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 wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

TO PONDER

Generally speaking, new things are exciting. I remember the excitement of all the neatly wrapped presents under our Christmas tree and the promise of new toys and other new 'stuff'.

As we get older new stuff brings with it more concern. A new job might mean new opportunities and an increased pay check, but it also means finding your feet in a new role or organisation. New technology presents us with new possibilities but also changes the way we have learned to do things previously, sometimes with little apparent benefit. Even new 'toys' like a new car or houses mean a new insurance policy, new bills, and maintenance costs. It seems like the older we get, the harder it is to get excited about new stuff.

I think this is because the older we get, the more we have to look back on and the more it influences our attitude to 'new' things. For example, If I tried something new last time and it didn't work, I'm probably less inclined to try something new again.

Most Bible scholars date the writing of this part of Isaiah to only a handful of years before King Cyrus of Persia rose to prominence and decreed the Israelite exiles could return to Jerusalem and their traditional homelands. This means the Israelites had been in exile for approximately 70 years, an entire generation. And in the humdrum routine of the past 70 years, God interrupts and says, "I'm doing something new! Wake up and pay attention!"

'The Church', generally speaking, is slower than most institutions in adopting change and adapting to new things. But like the people of Israel, God is trying to get us to wake up and notice the new thing he is doing in the world today. If you can't perceive it, then ask God to show you what he is up to; just don't be surprised when he asks you to get involved!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, so often we are guilty of a small imagination. We fail to see the wonderful and miraculous things you are doing all around us and expect every day to be just like the last. Please help me today, to notice the 'ways' that you are preparing for me to walk and live in. Please grant me the courage to live boldly in the present knowing that you are at work right now. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle