Isaiah 43:19 (AMPC)
“Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we have life all figured out. Maybe we have a terrific five-year plan, and everything is right on track to reach our goals. Maybe things couldn’t be better, and we are on cloud nine. Or maybe the opposite is true. Maybe things have been bad for so long that this has become our “normal.” We just don’t remember any other way of living than in this dark and gloomy place.
It’s easy when life hits a routine to feel as if we have it all figured out. In those moments, we may even think that we have God figured out. But we would be wrong. As I considered today’s verse, I was reminded of an idea from C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Aslan, the lion, is a picture of Christ, and Mrs. Beaver reminds the children that Aslan isn’t a tame lion, but that he is a good lion.
I love that picture of the Lord! When I think I have Him figured out, He surprises me with something new. Maybe I’m believing rightly about who the Lord is, but I’m limited in my viewpoint, so He shows me another level of His character. But sometimes, I find that I have believed a lie about who God is or how He sees me, and in those moments, He can surprise me with correction and beauty just as easily.
When it comes to walking with the Lord, we should always expect the unexpected. After all, we’re talking about the God who created the heavens and the earth and absolutely everything in them down the minutest detail. He is a creative God, and He enjoys variety! Just look at the world around us. God gives beauty for ashes. He turns mourning into dancing. He can take the brokenness and ugliness that we have to offer and turn it into the most beautiful testimony imaginable.
He makes a way in the wilderness–a way where there seems to be no way…a moment of light in the midst of darkness….a way out of a place where moments before there was no hope at all. And He makes springs in the desert….places of refreshing…moments of peace and rest and great beauty. That’s the kind of God He is.
So whether today finds you in the place of abundance or whether it finds you in the wilderness of longing….God is there….and He is doing unexpected things….new things…..good things…with you in mind!
Prayer: Lord, you are a creative God. You are a God who gives attention to detail. I consider the things that you created, and I am amazed at the detail you put into each and every one of them. Thank you that you pay that kind of attention to the details of my life as well. There is nothing in my life that is so small it escapes your notice. There is nothing in my life so big that you can’t handle it. Thank you, Lord, that no matter what season I find myself in, there is always new beginnings and new things when I am walking with you. Open my eyes to the new things you are doing in my life today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 