18 “Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 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. – Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
I think it’s easy to dwell on the past because hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. When we look back we can see things so clearly. We look back on our past victories and remember them so fondly. We can recall the joy and happiness we experienced, we can relive the celebrations, and we can reminisce with others who were part of these successful experiences.
Unfortunately, the same is true when we look back on our past failures. We can remember all the minutiae of events and decisions we wish we could forget. We can relive our mistakes and blunders in such vivid detail that it’s like it’s taking place for the first time…all over again. And the more we rehash these stories in our mind, we find ourselves in bondage to the guilt and shame that we can’t seem to shake off.
Maybe this is why God invites us to forget the former things. Maybe He knew that we would hold on to our past victories with a death grip, hoping they would sustain us forever. Maybe He knew that we would be paralyzed by our past failures and never be fully able to move forward with the confidence and hope He wants us to possess. Maybe He knew that we would never embrace the life-giving future He has for us until we let go of the “former things.”
You may not clearly see that future just yet, but God is inviting you to see what He sees and to perceive what He is already doing. The dense wilderness of your life can and will have a path – He will make a way! The dry and barren places where you find yourself today can and will flow with streams of living water – and you’ll never thirst again!
I believe God is calling you to leave the past behind and look forward to the “new thing” He wants to do in you and through you. The only question is: will you be a part of His plan? Will you allow God to do a “new thing” even when you don’t fully understand it all? Even when it’s difficult? Even when future victories look nothing like the past?
What “former things” do you need to surrender in order to embrace the “new thing” He has in store?