Is God in the Wilderness With Me?

Do you have a favorite verse in the Bible?  If you are anything like me, you probably have several favorites from different times in your life!  This verse, Isaiah 43:18-19, has been instrumental in my life for 25 years.  I can dissect and apply it to so many things I have experienced.

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 wasteland. Is 43:18-19

In true “heatherized” fashion, I will break it down phrase by phrase so let’s dig in!

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past

This sounds like a command from God to forget what happened in our past.  Can we forget?  Is that even possible? No, not really.  The memory of what happened, where it all went wrong is still there.  But, yet, we are called to forget about it.  Why is that?  Let’s look at it another way.  When you drive do you focus on the rear view mirror or is that mirror only meant for the occasional glance?  Our focus should be on what lies ahead rather than the rear view so that we don’t crash.  If we apply this example to our lives, we cannot continue to focus on the past choices, mistakes, and hurts or we will never move forward into a better us.  This leads me to the next phrase…

See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? 

God is in that wilderness with you. He truly is there doing things we cannot see. What an amazing God who continually creates newness in us out of our messes that we find ourselves in!  He replaces the old stuff with new dreams and opportunities and God does this through  pruning away the old and helping us grow spiritually.  But sometimes it is hard to see the new thing God is doing.  It may not feel like a spring bubbling inside of us.  It may feel like a drought with nothing to perceive.  Friends, that does not mean that God is not working.  Remember it is always in His time, not ours.  

An important takeaway in this phrase is to “perceive” or look for it, to hope, to find God in moving forward.  Ask God to show you His plan.  If we are looking for God then it must be said that He is not in the rear view.  He is ahead of us.  The Israelites followed God who appeared to them as a cloud by day and a fire by night.  While we don’t exactly have those strong visuals, we must stay strong in our prayer lives and in keeping God first.  So don’t focus on the loss or pain of the past, focus on Jesus and how He wants to create newness in you.  So what does God desire to do in you?  Keep reading…

 I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 

Wandering in the wilderness or in a wasteland is where no one wants to be.  And we have all been there.  We feel lost and do not know where to turn.  

The wilderness and the wastelands are filled with dangers, bumps, potholes, and scary things.  We feel fear, and may not feel God.  When you find yourself there the only way out is through finding God and having faith in Him.  He has the roadmap to get you through it.  Remember, God knows the whole plan and we only see a tiny bit of the path shown to us one step at a time.  God is also providing one more thing, the streams, the refreshing streams!  That is the Holy Spirit that cleanses us and brings peace in the midst.  We need that!  If you look around the Earth, notice that wherever you find streams, lakes, and oceans, you also find life.  When God’s Spirit refreshes you that is when new life is created.  

Give your past to God.  Look to Him to find your future.  Follow His path for your life.  Be refreshed in moving forward and let God create something new inside of you.