“This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness”
Did you catch what just happened in the verses above? Isaiah is talking to the people of God and is relaying what God is wanting him to tell the people. He starts to introduce it by saying, “This is what God says, He is the one who…” And he goes on to recount some amazing things that God had done in the past. As a matter of fact, he recounts the very greatest thing that every person he was talking to would have been able to think of. The exodus out of Egypt and slavery. The moment where the people were trapped and God made a way out. He parted the Red Sea and they were rescued. An amazing story that was told to every generation from that point onward. It exemplified the might of God. But what does God say? He tells them, “Forget the former things. Don’t dwell on the past.” What!? Why would God say something like that? Shouldn’t we remember all the good and amazing things that God has done?
We get the answer in his very next statement: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Yes, we should remember the things God has done in the past. That command is all throughout the Bible. But we shouldn’t dwell there. We shouldn’t live in the past. We should be anxiously awaiting the next big and amazing thing that God wants to do. Is our dwelling on the way things used to be hindering us from seeing what God is doing right now? Do we not perceive it? God is desiring that we open our eyes to see his handiwork all around us. He is working some miraculous things, right now, do you see it?
In this season, it is easy to focus on the negative. It is easy to focus on things not being the way we would like them to be. It is easy to focus on the past that was simpler, easier, and more comfortable. But we then run the risk of missing God. We miss the miracle he is orchestrating. Instead of focusing on what we can’t control, let us focus on the one who has the control.
Let’s pause there for a moment.
Please take a moment to watch the video below.
Pay attention to the lyrics and what God is speaking to you through them.
Allow your soul to be centered in Jesus.
Focused on the here and now.
Would you consider doing something clunky this week? Sometimes our conversations with people start with complaining about things around us. And if they don’t start there, they soon turn that direction. What if instead of starting your conversations there, you instead started your conversations with people by asking them, “What have you seen God doing lately?” Would that change the trajectory of your conversations? Would that put your perspective on the movement of God?
Now, would you consider doing something even harder than that? If you really want to try an experiment, try this: Don’t complain for two days. Sound simple? It may be harder than you think! For two days don’t complain about anything. Big or small. This also includes its close cousin: grumbling. Try it. See what happens in you and the people around you.
-Pastor Tyler Lemen
Associate Pastor of Family Ministries at Friends Community Church