Pastor’s Blog: New Things

Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it: “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand […] Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them (Isaiah 42:5-9).

A great mystery to me is that our Creator, God, longs to be in communion with us. The American Heritage Dictionary defines communion as “a sharing of thoughts or feelings.” As we are in a relationship with Him, He gives us His thoughts and feelings, and we receive them and give Him ours. He responds (and adjusts our thinking), and the cycle continues.

In the passage above from Isaiah 42, we hear the Lord reassure us that He has called us and that He holds our hand. Then He reminds us that “former things have come to pass,” and that He is declaring new things (Isaiah 42:9). Think about that. He declares new things. He opens His mouth and gives voice to newness for you and for me. He speaks and it comes forth- not merely a possibility but a promise. New things. It is possible for God to speak over you new plans He has for you on a daily basis. With God, it is never a matter of wishing He has a good future for you. It is always a matter of knowing that out of His boundless love for you, He always has something new and fresh for you, and He longs to tell you about it!

Just as a parent cannot wait to tell a child about some exciting news or upcoming event, the Lord longs to tell us about the “new things […] before they spring forth.” But unlike the temporal “new things” a parent might tell a child about, the things the Lord gives to us are founded on His eternality. Consider, for example, your life. For every “former thing” in it, the Lord brings a “new thing.” Inevitably, the “new thing” is not a newer model of the old. The “new thing” is inextricably bound to His relationship with you, so it is undoubtedly deeper, better, and richer because thus is your relationship with Him. The “new things” that spring forth become foundational in your life. They are based on an increasing revelation of Jesus, which you are capturing (apprehending); they come from (or can be) new appetites, new desires, new values a growing relationship with Him has brought forth.

Right now, there is the fragrance of newness in the air, like the fragrance of rain as we understand the move of God among us at this season. Listen as He tells you what is about to spring forth for you!