God is doing a new thing

“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”
Isaiah 43:18-19
 
As I was going for my daily walk through a local forest with my friend, I saw a tree. It was more of a tree within a tree, or a tree within a stump, really. It caught my attention because it made me think of how God is with us.
The stump is dead but there is new life growing right up out of it!
 
How often do you feel that something you needed has died? Maybe you never did get that relationship you wanted, or the job? Maybe that goal that you are sure will finally make you happy just seems to stay a little out of reach, or the life you once had crumbled away in a death or divorce.
 
Now what? We often feel like we have failed at life, failed in our walk with God, failed our children, failed completely as a parent, a spouse, a….. fill in the blank.
 
The part of us that we were has died and it’s easy to think there is no way forward after that. It’s easy to think there is certainly no way to victory after that!
 
But God – those two words are always the game changer! What does God say? “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”
 
We often brush off God’s promise in this area. “But I messed up too much! I failed too completely for God to ever be interested in me!”
 
But look at what He says – “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” Oh what comfort there is to be found in those words!
 
We all have a past and for some of us, that past haunts us, tapping us on the shoulder way too often to remind us of our failures. “Do not dwell on the past”.  God knows our past, He knows our every thought and every deed and yet He instructs us to not dwell on the past.
 
He knows that’s not good for us. He knows that dwelling on the past will only hold us back from future blessings and fulfillment.
 
We will never enjoy living in today’s victory if we insist on seeing ourselves through the lens of yesterday’s failures.
 
Look at this tree. The stump isn’t even reduced to soil yet but that new tree is shooting up, strong and tall! The ground is fertile – period. So it is with God working in our lives. He doesn’t wait until we are utterly defeated and beaten down into dust. God can bring new growth, new life, new opportunities at any time! Do not dwell on the past.
 
That tree doesn’t mourn the loss of what it originally intended. That part is gone. Caput. The stump is still standing and God has already brought about amazing growth in the new story.
 
Don’t worry if there are still memories of your past failures. Those don’t need to get in the way of God’s new blessings!
 
He is doing a new thing! Did the tree hold back the new growth because it was intent on dwelling on the past? Not at all! The new growth pushed up through the remnants of the past and carried on to new heights!
 
Take heart, my friend. God is doing a new thing in you too. Look up and reach forward and let Him unfold new opportunities for you.
 
Enjoy the new blessings.
 
“being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6
 

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