Isaiah 43: 16-19
(NIV): 16 This is what the LORD
says-- he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and
horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise
again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 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.
So long as we’re
dwelling in the past, we are not pressing toward the future. Satan wants to
accuse us of our sins in the past. He wants to remind us of how flawed we are.
He wants us to dwell on last year’s pain so he can undermine our faith.
God wants us to
forget the former things because that is the only way to live in the present and see
what new thing he is up to.
Even past
victories are behind us now. In this passage, God reminds Israel that he
brought them safely out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, but he told them not
to dwell on former victories – he had new victories for them to experience. God
is doing a new thing. God is not finished with us and he is not finished with
his plans for mankind.
And things may
look bleak. We may feel like we are living in the desert, but he is making a
way though, and he is providing streams of water to refresh us in what seems
like a wasteland. When we dwell on the past, we get discouraged. We remember
our failures and pain. God wants us to press forward.
What new thing
does God want to do in your life this year? Maybe he wants to take you deeper
in your love for him. Maybe he wants you to pray with more faith than you ever
had before. Maybe he wants you to grow in maturity as you become more and more
like Christ. Maybe he wants to bless you in ways you never imagined, but do you
have the faith to receive his goodness? Are you being obedient so you can place
yourself in position to experience what God is doing?
The past is behind
us but God is doing a new thing.
