A New thing!

Isaiah 43:18-19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert, and streams in the wasteland.

How hard this is for most of us. Forget the former things: forget the failures, forget the slights, forget the mistakes, forget the disappointments. Don't dwell on our past--all the times we missed the mark or missed the opportunity. Don't dwell on those times we came up short or inadequate.

The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah commands us to stop wringing our hands with regret or condemning ourselves over our failed past. Sure we've blown it. Such is the condition of fallen sinful humans. But we need to take whatever sins condemn us from our past and nail them to the cross of the Lord Jesus. And then leave them there, trusting that His blood covers them all. Totally and completely. The sinless Son of God died for those failures, for that bitterness, for those commissions and omissions, for that selfishness and irritation and doubt.

But we need to go beyond forgetting the past; we need to look ahead with hope and anticipation at the "new thing" God is doing. I don't know about you, but I'm not always crazy about new things. New clothes, new food, new cars, new babies, new friends--who wouldn't like new things?! But often we do not welcome "new" when it comes to changes we do not desire or seek or understand. "New" health problems, new dynamics in our families that create strain and tension, new schools or jobs or roles that leave us feeling unsure and unable. I tend to enjoy resting in my rut of the known, the established, the familiar.

But our God is a God of adventure! He relishes seeing His children step out into the unknown and uncontrollable and then discovering His supernatural peace and strength and joy on the other side. I'd never step out in faith if God didn't push me out of the nest now and then! It's never comfortable, but it's so thrilling when we discover those "streams in the wasteland" or that "way in the desert." If it were up to me, I'd never set foot in the desert or the wasteland--I'd just meander along the tame, familiar and well-traveled city streets.

And think what we would miss! The joy of experiencing a "way" or a "stream" of God's grace and goodness and provision and joy even in the midst of the hardest and most challenging of circumstances. Nothing tastes better than cold fresh water when one is desperately thirsty. Or what is better than being lost and frightened and then suddenly discovering exactly where we are and getting back on the path again? (Of course, if you are driving in the car with a man, you may never experience this, since the option of stopping and asking directions is simply unthinkable!)

So thank You Lord for fresh starts and new beginnings--whether they be wonderful or challenging. Might we embrace wherever You place us and whatever You are doing as we look unto You in faith. To the One who makes all things new, be all the glory!