“See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:19)
When was the last time you ran into someone you knew and asked, “How’s it going?” To which they responded, “Same stuff . . . different day.” That is a response that a child of God ought never give. It comes from someone who sees life from inside of a rut – which, by the way, is nothing more than a grave with both ends knocked out. But this is not for you! In our passage for today, we have been given a word of eternal encouragement, regardless of where this message finds you.
The past is paralyzing for many of us, which is why I often say that we must Learn from the past, but don’t live there! When we cannot forget the former things and rise above them, we are unable to focus on the new things God intends to do in our lives. We allow ourselves to be trapped in a painful past that is marked by unforgiveness, bitterness, betrayal, guilt, and regret.
Today’s passage provides us with the key that unlocks the door that opens to a new thing : focusing on the faithful One who has promised to do a new thing in our lives. Open your Bible to the book of Isaiah and see what God says next in the same verse: “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). The “wilderness” is a metaphor for any desolate and lonely place we have visited in the past – mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually. Eventually we all find ourselves wandering through such a place. But God tells us something that is designed to change our perspective and ultimately our predicament: “I am doing a new thing!” God is healing our past wounds . . . breaking down strongholds . . . shining light in our darkness.
In all my years as a pastor, perhaps the greatest “new thing” I have seen that God is committed to doing in our lives is giving us a renewed, living hope even when things seem utterly hopeless. That is a wonderful picture of “rivers in the desert.” God is in the business of doing what is impossible with man.
What “new thing” do you need in your life right now? Personally? Professionally? Relationally? Look up and see the heavens open right before your eyes, because your God is about to do a new thing in your life today. You have His Word on it!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 