Have you ever felt like you desperately needed something new to happen? Like you were wandering around in the desert with no real direction? Perhaps you once knew what you were doing, but now just feel stuck and hopeless. Maybe something bad has happened to bring you to this place. Maybe you just feel like you’ve been doing the same thing for a long time but making very little progress. Whatever it is that’s gotten you here, something NEW needs to happen or you aren’t going to make it. ( I wrote about that here as well)
I think that everyone can relate to seasons like this. Times where we wonder if it’s even worth it anymore. These are definitely the times when it would be easier to quit than to keep marching forward.
But then we read verses like these and have our hope renewed:
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Revelation 21:5 “And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
What we learn from scripture is that even when we can’t see it, God is making something new!
The problem with reading these verses and understanding this truth, if you are anything like me, is that you start to ask the next logical question: “When”!? When will this “something new” happen? And how will it happen? And what will it look like when it does?
These are all great questions that I think in those desert moments of life are also reasonable. And while God’s timing is Gods, we do get some insight into His “something new” work in Isaiah 43.
Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
1. God does the work
God says that HE will do a new thing! This is great news because He is far more capable than we are. And He always keeps His promises! We may not know what the “new thing” is or when it take place in our lives, but we can be confident that God is always at work in our lives even when it may not feel like it.
2. It will “Spring Forth”
This is one of the things that I love about God-He never does anything half-way! The new thing that God does in our lives is real, apparent, and vibrant. We won’t miss it when it happens and neither will those around us. When God works it will be clear that it is GOD who is working!
3. He makes way in the wilderness
God understands all that you and I are dealing with. Although we may not understand His timing, we should never forget Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” or Matthew 4 that tell us about Jesus’ time in the desert. He knows what we are dealing with and in that will make a way. What a promise!
4. There will be rivers in the desert
In addition to God knowing what we are going through, He also knows exactly what we need. The biggest need in the desert is water and that is what God says He will provide. But not just a little water. Rivers! God understands your greatest need and will supply that need beyond what you even thought possible.
Do you need to experience a “new thing” in your life? Thankfully, we have the God of “new things” who promises to provide exactly what we need at the most difficult (and often confusing) times of our lives. When you find yourself in the Desert, keep going. The “new thing” is just up ahead!
Photo by Damian Denis on Unsplash