Whether it’s returning to school or getting fully back in to the swing of things at the office, very few times of the year are marked as much by change as the end of summer. In the same way, God changes things from time to time as part of His plan and one of these dynamic times is referenced in 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 and streams in the desert.
When we read a passage like this, our natural assumption is often that we need to forget something in the past because it was bad or traumatic and that God is encouraging us to be hopeful about better times to come in the future. Reading it carefully though reveals that this is not necessarily the case. He just tells us to forget the past because He is doing something new.
Two thoughts on how we might be able to apply this in our lives and share it with our families & friends:
- No matter how much effort we’ve put in to a specific project or goal, God may “do a new thing” in our life and lead us in a new direction.
- In order for us to genuinely follow God’s plan for our life, we sometimes have to “forget” about the past — either forgot how bad OR GOOD a certain event or period of our life was.
Both of these factors may create discomfort for us since we like to get into a groove and follow a well-worn path. But just as we have to walk before we run, God helps us develop certain skills and talents using various experiences throughout our life. These experiences are, by definition, in the past and in order to focus on the future that God has in store, we need to, in a sense, forget about those things……or at least not dwell on them.
As summer comes to an end and we move into the Fall, ask yourself these questions to help figure out what paths God is making for you in the wilderness that He hopes you will follow:
What is an example of a new path that you’ve had to take in your life (new job, new city, new relationships) that took you out of your comfort zone?
Why would God want us to take new paths from time to time?
Think of an example where you were initially very reluctant to go in a certain direction but then God later revealed to you that He had a plan for you.
How can we better understand God’s will for our lives so we don’t miss signals that indicate a change we need to make?
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