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“The God of the New”
January 3, 2026
Daily Devotional:
“The God of the New”
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 andstreams in the wasteland."
We often spend our lives looking in the rearview mirror. Whether it’s the "glory days" we wish we could return to or the "painful days" we can’t seem to forgive ourselves for, the past has a way of anchoring us to a spot God is trying to lead us away from.
In this passage, God gives a startling command: "Forget the former things." He isn't telling us to have amnesia, rather He is telling us to stop letting the past define our present potential. At the time these words were written, Israel was in exile, longing for the way things used to be. God'sresponse wasn't a promise to recreate the old, but a declaration that He was doing something entirely fresh.
Notice the characteristics of God’s "new thing" described here. It is active in the words "I am doing..." God isn't planning to start; He is already at work.
It is surprising in the words "Do you not perceive it?" Sometimes God’s work is so different from our expectations that we miss it because we are looking for the old patterns. And it is miraculous because He makesways in the wilderness where there is no path and streams in the wasteland where there is no life.
God specializes in the impossible. If you feel like you are in a desert season; dry, lost, or stuck. Take heart! The desert is exactly where God likes to build His highways.
Shift your gaze by identifying the anchor that has been holding you down. What "former thing" are you dwelling on? Is it a past failure, a lost season, or even a past success that makes today feel dull? Afterwards, look for the "sprout" in the text, it says the new thing "springs up" like a small plant. Look for the small, subtle ways God is moving today; be it a kind word, a new opportunity, or a sense of peace. And above all, trust the Waymaker; If you can’t see the path ahead, remember that God doesn't need a pre-existing road. He creates the road as you step out in faith.
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By Y.E.S. Jesus Youth Encountering Savior JesusJanuary 3, 2026
Daily Devotional:
“The God of the New”
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 andstreams in the wasteland."
We often spend our lives looking in the rearview mirror. Whether it’s the "glory days" we wish we could return to or the "painful days" we can’t seem to forgive ourselves for, the past has a way of anchoring us to a spot God is trying to lead us away from.
In this passage, God gives a startling command: "Forget the former things." He isn't telling us to have amnesia, rather He is telling us to stop letting the past define our present potential. At the time these words were written, Israel was in exile, longing for the way things used to be. God'sresponse wasn't a promise to recreate the old, but a declaration that He was doing something entirely fresh.
Notice the characteristics of God’s "new thing" described here. It is active in the words "I am doing..." God isn't planning to start; He is already at work.
It is surprising in the words "Do you not perceive it?" Sometimes God’s work is so different from our expectations that we miss it because we are looking for the old patterns. And it is miraculous because He makesways in the wilderness where there is no path and streams in the wasteland where there is no life.
God specializes in the impossible. If you feel like you are in a desert season; dry, lost, or stuck. Take heart! The desert is exactly where God likes to build His highways.
Shift your gaze by identifying the anchor that has been holding you down. What "former thing" are you dwelling on? Is it a past failure, a lost season, or even a past success that makes today feel dull? Afterwards, look for the "sprout" in the text, it says the new thing "springs up" like a small plant. Look for the small, subtle ways God is moving today; be it a kind word, a new opportunity, or a sense of peace. And above all, trust the Waymaker; If you can’t see the path ahead, remember that God doesn't need a pre-existing road. He creates the road as you step out in faith.