Isaiah 43:18-19 KJV
[18] Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. [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.
The context of the verses above was not at the initial stage a pleasant one. Jacob and Israel had sinned and had been punished by God. It had been quite an unpleasant experience for the people who had been chosen by God as His treasured possession, as they had rebelled against His clear instructions and gone their own ways. Of course, God is faithful to His Word. If He says He will punish sin, be sure that He will. He is too faithful to lie, and His nature and integrity are such that He has said that heaven and earth will both pass away before His Word can fail. That is consistency and faithfulness. As we start a new year, we are reminded that with God, nothing has really changed. What He hated in 2025, He still hates in 2026. What He loved and cherished in 2025, He still loves in 2026. He does not change like shifting shadows, and that is why He can be trusted.
In the light of the above, reflect on the message in the verses above. Israel had been punished for their sin, but God was charting a new course for His people. Israel did not deserve what God was bringing, but then, who ever does? Can anyone really earn the mercy of God by just doing good? Can anyone even do the good that pleases God by his/her own willpower alone? That is the power behind the words of the verses above: whatever has gone before belongs to the old. Whatever has happened in the past becomes the platform for God to show off His mercy and grace. It may not be easy to forget the past, but one day of God's gracious dealings can make you forget years of pain. One day of God's mighty intervention can make you forget years of lack. That is why it is critical to get on God's side as we look to this new year and all it will present.
This is a God that can do what has never been done before. Have you ever seen a donkey talk since the dsys of Balaam and Balak? Have you seen the sun stay up for a whole day simple because a man of God requested for it? Have you ever seen the laws of natural conception suspended, simply because a chilf that would break the chain of sin had to be born? These are just a few of the ways God continues to prove that He is God. As the verses above make clear, God is able to make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. You do not get these naturally; even man has tried several times to make deserts produce streams of water, but these have proven difficult to achieve. In the hands of God and at His command, anything is possible. May God open my heart to receive Him, and my eyes to see where He is at work, so that I can join Him in that which He is doing. God's time of favour is here.
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