Isaiah 43:14-28

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18–19, ESV)

The LORD called Himself Israel’s Redeemer. He had redeemed them out of bondage in Egypt, and in the future He would redeem them out of Babylonian captivity. But first He would bring Babylon against them.

God would do a new thing. In the past He delivered them from Egypt and made a way for them through the Red Sea. But after the Babylonian exile, He would lead them through the wilderness. He would bring a “river” of captives back to Jerusalem.

Sometimes the past can hinder us from embracing the future. Some people are hung up on the good old days. Someone has defined “the good old days” as “a combination of a bad memory and a good imagination.” God is doing a new thing. He makes all things new (Revelation 21:5). While God never changes, His methods change. When God pours out new wine, we must not be old wineskins, lest we burst! It is unwise to compare what God did in the past with what He is doing now. It is unwise to grasp tightly to the old when God is doing something new. Where is God working today? Where is He manifesting His love? Where is He changing lives? We must watch for Jesus and join Him in His work. When He opens the door, let us be the first to go through it!