A New Thing

“Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18,19.

A new thing! Few things thrill our hearts more than something new. There is a special sense of joy that we experience when we are blessed with a new relationship, a new baby, a new home, a new job, a new car, a new day…a new year. Something new presents us with the reality that, in addition to all that we have previously known, we get to start something never before experienced.

So here we are at the beginning of another new year. A blank canvas of new days stretches out before us and they will be filled in one day at a time. From our present perspective we have no idea what each day will bring opportunities for growth and celebration or times of challenge. The good news for each of us is that just as God was present in each of our yesterdays, He will be with us for each of our todays.

The words of God as recorded in Isaiah assure us that God is even now doing a new thing for us. He is working for our good as He makes a way through every day, even the times where our journey may lead through the desert places. He is faithful!

At the beginning of this new year I encourage each of us to ask God to help us sense His Presence as we go about our daily activities. Time and again I have seen God at work in the life of someone that I meet, and then I realize that He has actually set up a divine appointment to provide a blessing to someone through me, or for them to be blessing in my life. These are holy moments, times when God is very present indeed.

What if we were to live throughout this next year as a fully available vessel in God’s hands? Whom will He lead us to, and whom will He call us to engage for Him? It is imperative that for such a mission we remain completely connected to Him. These words from Ellen G. White’s Steps to Christ provide just the counsel we need: “Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work…This is a daily matter. Surrender all your plans to Him, to be carried out or given up as His providence shall indicate. Thus, day by day, you may be giving your life into the hands of God, and thus your life will be molded more and more after the life of Christ.”

May this next year yield a beautiful tapestry of our experience with Jesus as we travel through each day with Him.

By Phil Robertson, Executive Secretary/Treasurer