Guess what ? God is going to do something new today!!
Do you want to know how I know that? Well, it’s pretty simple, actually; because He does new things every day. The neat part about it is that it all comes out of His love.
In today’s verse, God tells us I AM ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING NEW. SEE, I HAVE ALREADY BEGUN! DO YOU NOT SEE IT?
Day by day as we live our lives, we face situations that challenge us. Sometimes as we do, we can’t understand what the best choice is. At other times we may not see a way through the toughest problems at all. Life can be a bully. But when it feels like life is ganging up against us, we do not need to despair or give up hope. Because God never expects us to face life’s battles alone.
Because God loves us, there is more to His watching over us than simply “watching.” He is watching with an eye towards taking care of you and me. He develops the combination of faith, skill and wisdom in us that train us how to get victory in tougher and tougher situations. He’s like the most expert coach and most caring father all rolled into one. Our Heavenly Father knows precisely when He needs to let us press through the waves we think will wash us away (since He knows they won’t, because we ARE strong enough). He also knows when He needs to step in and help us gain victory over enemies we think we can beat (since He knows that we actually CAN’T, because we AREN’T strong enough).
When my three oldest children were still in elementary school they were being repeatedly harassed by a bully as they walked home from school. They’d come to us through the foster care system, which means their young lives had already faced more than their fair share of bullying and beatings. They tried several strategies. Attempted to avoid him, take a different route home, etc. but nothing worked. I knew in my heart that they needed to see a “Daddy” who would actually take care of them, not one who would abandon them to abuse.
That night as I tucked them into bed, I told them not to worry; I promised that I would handle the problem the next day. In the morning I instructed them to walk home after school just as they normally would, and to avoid the bully if they could. “But,” I said, “Don’t worry about anything, because I will be watching!”
Later that day, as school was letting out, I had taken my motorcycle and positioned myself where I could observe them without being seen. Their walk home started out OK, but then the bully showed up looking for trouble. He found it! When the bully ran up to my children and began to push them, I zoomed in with great speed and more than a little noise! Then I jumped off, got “up close and personal;” pointing my finger in his face and shouting. The shock of my arrival, coupled with my loud voice and angry tone had its intended effect, and the bully was terrified. Pushing around a few scared children was one thing; dealing with their enraged father was quite another. Then, to put icing on the cake, I accompanied him to his house and informed his mother of his bullying antics.
Mission accomplished. Of course the problem with the bully never repeated itself. But the MAIN mission – letting my kids see a “Daddy” who would actually take care of them – THAT was accomplished, too.
I AM ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING NEW. SEE, I HAVE ALREADY BEGUN! DO YOU NOT SEE IT?
In the next part of that verse, God speaks of making pathways through the wilderness and creating rivers in the dry wasteland.
Our God is incredibly creative, you know. He knows when we’re walking through the wilderness. When we feel lost and alone and the mountains in our lives seem overwhelming; He may be out of sight, but He’s watching over us. Because God loves us, there is more to His watching over us than simply “watching.” He’s making a pathway through the wilderness. Which means that we’re not there to stay, we’re only passing through. And, more to the point, we’re not alone as we do.
Our God is SO creative that He can make rivers in the desert. That’s another way to translate that word “dry wasteland.” Deserts in life are the places in life where all our resources – the ones within us and the ones we possess – all appear to be dried and shriveled up by the overwhelming problems. Deserts are places of stifling and oppressive heat during the day and bone-chilling cold at night. Places where you’re at the mercy of the harsh elements. When life is oppressive and stifles our hope, we have a God who steps in to refresh us with His grace. When the prospect of facing tomorrow causes us to tremble and shiver, He’s there.
His power and love are like a river. They slake our thirst and refresh our soul. They wash over us and clear away the grit of the sand. The river is a solution for what we need INSIDE and OUTSIDE.
King David spent many a cold night on a desert hillside with his sheep. That’s where his Heavenly Father taught him some of life’s most valuable lessons.
He learned that the Lord was his shepherd. David understood the dual role of the shepherd, because he was one. Provide and protect, he got it. David knew that he had faced both lions and bears to protect his flock, so he understood that his Shepherd would not abandon him just because the fight would be difficult and dangerous. David knew that he could trust God, even though he might have to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Yes, even there, God would be with him. And God was willing to get “up close and personal” with David’s enemies; He knew how to deal with bullies.
Are you facing a wilderness today, my friend? God has already begun to deal with it and open a pathway you can follow. Is life about to burn you out with its desert heat? How about a drink of cool, clean water to refresh you?
Your father hasn’t abandoned you. He’s watching. He’s making a way where there seems to be no way. He’s providing strength in the last place you’d ever expect it.
You may face some tough challenges today. But you’ll never have to face them alone. Our God is up to something! He’s doing something new … in you.
I AM ABOUT TO DO SOMETHING NEW. SEE, I HAVE ALREADY BEGUN! DO YOU NOT SEE IT?
