“Will you not be aware of it?”
Can better come out of devastation?
Natural disasters leave a wake of debris and destruction. After a storm blows through, there is always yard waste, but with more catastrophic storms, lives are impacted in addition to homes, boats, and cars.
After Hurricane Helene blew through Florida, the curbs were piled high with yard and home debris. When the floods of Helene ripped through North Carolina, entire homes were seen caught in the currents, dismantled, and carried away. After a hurricane like Helene, having hopeful thoughts that the days ahead would bring better or a beautiful new may seem impossible and even intrusive.
When we are able to wipe our eyes, catch our breath, and halt the questions of God, such as “Why?” the words of Isaiah draw us to see the inconceivable.
“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 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.” Isaiah 43:18b-19, NLT
The Israelites had been in a long season of devastation of their homeland; many were taken captive by the Babylonians. The life as they had known it was gone.
Isaiah’s word from God was an invitation to have faith in God’s actions despite their reality.
PERSPECTIVE
The Israelites were not much different from us when we have been immersed in our circumstances at a level that makes it challenging to view the future with fresh eyes.
Isaiah’s words stretch us to shift our perspective.
Perspective shift:
The first call to action found in Isaiah 43:18 is translated in various ways, but the meaning is clear:
“But forget all that…” NLT
“Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.” NRSV
“Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.” NASB
“Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago.” AMP
The various translations bring clarity to the clear message that we are to have a level of amnesia about past events. Forget may feel harsh, but the NRSV, NASB, and AMP translations help us understand the perspective shift we are called to rather than a total memory loss of painful events.
“Do not consider.” “Do not call to mind.” “Do not dwell.” God knows we can quickly become stuck in the past of “back then,” “the good ole days,” and the happy memories of “the way it was.” While we can recall these joy-filled times, we tend to dwell more on the negative of what we do not have and meditate on how our lives will never be the same.
We are called to take on the viewpoint of faith that moves us from the past to the potential of the future. Our perspective needs to reflect our faith in a trustworthy God, a God who sees us, and a God who is working all things out.
Owning a perspective shift that chooses not to become stuck in the past frees us to receive the next viewpoint we need.
Perspective shift:
Can we take on a hopeful perspective that God will do something “new?”
“Listen carefully; I am about to do a new thing. Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43: 19, AMP
God promises to do a new thing for us. We may miss the new if weare not looking and listening for it. Other translations use words like “look,” “see,” and “behold.” But the Amplifid ties our listening to our seeing.
If we are stuck in the past, we are not positioned to listen well or discern what God may bring about in our lives. In our “now” culture, we must also have patience wrapped in our faith. Paul tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)
God answered His promise to bring new when He gave us His Son, Jesus Christ. But Isaiah tells us there is more to the new. God will continue to work things out on our behalf and “even” create ways without conceivable paths.
One substantial perspective shift is believing that God will turn things around. He will bring a new into our lives after the storm.
In the middle of Isaiah’s call to take on the viewpoint of new, he interjects a thought-provoking question.
“Do you not perceive it.” NIV
“Will you not be aware of it?” NASB
“Do you not see it?” NLT
For many, the answer will be “No.” There is no awareness of the new because we will not choose to have a perspective that sees.
Changing a perspective is not easily done. Many paradigm shifts are counter to the way we have been viewing our world. When we face the difficulty of changing our perspective, we must call to mind who God is, His faithfulness, His trustworthiness, and how we are continually in the center of His unfailing Love.
Imagine a world where we believed in God and kept believing despite what we saw. A world where we could look beyond our circumstances and see God carrying us, infusing us with the ability to be resilient, and we believed that new was a part of our future.
I pray you receive rest and are strengthened in your aftermath beyond your own abilities. And in your rest, your eyes are opened to all God has for you. That you find the balance between the past and your hopeful future, that you believe for the new, you experience a road in your wilderness and streams in your desert. So be it, in Jesus’ name.
Meditate: God, open my eyes to the “new” you have for me.
Reflect: Is anything you are doing keeping you stuck in your past? What does a balance of remembering the past but receiving the “New” God has for you? What does listening for what God is doing in your life that is “new” look like for you? How can the hope of “new” encourage you?
Deeper: (As you read through these additional verses, ask the Spirit to give you wisdom and teach you more about – what letting go of the past and receiving the “new” looks like.). Isaiah 43:1-20; Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 5:14-19; Psalm 103:1-8
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(Bible References: NRSV – New Revised Standard Version, NLT – New Living Translation, ESV – English Standard Version, NASB – New American Standard Bible, NIV – New International Version, AMP – Amplified Version)
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