Isaiah 43:18-19
“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 and streams in the wasteland.”
Often when we approach a new beginning or a crossroads in our life, we experience fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of what others might think. We hear in our head judgmental thoughts that remind us of our shortcomings and our weaknesses. It’s hard for us, as humans, to let go of the past. Past regrets and past hurts seem to cling to us everywhere we go, but God calls to us to forget the former things. “Do not dwell on the past,” He says.
Dwelling on the past keeps us locked in a never-ending cycle. It prevents us from moving forward in our lives. The past is over and done with. The things in the past are dead and gone. God is not a god of the dead, but of the living, Paul tells us. So it only makes sense that He would want us to focus on what is living….our life right now. We can let the past cripple us, or we can be born again. That’s part of God’s grace to us. As born-again believers, we are not trapped by the mistakes of our past. God has erased them from His memory. Shouldn’t we do the same?
God is always creating. He is always making old things new. His promise to us in this verse is that if we will turn our eyes from the past and move forward, He will make a way for us. Even in places where no way can be found, even in situations where progress seems impossible, God is making a way. He is making provision for us. He has already been there, preparing that way and that provision for our next step. He is calling us to look forward–to perceive what He is doing now.
Letting go of the past and stepping forward is always a bit intimidating, but knowing God goes ahead of us and makes a way gives us the confidence to step out. When our minds are unclouded by the past, we can perceive the new thing God is doing. We’ll still make mistakes from time to time. That’s part of being human, but we can repent and let go of those mistakes in record time. We can refuse to allow them to keep us from continuing to move forward, from perceiving what God is doing right now in our lives.
Father, I thank you that you are God. I thank you that when I repent of my past mistakes, you forget them. Help me to forget them as well. I don’t want to live in the past anymore. I want to move forward through life with you in the lead. Father, I thank you that even when I’m at a crossroads and I can’t see the way forward, that you are there preparing a way for me. I thank you for your provision even in circumstances where it doesn’t seem possible. Help me to perceive what you are doing in my life right now in this moment. Help me to keep moving forward in your hope. I am ready to see the new thing that you are doing today! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 