A Thought For The Week Of January 2, 2017

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do 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) I have mixed emotions about the message of this verse. As a matter of fact, I find myself disagreeing with it, at least depending on how it's interpreted. Certainly I have trouble with the advice that we should “not remember the former things.” I find myself actually more in agreement with George Santayana, who wrote in The Life Of Reason that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Basically, I think that's true. I think that v.18 probably means something more along the lines of “don't dwell in the past.” That I can agree with. Don't fail to learn the lessons of history, but also don't be held in bondage by the past. Nothing good ever comes of that. And, as verse 19 goes on to tell us, God isn't held hostage by the past. A good summary of the good news is that God is always doing “a new thing.” God is always working at moving us and all creation forward to the point God wants it to be at. This reminds me of God's work in my own life. God is always working at creating something new out of me. I am never exactly who I was yesterday and I am never exactly what I will be tomorrow.  Because God is always working a new thing. On a personal level, these verses remind me of God's grace. My past is set aside by God and I am made new; given a new start every day. These verses also remind me to face the future with confidence and hope. Things may sometimes seem bleak (just as I am consciously aware of my sins and failures) but God promises something better and God is constantly working to bring that something better about. God asks me not to fall into lament about the past (my past, or the past in general) but rather to play my part in God's work of re-creation. What a privilege and what a responsibility. At the beginning of a new year that many are approaching with uncertainty and apprehension the last words of these verses make a great deal of sense: “I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” God is in control, and God does have a plan being worked out. I choose to face the future with that assurance. Bring on 2017!