"Behold, I am doing a new thing!"

 Turning the calendar into a new year is not like waving a magic wand and seeing everything suddenly change from what it was just 24 hours ago, but when GOD says He is doing a "new thing" it is worthy of taking note.  So it was in the days of the prophet Isaiah, as God brought His judgment on Israel for their idolatry and other sins.  Israel would soon be destroyed by the Assyrian armies and scattered throughout the nations of the world.  Judah would not be far behind, as the Babylonians would destroy the temple and take the people into captivity for seventy years.  Things couldn't look much worse for those who were supposed to be God's chosen people!  What about the promises God had made to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob?

Ah, but God was not finished.  The people could not know that even this was all part of God's plan to reveal the stubborn, sinful, rebellious nature of mankind in order to usher in what the New Testament writers would later call "the day of salvation."  Yet, in the midst of what many may have thought were the worst of times, God spoke through Isaiah to those who were given "ears to hear."  He said,

"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.  The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself, that they might declare my praise" (Isaiah 43:18-21).

Though WE may be overwhelmed by the circumstances all around us, God never is!  To know the sovereign God who reveals Himself in His Word, the Bible, is to understand that this "new thing" was and is His plan to save those who believe in Jesus Christ, those from every people, tribe, nation and tongue whom He has chosen for Himself, who will be born again by His Spirit, who will confess their sins, trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for forgiveness, and then live to testify that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of our Father in heaven!

All who believe in Jesus today are part of the fulfillment of what God promised to do in the days of Isaiah.  We have seen and are seeing prophecy fulfilled in our day and we know that God is with us to accomplish His purpose until Jesus comes!  

As you head into this new year there is one way to live with hope each day and that is to know what God is doing.  The true Church is a gathering of faithful followers of Jesus Christ who have one goal in mind:  to glorify the God who created us for His glory and to give thanks for His salvation as we proclaim His truth to the world around us.  Some will be given ears to hear, most will ignore or reject the Gospel we proclaim, but God will accomplish His purpose no matter what mankind attempts to do to stop Him or to stop us.  Our goal must be to remain faithful to our calling, for God says,

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light!" (I Peter 2:9).

Make it your goal in this new year to be an active part of Christ's Body, to be part of the "new thing" God is still doing in the world today.  If you live nearby Allendale, Michigan, we invite you to join us at Lighthouse Community Church.  If not, familiarize yourself with our website and watch online and learn and grow with us.  Form a small group around you and study God's Word together.  Order "... the end." by emailing me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org and see what God's Word tells us about the events leading up to and surrounding the return of Jesus Christ.  We have other resources available for Bible studies as well.

January 1st, 2021 ... "This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it!"