Can You Not See It?

Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

In the recent months, I have experienced some days of chaos.  Attack after attack on my job has made me want to give up.  But God!  His Spirit reminded me I could only go to the Master for relief.  Friends are wonderful, but they fall short just like me.  I cannot expect them to resolve my issues when I go to them.  It is too much, and it is not fair to put that burden on them.  They do not have the power to change my circumstances.  Nonetheless, we must share one another’s burdens through encouragement and prayer. 

I have been overwhelmed by the blessings I have received during these difficult days.  I called a friend to share my testimony and began to tell her of my excitement and gratefulness to God.  As I explained my situation to her, I said, “I don’t know how, "She replied, “Yes, you do!”  I had to acknowledge that she was correct.  God had heard my prayers and had intervened on my behalf.  

I thought about that conversation again during the recent changes in personnel at my job.  There has been so much chaos and disorganization around the completion of tasks and transitions to new operating systems.    Then, there were abrupt departures from my fellow team members, whom I enjoyed working with and had grown to care about.  I had even considered leaving myself, which would have been a complete disruption in my life.  I realized that I had gotten so caught up in my situation that I could not see that God was moving on my behalf.  I was allowing myself to be overtaken by the demands and chaos of my situation. 

God is constantly at work in our lives and in the lives of those around us, but we fail to see it because we don't pause to reflect or listen to His voice.  While we are in distress, He is trying to reassure us that He knows, He sees us, and He cares about us.  It turns out that the personnel changes were working in my favor.  I did not want to see them go, but God had to move them out of the way so that I could step into my gift and utilize the skills that He has given me.  

So often, we expect the “new” thing to be an immediate and miraculous change in our circumstances, but the real change is not about anything material.  Of course, God can and will make a way out of no way, but the change He desires is IN us. The change He desires is in our minds and hearts so that we trust Him and live by faith.  He wants us to have an unwavering commitment to keep walking in faith whether our situation changes today, tomorrow, or years later. 

Things in this world have been a mess lately.  We see disease after disease, financial concerns, threats to life and limb, and then some.  Even though all these issues exist in our lives, God wants to do something new in us.  He is doing a new thing in me and for me, and it is marvelous.  I have a new focus.  He is my focus.  I know that without Him I can do nothing (John 15:5).  I know that if I seek Him first, He will take care of all the other things (Matthew 6:33).  I know that when I pray, He will hear me, and will answer me (John 15:7). 

Take a moment to be still and listen.  He may be trying to tell you something, too.  He is always doing something new. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heavenly Father, thank You for the new things that You continue to do in our lives.  Thank You for caring for us even when we do not acknowledge Your presence or when we decide to follow a different path. Thank you for Your Grace and Mercy.  Help us to grasp that You will use our circumstances to bring about a change in us that will open us up to a newness of life.  Thank you, Father, for Your eternal love for us.  In Jesus' Name, I pray.  Amen.