Post by tomdurst on Feb 17, 2006 16:51:37 GMT -5
SOMETHING BRAND NEW
By Thomas E. Durst
By Thomas E. Durst
Isaiah 43:18-21 (The Message)
18 "Forget about what's happened;
don't keep going over old history.
19 Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
20 Wild animals will say 'Thank you!'
-the coyotes and the buzzards--
Because I provided water in the desert,
rivers through the sun--baked earth,
Drinking water for the people I chose,
21 the people I made especially for myself,
a people custom-made to praise me."
The spiritual life doesn't have to be dull and uninteresting. In fact, the opposite is the case. But in order to go forward we must be willing to "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history" (v. 18). Sometimes we do indeed need to reflect upon our past and evaluate what we need to learn from both our mistakes and successes. But if we keep dwelling upon our past we block the pathway of progress and reach a stalemate. Oftentimes this is due to fear on our part--fear of the unknown. We want everything to be totally comfortable and we feel safe in our cocoons instead of being willing to burst out of them.
Then we have this awesome promise of verse 19:
Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new.
It's bursting out! Don't you see it?
There it is! I'm making a road through the desert,
rivers in the badlands.
God wants to do things in our lives far beyond anything we've ever been able to imagine. He makes new paths for us through the deserts and badlands of life. Did you ever see the Badlands of the Dakotas? Sometimes our lives are just like them. They look hopeless and we feel helpless. Things look dry and at times very scary. There are "the coyotes and the buzzards" out there waiting to devour us. It is at such times as this when we feel like we're really backed up against the wall and don't know which way to turn that God wants to do "something brand-new" for us. Surrender and humility are indeed keys to open the door for God’s best. His grace will move in like a flood beyond our wildest imagination if we open the door even just a little bit.
I invite you to read STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS on the link below:
STRENGTH IN WEAKNESS