A New Page

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it?...

(Isaiah 43:19, NKJV)

A blessed New Year to you beloved.  The beginning of the week, beginning of the month and beginning of the year all coming together in one beautiful day, glory to God.  This fresh start carries with it great expectations and plans, some of which we have carried forward from years past.  God in His faithfulness, gives us opportunities to see a new beginning and gives us renewed hope for the days ahead.  I do not know what your plans or thoughts for this new year are, but I hope you will look ahead with hope and anticipation of what the year brings.  We do not deny the challenges of the year past and the demands of our today, but we still bring in hope, for the expectation of a better tomorrow gives us the strength to take another step.

Brethren, as I considered this new year, I was also quick to note how fast the days went in 2023 and as many do, I also looked at what I had planned for but failed to achieve.  Such moments of reflection can be heavy and if we are not careful they could leave us defeated.  Let us allow ourselves to look beyond the past year and now focus on the new chance that God has given us in 2024.  I think of it as a new clean page which has turned, and we are now being asked to paint it with the colours of our choice.  The verse today reminds us that despite where we have been through, God is doing a new thing, He is causing a springing forth of something new - that is His word.  The verses preceding set the stage for us, God declares that He makes the way in the sea, extinguishing the army and the powers that be as a wick, He clearly reminds us that He is all powerful.  From this position, He asks us not to remember the things of old, the past, He knows there is a past but He asks us not to consider it (Isaiah 43:16-19).  It is upon this background that He declares that He is doing a new thing, it will spring forth.  The mention of a springing forth gives me a picture of a powerful suddenly, an excitement of what we might not have seen coming but is unfolding before our eyes.  Beloved, that is the picture I am inviting you to consider for 2024.  Our Father knows the past has had challenges and He says that He is able to put off the consequences and impact of the past as one would put off a wick.  He is God almighty and nothing is too hard for Him to do (Jeremiah 32:17), He surely can handle your concerns effectively. The consistency of God’s word is astounding, He reminds us that His mercies are new every morning (Lamentation 3:22-23). Great is His faithfulness and we can therefore trust in His promise of a new dawn bringing us a new beginning.

Our reference verse asks us an important, whether we shall choose to see the new thing?  The element of choice means that we could decide to ignore the new thing and dwell on the old, allow ourselves to be blinded by the old so that we miss out on the hope of the new day.  Beloved, it is possible to be on the verge of a new beautiful thing but still be held back by the painful unfulfilled past.  Our Father has lovingly and warmly invited us to ride 2024 with Him as we watch Him in action, but how we come to Him matters.  The parable of the wedding feast comes to mind, where one of the attendees was thrown out for not wearing the right attire.  It concludes in saying that many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:1-14).  We have a role to play, to open our hearts to the Father’s invitation and assurance of new blessings this year.  Beloved, how this year turns out depends on how you take the Father’s invitation.  It is my prayer that for all of us, regardless of the physical circumstances that we find ourselves in, we shall arise in hope that to see what the Father has in store for us.  The words of (Romans 15:13) are my prayer for us as we enter 2024; “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”.

Have a blessed 2024 in His love and power.

Thoughts:

What are you painting on your new page?

What could be holding you back to the past?

How are you experiencing the springing forth of newness?