SOMETHING NEW?

ISAIAH 43:16-19: “This is what the Lord says, He who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters, Who brings out the chariot and the horse, The army and the mighty man (They will lie down together and not rise again; They have been extinguished, and have gone out like a wick): “Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past. “Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.” NASB

OBSERVATION: Something new? That would be nice. Have you ever been on the way to go out for dinner and the conversation goes something like this…

Where do you want to eat?

I don’t know, where do you want to eat?

I am tired of all the same old places.

Me too, I wish we had something new to pick from!

Life can become rather stagnant if there is not an infusion of something new. The same restaurants, the same activities, the same shopping center, the same route to work and back – these all become monotonous.

There is something within us that craves the new.

This can be dangerous as well as needed. When it comes to our faith we know and understand that there is nothing new under the sun. God has revealed Himself in history and in the Scriptures and we are instructed not to add or change this revelation. When we try to run after new revelations about God we open ourselves up to deception and the work of the enemy.

However, God, the Creator of all things, although He never changes, is the God of the new. He brings new and deeper revelations of Himself through His Word into our hearts and lives. He brings new doors of opportunity to serve Him into our path. He brings new hope to our spirit each and every day. As Jeremiah writes in Lamentations,

• “The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, For His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

The Mighty God who never changes – changes me! He makes me new. He makes my heart new. He opens my eyes so that I can see Him anew. He does not change, move, or alter in any way. Yet, He is constantly changing me by the power of the Holy Spirit so that I am transformed into the image of Jesus Christ my Lord!

• “But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

One of the wonderful discoveries I have made in my life, and one that I need to continually recall when I find myself looking back at the former things (as Israel looked back to Egypt in the wilderness wandering), is that God delights in doing something new in my life each day. His mercies are new every morning.

It is a matter of faith and perspective.

I can get bogged down in how God did things in the past. In fact, that is all I really have to draw from at any given point in my life. I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know what is behind door number 3. Yet, I serve a God of the new. He is doing a new thing in the earth and He desires to do a new thing in me. Many times I miss it because I am looking at the wrong things.

• “This is what the Lord says, He who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters…”

When the children of Israel fled from Egypt, God took them on a road that would lead them to deliverance and their new beginning. It was not a road they had traveled on before. It was not a road of their choosing or one that they could even imagine. It was a road that was carved out of the Red Sea at the time when it was flooding its banks.

It was a new and unexpected way.

What would life be like if we began to live each day like we were on the wilderness journey? We rose up each day to recognize the presence of God in our midst and then to see where His presence would lead us. We did not know which way we would go. The only thing we knew was that He would be with us and guide us. And, as we took each step we could hear Him say,

• “Behold, I am going to do something new, Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.”

God is not done with me yet! He is not done with you! As long as we live, move, and have our being – we are on a mission for Him. And, we are engaged in the greatest adventure that life could offer. It is not a trip around the world. It is the privilege of walking with the Creator of the Universe and walking through the doors that He opens for us each day.

I don’t know what lies ahead for the rest of my life. I can look back and rejoice in all the adventures and experiences I have had in the past. Yet, if I camp there, if I expect the present and future to look exactly the same, I will miss the new that God desires to bring into my life.

• “Do not call to mind the former things, Or consider things of the past. “Behold, I am going to do something new…”

In just a few weeks my wife and I will be heading on a mission trip to Thailand. Now this is something new! When I think of this opportunity, it did not come from any of the work that I had done. Rather, it came as a surprise in a way that I was not even expecting. We are excited to see what God has in store.

The joy of life is not in the planning but is found in our walk of obedience to the still small voice of the Spirit. God knows our every need and has called us to live life abundantly. Part of this call is to experience His mercies new and afresh each and every day.

I want to be like a small child again in the back of my Dad’s car on the way to Disneyland. I sat in anticipation of what new things would be just down the road as I let my Dad drive. Each turn, each change in the scenery increased the anticipation. I trusted my Dad and knew that He would not let me down.

He was taking me to experience something new!

Lord, I desire to live in anticipation of the work of Your Holy Spirit in my life each and every day. I desire to open Your Word and see new things about Your love and grace that I have never understood before. I desire the newness of Your mercy and love to transform my heart each and every day.

Lord – work within me – something new!

In Jesus’ Name!