Something New.

“Behold, I am going to do something new. Now it will spring up; Will you not be aware of it?” (Isaiah 43:19, NASB)

I have some pretty decent crochet skills. Even though I specialize in shawls and wraps I can make most things if I put my mind to it. But there are times, especially when I am working on adding a new skill, working on a stitch or technique that I am not familiar with that I just don’t get it. No matter how many times I try, I just can’t seem to get it down pat, so I begin again and again, do a row, and have to unravel it. Eventually I cry out to God, “Lord, I just don’t get it! Show me what I’m missing!” And always he does just that; shows me what I’m not seeing. And once that happens, I’m off and going.

God asks a pertinent question. He gives us the head’s-up, let’s us know he is about to do something new, something different, something wonderfully unique but he asks about our awareness. Are our spiritual eyes open? Is that spiritual antenna up that lets us know God is up to something new in our life, relationships, or circumstances?

During my time of recovery, I have prayed this prayer more times than I can count, “Lord, don’t let me miss the new you are going to do, the good you will bring out of this. Don’t let me be dull, unperceiving, and so consumed with myself that I miss what you are doing and all the clues and hints you sprinkle in my path.”

Maybe you have prayed a similar prayer recently or at some point in life. Maybe God is up to something new and different in your life right now. He does not want you to miss it, anymore than you want to miss it. What was God warning his children about? He was telling them not to go so fast but slow down, not to ignore those subtle and not-so-subtle indications that he was working in their midst, not to discount what he was able to do in and with their circumstances.

The same God that spoke to them then is the same one who speaks to us today and is always up to something new. Let’s pray,

Dear God, thank you for the promise of new. Now, don’t let us miss what you are up to. Help us to listen more closely, open our eyes and become more aware. amen  

5-Questions for Soul-Tending:

Is the way you are living your life now allow for perceiving God’s activity of new or different?

Are you willing to slow down or hit the pause button long enough so can you hear God speaking new into your life; sense his activity in your life or circumstances?

What would God’s new or different look like for you?

If you sense that something new, would you be willing to submit your free-will to God’s will for you?

How can you apply God’s promise of newness to your plan of soul-care?