“See! I am doing a new thing; Do you perceive it”

Isaiah 43:19a

What do you think of when you hear the word “new”? Does it excite you or scare you?

The first thing that comes to mind when I read this passage in Isaiah is, “never the same.” Maybe you don’t see newness as never the same, maybe you see newness as “in addition to” but for me, I see newness as a cutting off – a new life, a new season, a new dream, that will never look the same as the life, season or dream before it.

Maybe it’s because I’m an enneagram 7 (the spontaneous optimist) and I loveeeee change, but I love that as I live this life, God desires for me to experience newness and adventure, to walk through seasons that never look the same. However, I realize that is not everyone’s first or natural response to newness, so let’s talk about what I believe God is speaking to His people through Isaiah in this scripture.

Throughout this book and through prophets throughout the Bible, God constantly reminds His people to not get comfortable in this life, and furthermore to even get EXCITED about the new things He’s doing, to keep hoping, and dreaming, and reaching for newness. I think there is so much beauty to be discovered in the NEW thing even if it’s uncomfortable, and I believe our God is reminding His people of that here.

I have learned in my own personal life that entering into something new, usually means something old, something familiar, has to die, and let’s be honest, that’s not always fun, is it?

God didn’t say here in Isaiah, “See! I am doing a new (fun/exciting/painless) thing, He said, “I’m doing a new thing.” So, in different seasons you may experience different feelings about the “new thing” God is doing in your life at that time. For some it’s exciting, for some it’s scary; for some it’s painless, for some it’s painful; but whoever you are, whatever stage you’re in, you can’t avoid new things, and I don’t think we should, because I believe there is beauty in newness when we live a life fully surrendered to Jesus.

What in your life has to die in order for your new thing to be fully received?

In Matthew 9:16-17, we learn that new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins, because the new wine would expand and cause the old wineskins to burst and both the wine and the wineskins would be ruined. So, in order to preserve the wine and the wineskins, the wine would need to be poured into NEW wineskins.  

Why does Jesus use this parable here and what does that mean for us today?

I believe He was making a point to John the Baptist in this parable that He was doing something new, His life and His purpose on earth was to redeem the world but if John or anyone else tried to make sense of it through their old lens or old expectations of what they believed Jesus was there to do, they wouldn’t understand.

Jesus was explaining through this parable that in order to understand what God was doing, they needed NEW perspective. Their old perspective would keep them from fully understanding the NEW thing God was doing through Jesus at that time.

That is why in our lives today, it’s very important to have a close relationship with our Creator, and always ask for His perspective in our daily lives because God is doing a NEW thing, but He needs a NEW you. If we try to look through the lens of our past and our old understanding, we will miss the very things God is doing through us today.

Are you adaptable to the new thing or are you stuck in your ways? Can God use you? Or are you only able to be used if nothing in your life changes?

My challenge to both myself and to you, is to examine your perspective today. Are you moldable? Are you okay with change? Are you okay with the fact that some things in your life will never be the same?

Because I believe when we live a life fully surrendered to Jesus not only will we benefit from the NEW things God is doing in US, but OTHERS will too, and isn’t that beautiful?

- Kayla Nordlum