Isaiah 43:19 - A New Thing.
Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV) Behold, I will do a new
thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not
know it? I will even make a road in the
wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV) See, I am doing a new
thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I
am making a way in the desert and streams in
the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) For I am about to do
something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not
see it? I will make a pathway through the
wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
COMMENTARY PEARL
A Surprising Source of Spiritual Growth
We might be surprised by this, but
spiritual refreshment and growth often come from times
of spiritual testing.
Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, God
said, I will make a pathway through the
wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
so my chosen people can be refreshed (Isaiah
43:19-20 NLT).
Its in the wasteland, the hardships,
and the difficulties that we often experience
God in a way that we dont experience Him
anywhere else. We want to live on the mountaintops,
but spiritual fruit doesnt grow there. It
grows in valleys. It grows in times of
difficulty.
James wrote, Dear brothers and
sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way,
consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you
know that when your faith is tested, your
endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for
when your endurance is fully developed, you will
be perfect and complete, needing nothing
(James 1:2-4 NLT).
Maybe youre facing a time of hardship
right now. Maybe youve just had the bottom drop
out in life, and youre wondering why this is
happening. You might be thinking, Im a Christian.
Im walking with Jesus, and this hardship has
befallen me. What have I done to deserve this?
Christians will face trials in life - for
their own good. Jesus said, Here on earth you
will have many trials and sorrows. But take
heart, because I have overcome the world (John
16:33 NLT). Notice that Jesus didnt say you
might have trials and sorrows. Rather, He said you
will have them.
God allows us to go through tests to make
sure we really know what we say we know. And He
allows hardships in our lives so we will grow up
spiritually. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING PEARL
What will God do for you? I cannot say.
Those who claim they can predict the miracle are
less than honest. God's help, while ever present,
is ever specific. It is not ours to say what
God will do. Our job is to believe he will do
something. It simply falls to us to stand up, take up,
and walk.
Jesus is serious about this command. When
he found the just-healed man from the pool of
Bethesda in the temple, he told him, "See, you have
been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing
come upon you" (John 5:14 NKJV). To indulge in
inertia is to sin! Stagnant do-nothingness is deemed
as a serious offense.
No more Bethesda for you. No more waking
up and going to sleep in the same mess. God
dismantled the neutral gear from your transmission. He
is the God of forward motion, the God of
tomorrow. He is ready to write a new chapter in your
biography.
Turn the page. [You Can Count On God by
Max Lucado]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Isaiah 43:18, 19 - A New Thing.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220703-0826.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210306-1000.html
Isaiah 43:18, 19 - Serendipity and Expecting
the Unexpected.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200215-1231.html
Isaiah 43:18, 19 - A Fresh Beginning.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20171227-0950.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170101-1005.html
Isaiah 43:18 - The Past Should Not Be Your
Focus.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050413-1006.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/