Reflections with Andy - Isaiah 43: 18-21 – Something New
The past shapes us, but it does not define us. God is always doing something new
Today we look at Isaiah 43:18–21, and are reminded that God is always at work doing “a new thing,” even in seasons of uncertainty and transition. Spoken originally to Israel as they faced exile, God’s promise to make “rivers in the desert” demonstrates that He brings life and hope where none seems possible. While our past experiences—both successes and failures—shape us, they do not define us. Like Peter, Paul, and John Wesley, we are continually renewed by God’s grace. The invitation is to stop living captive to yesterday, trust that God is already working ahead of us, and faithfully join Him in the new work He is accomplishing today.
Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.
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Well, good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Wednesday morning as we continue together in our daily reflections.
I hope you’re doing well. I hope your week is going well.
Things are good for me. Yesterday was my first full day in the office here at First United Methodist Church of Starkville. I think I’ll go back to work today—we’ll see. I always know things are going well if I show up and the key to my office still works. That’s why I usually leave my office door unlocked. It gives me a better chance of sneaking in if they decide they don’t want me anymore! So, if I can still get into the office today, life is good. I’ll report back tomorrow and let you know.
This week we’re simply looking at different passages of Scripture that I think are meaningful, encouraging, and fitting for new beginnings. Next week we’ll begin another study through a book of the Bible, but this week I just wanted to spend some time reflecting on passages that have shaped my own faith.
Today we’re going to read from Isaiah 43:18–21.
“Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.The wild animals will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.”
Isaiah is one of the longest books in the Bible. As we read Scripture, it’s helpful to understand how it’s organized. We have the Pentateuch—the first five books of Moses—followed by the historical books, the wisdom books, and then the prophets.
The prophets are divided into the Major Prophets and the Minor Prophets. That distinction has nothing to do with importance. The Major Prophets are simply longer books, while the Minor Prophets are shorter. In ancient times, the Minor Prophets were often copied together onto a single scroll.
Then, of course, we come to the New Testament with the Gospels, Acts, Paul’s letters, the General Epistles, and finally Revelation—which we’re not going to talk about today! I taught Revelation in Sunday School once, and it took a verylong time.
Isaiah covers a huge span of Israel’s history, and it contains some of the most beautiful passages in all of Scripture. Later in the book we find the great Servant Songs:
“He was pierced for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities...
and by His wounds we are healed.”
Those words point us toward Jesus centuries before His birth.
But here in chapter 43 we find another beautiful promise.
Did you notice that God repeats Himself?
“I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Then just one verse later:
“I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”
Whenever Scripture repeats something, pay attention.
The deserts of Israel are harsh places. Water is scarce. Rivers don’t belong there.
That’s precisely the point.
God promises to bring life where life should not exist.
This section also follows one of my favorite passages in all of Isaiah:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned...
For I am the Lord your God...
I have called you by name. You are mine.”
Those are incredibly comforting words.
But here’s what’s remarkable.
God speaks those promises as Israel is preparing to go into exile.
These are not words spoken after everything gets better.
They’re spoken before everything falls apart.
Judgment is coming.
Pain is coming.
Loss is coming.
And yet God says, “I am with you.”
Friends, I think that’s a word for us.
Verse 18 says:
“Do not remember the former things or consider the things of old.”
You’re not bound by your past.
Your mistakes have shaped you.
Your victories have shaped you.
Your failures have shaped you.
They’ve all helped make you who you are.
But they do not define you.
Because God says:
“I am about to do a new thing.”
I love that.
God doesn’t say, “I’ll do a new thing if you’re paying attention.”
He simply says, “I’m doing a new thing.”
The question isn’t whether God is at work.
The question is whether we’ll have eyes to see what He’s already doing.
Will we recognize His work?
Will we join Him in it?
Will we participate in the new thing He is bringing into the world?
It’s so easy to believe we’ll never outrun our past.
We begin to think we’re nothing more than the sum total of our failures.
But that’s not how God sees us.
Think about Peter.
Peter denied Jesus three times. It wasn’t only Judas who failed on Good Friday. Peter had three opportunities to say, “Yes, I belong to Him,” and three times he denied it.
Yet God wasn’t finished with Peter.
Think about Paul.
Before he became the great missionary, he was Saul—the man persecuting the Church on the road to Damascus. Yet God wasn’t finished with him either.
Think about John Wesley.
He came to America as a missionary and considered his ministry a failure. He returned to England discouraged and brokenhearted. Yet it was after that disappointment, when his heart was “strangely warmed,” that he discovered the grace that would change not only his life but the world.
And then there are people like me.
And people like you.
We all make mistakes.
We all fail.
We all stumble.
But through God’s grace, we keep walking.
I’m reminded of Psalm 139:
“Even if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.”
There is no place we can go where God’s grace cannot find us.
So today, don’t let your past imprison you.
Learn from it.
Grow through it.
But don’t live there.
Your past may have shaped you, but it does not define you.
You are defined by the grace of God.
So today, live in that grace.
Live in hope.
Live in love.
Serve God.
Love your neighbor.
And watch for the new thing God is already doing.
Thanks for being with me today.
Tomorrow we’ll look at another passage together, and then next week we’ll begin a new study through a book of the Bible. If there’s a particular book you’d like us to study, send me a message. I’d love to hear your ideas.
Have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow.