. But God often works in surprising ways, through unexpected people. God’s new work often comes through people we don’t expect.

God surprises us through relationships, through moments of collaboration, and through people who remind us that God is always at work.

Trusting the God of the Process

Leadership isn’t about avoiding the messiness of change. It’s about trusting the God of the process. Isaiah’s promise is clear: God will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. That’s not survival. It’s abundance.

As leaders, our role is to create space for others to notice what God is doing. We help people release the past, open themselves to unexpected people and opportunities, and walk together through messy processes, reminding them that God is in the midst of it all.

A Leadership Challenge

This week, when you encounter a challenge, instead of asking, “How do I fix this?” ask, “Where is God already at work, and how can I join in?”

Because the truth is, God is already doing a new thing. The invitation is to notice, participate, and help others perceive it.

Reflection Questions for Leaders

  • Where do you see God at work right now in your church, workplace, or community?
  • What “former things” might you be clinging to that keep you from embracing God’s new work?
  • Who are the unexpected people God may be using to bring transformation in your context?

God is doing a new thing. Don’t miss it.