Week of Monday, January 4 – Saturday, January 9
New Thing – Man as Provider
“I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:15-19 ESV
Is anyone other than me glad to close the books on 2020 and begin a New Year? I see that hand and hear that Amen! Even the Lord says here in verse 18: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” What a welcome word after the year we just experienced!
But what will the New Year hold for us? Well, we shouldn’t take seriously the annual turn-of-the-year tabloid featuring Nostradamus, the crusty looking medieval French astrologer, whose poetry has been manipulated by sensationalists to tout his supposed predictions for the future. The only reliable source for what will happen in the future is the word of God.
As a matter of fact, God has much to say about the future as we have seen through the pages of Isaiah. We read Isaiah 46:9-11 this week as well:
Remember the former things of old; For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done … I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
Men, we may not know what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future. That’s why Isaiah 43 caught my attention as we stand on the threshold of a New Year. According to verse 15, the One who holds the future is “the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” I can assure you that God is not in heaven, wringing His hands, worried about what is going to happen next. He is sovereign, seated on His throne, and everything is going to work out according to His perfect plans and purposes. So, we can step into this New Year with great confidence. As a Provider, we need to instill that confidence in our families. The King of the Universe is in control. Trust Him with your today and your tomorrows.
Then notice in verse 19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” The word for “Behold” actually means to stand in awe and be amazed, to step back and say “Wow!” Why? Because God was declaring a faith-path out of their 70-year captivity to a new experience of deliverance, liberation, and a return to their land. Before it actually and historically happened, God was calling His people out from the old and into the new. To borrow from what He says in chapter 46, God was calling things that were not as though they had already happened. As far as God was concerned, this “new thing” was already a done deal.
The Lord would say to us today: “Behold, I am doing a new thing.” He is calling us to come up and out of the old captivities we’ve endured last year and step into the new freedom and new horizons He wants for us in 2021. Believe me, I am a realist about the future. I’ve got more road behind me than I have ahead of me, but I’m actually looking forward to where the Lord is going to take me and the Stand Courageous ministry to men in 2021. With the Lord’s help, I’m ready for the “new things” of the New Year. How about you?
New Thing – Man as Provider
“I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:15-19 ESV
Is anyone other than me glad to close the books on 2020 and begin a New Year? I see that hand and hear that Amen! Even the Lord says here in verse 18: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” What a welcome word after the year we just experienced!
But what will the New Year hold for us? Well, we shouldn’t take seriously the annual turn-of-the-year tabloid featuring Nostradamus, the crusty looking medieval French astrologer, whose poetry has been manipulated by sensationalists to tout his supposed predictions for the future. The only reliable source for what will happen in the future is the word of God.
As a matter of fact, God has much to say about the future as we have seen through the pages of Isaiah. We read Isaiah 46:9-11 this week as well:
Remember the former things of old; For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done … I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
Men, we may not know what the future holds, but we know WHO holds the future. That’s why Isaiah 43 caught my attention as we stand on the threshold of a New Year. According to verse 15, the One who holds the future is “the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” I can assure you that God is not in heaven, wringing His hands, worried about what is going to happen next. He is sovereign, seated on His throne, and everything is going to work out according to His perfect plans and purposes. So, we can step into this New Year with great confidence. As a Provider, we need to instill that confidence in our families. The King of the Universe is in control. Trust Him with your today and your tomorrows.
Then notice in verse 19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” The word for “Behold” actually means to stand in awe and be amazed, to step back and say “Wow!” Why? Because God was declaring a faith-path out of their 70-year captivity to a new experience of deliverance, liberation, and a return to their land. Before it actually and historically happened, God was calling His people out from the old and into the new. To borrow from what He says in chapter 46, God was calling things that were not as though they had already happened. As far as God was concerned, this “new thing” was already a done deal.
The Lord would say to us today: “Behold, I am doing a new thing.” He is calling us to come up and out of the old captivities we’ve endured last year and step into the new freedom and new horizons He wants for us in 2021. Believe me, I am a realist about the future. I’ve got more road behind me than I have ahead of me, but I’m actually looking forward to where the Lord is going to take me and the Stand Courageous ministry to men in 2021. With the Lord’s help, I’m ready for the “new things” of the New Year. How about you?
- Are you expecting God to do a “new thing” in your life this year? That may seem a bit overwhelming when you consider your present circumstances, but take courage because the Bible declares here that God has made a way for you and positioned rivers of provision to refresh you along the way. Look for His way up and out of the old and take it.
- Thank the Lord for going ahead of you to plan the path for your life and family. Ask for His continued guidance and help in setting personal and family priorities.
- Provide your family with a sense of confidence about the future, that God is in control, and that we can trust Him with our today and our tomorrows.