A New Thing From the LORD

Isaiah 43.18-19

We must remember the past, in terms of God's great work on our behalf.
We must forsake and forget the past, with all its discouragement and defeat, and move on to what God has for us in the future.

This was the situation of Israel when Isaiah prophesied. Exiled in Babylon due to their breaking of the Covenant with the LORD but about to be restored to the land because of God's kindness, mercy and grace. God was doing a new thing!

Often there is new thing God wants to do.

We must not hitch up to what He has done in the past, even the good things.
Times are changing and God is on the move and He wants us to move with Him through the times of change. He is the "The Great I AM." He transcends time.


Often, when God makes a promise, we worry about the details or the obstacles for the fulfillment of the promise. God replies to us, "Don't worry about it at all. I will even make a road in the wilderness. I have resources and plans you don't know about. Leave those problems to Me."

This is a message of hope for the downtrodden, for those who wonder if life for them will ever change. This is a proclamation that some wonder filled and wonderful things are about to happen, almost suddenly. This morning, my friend, Carol Newell in Boston, was in tears because her young grandchildren were leaving for San Francisco.
She wrote:
They missed the flight! So from tears to a broad smile in less than an hour! So many flights delays and cancellations due to the storm that they are allowed to reschedule at no extra cost. No flights to SF for a week! And another adventure begins!

God is too much!!! I love His surprises and how He can bring blessings in a moment!!!

They shall declare My praise: This is part of fulfilling the purpose God created us for, as mentioned in Isaiah 43:7 (Whom I created for My glory). When we declare our praise for God, we are giving Him glory, and fulfilling one of the purposes we were created for.


Being open to the new thing the LORD is doing in our lives implies certain things. Here are some:


1. Waiting For the LORD.
David and the Poplar Trees
For the renewal of strength II Samuel 5:22-25 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of the Lord, and He answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

Waiting for Him to move.
The church catching the wind of the Spirit.
Your Church like an unfurled banner waiting for the Breeze.

The Holy Spirit is the Breath of the Church.

The primary way we wait for the LORD is through prayer. When we pray in the Spirit we are praying in God's will.

Oswald Chambers said:
There are times when you can’t understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings a time of waiting, and appears to be unresponsive, don’t fill it with busyness, just wait. The time of waiting may come to teach you the meaning of sanctification— to be set apart from sin and made holy— or it may come after the process of sanctification has begun to teach you what service means. Never run before God gives you His direction. If you have the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt— wait.


2. Keeping In Step With the Spirit. Galatians 5.25
Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Military march... looking down a line it looks like one man... Jesus prayer for us to one.

Keeping in step with the Spirit means:
*Following Jesus Walk Like He walked 1 John 2:6 Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.
*Living By His Word Psalm 119.105
*Not quenching or grieving the Spirit
*Staying in line with love and grace.


3. Looking To Heaven
Jesus when He prayed for the 5 loaves and fish
Mark 6:41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people.

Far too often we are looking at earth, to the earth. Our focus is wrong.
Looking to heaven like Jesus did.
To acknowledge His Father
To Give Thanks
To set an example

Looking for that new thing that God is doing in our days...

4. Being Persistent in Prayer
Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Habakkuk prayed, "Habakkuk 3:2 Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."

So while we are not to dwell on the past and we are to forget the former things (times of depression and struggle due to sin) we are to look for the LORD to renew His work in us in these last days.

People coming to Christ.


5. Remembering the Promise of His Return.
2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

It is His will.
It is for our good. Purifies us
1 John 3:2-3 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
It gives us hope.
It reminds us that this is a momentary time here.


I can hardly wait to see what God will do this year in our lives, in our church, in the world.
Let's sing it! In My Life LORD, Be Glorified!