“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 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. The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen. This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.”
Isaiah 43:18-21
Whenever God begins to do a new thing in our lives, it can sometimes feel unsettling. It may even look like things are falling apart or even like you are being led into a desert place. Yet, if you trust God and are diligent to listen to His leading and direction, you will find that God is getting ready to do something miraculous in your life and do exceedingly abundantly above what you can ask or think. What appears to be disorganization will turn to re-organization as God makes preparation for the new thing that He is doing.
A good example is that of having a baby. When a woman first becomes pregnant she may not notice the enormous amount of changes going on in her body. However, as the pregnancy progresses, major changes occur. Even her organs are being re-arranged to accommodate the change that is going on in her womb as the baby grows and increases. The closer she comes to delivery, the more uncomfortable the change becomes. When she gives birth, it seems messy and disorganized, yet once the birthing process is over, she holds a beautiful new baby in her arms and things are on their way to being well ordered again.
When God led the Israelites out of Egypt, it was a huge change in their lives. They left the only country they and their children had known and the way of life they had grown accustomed too. As a result, they kept yearning for the false sense of security they had in Egypt. They were frightened of being uprooted and taken to a new way of life. They were led to a place where the only security they had was to TRUST IN GOD! At every step their old way of life was vanishing and God was making a new way for them. In the desert they cried out to be allowed to go back to Egypt. Every new challenge was met by fear instead of by faith. They feared the change that was happening. It was uncomfortable having to trust God for EVERYTHING. The desert was the testing time to learn to completely trust God with all of their hearts and to turn their back on the ways that they had learned in Egypt. If they had kept the faith and not lost hope, they would have all been able to enter the promise land. They kept looking at the birthing process instead of looking to the baby on the other side. (Which is the fulfillment of God’s promises in their lives.)
When God begins to do something new in our lives, it can be uncomfortable at first. Our normal routines change, what we had grown accustomed to changes. It can feel unsettling and the natural tendency is to try to fight the change.
Jesus said that new wine must be put into new wine skins, otherwise the old would burst and all the wine would be ruined. Yet he said the people preferred the old wine because they said the old was better. In this parable He was referring to the Old and New Covenant. A New Covenant, a NEW and BETTER way of doing things was being ushered in, yet many resisted it and kept clinging to the old. They couldn’t see what they were about to gain; all they could see was what they were losing.
This is how it can feel when God begins to do a new thing in our lives. Yet, if we trust God and let Him do His work, we will see the new beautiful thing that He is doing. If we learn to trust Him and listen to His leading, He will lead us into greater break throughs, greater abundance and a greater influence.
Let’s not be like the Israelites, who at the opportunity to embrace change and the new thing God was doing, instead grumbled about how it would have been better for them to stay in Egypt. When things begin to shift and change in our lives, let us choose to be like Caleb and Joshua, walking in faith, in complete trust that God knows what He is doing. Let’s remember He is well able to make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert! He is El Shaddai!
Isaiah 43:2
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Isaiah 41:10 & 13
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
Isaiah 41:17-19
“When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”
” Luke 5:37-39
“And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.”
Philippians 1:6-7
“I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
