Isaiah 43:18–19: “Do not remember the former things, / Nor consider the things of old. / 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.”

September 6th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Today many don’t believe that God intervenes in people’s lives; and if He did at all in the past, it was a long time ago and He is no longer inclined to do so now. But in this verse we find God saying, “I will do a new thing.” The primary principles and assumptions of God’s activity remain unchanged, but the way He interacts changes with the needs of His people in different times. We are supposed to look back and remember the ways that God has done things in the past so we can understand Him. But we are also to look forward to creative and fresh new ways that God will continue to work in and with His creation. We should not be surprised when we find that our Creator does in fact continue to do creative things in new ways in our lives as He makes us into a new person.

One of the famous moments of Rose Bowl football history occurred when Georgia Tech played California University in 1929. Late in the second quarter, Tech fumbled and Roy Riegals scooped up the ball and ran 65 yards—in the wrong direction—toward Tech’s goal. His own teammate tackled him at the 2-yard line. California attempted to punt from their end zone, but Tech blocked it and scored. At halftime the teams went to their locker rooms, where Riegals burst into tears. But the coach never mentioned his misdirected run. As a matter of fact, Riegals was told he would start the second half. But when the team charged back toward the field, Riegals wouldn’t budge from the locker room. Understanding human nature as he did, the California coach knew this experience could devastate Riegals, so he looked at Riegals, and with the sternness of a field general, said, “Roy, the game is only half over. Get out there. You belong on the field.” We can be assured that after our mistakes, God has more for us to do in life. With God, failure doesn’t mean the game is over. He has a “new thing” for us.

“Thank You, LORD, for Your complete forgiveness when we confess and repent. Please use us this day.”