“Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? (Isaiah 43:18-19)
The prophet Isaiah’s was writing specifically to the children of Israel at the lowest point of their history. They had lost everything that they thought they were going to keep forever and were home sick for the land and the blessings God had promised them.
They were in captivity because they had once again failed God miserably. It seemed that every time God blessed them, they returned to their former ways.
God gave them a Temple to worship Him, they gave Him ‘Idol’ worship. God gave Himself, they gave back rejection.
And so we see God offering them a brand new start, a brand new beginning, forgiving them of their past failures of rejection and giving them a ‘future and a hope.’
GOD ALWAYS HAS A PLAN READY FOR YOU, NEVER GIVE UP
In Matthew, we read about the disciples dropping their nets immediately, NEVER LOOKING BACK to their past – their occupations and their familiar homes – in order to follow Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:20).
In Luke Jesus said, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
It’s pretty safe to say that we must forget ‘our’ former things to take hold of what God has for us today and tomorrow.
Give God permission to reign over you that He might work for you at removing the failures of your past and building on top of what once seemed doomed and hopeless.
That journey may take some time, may separate you from what you held so tightly, but at the end we will see the love and faithfulness of God working for us, who is “faithful to complete the work He began in us.”
Six years ago God brought Patty and Marty together in holy matrimony that together we would see the manifestation of God’s glory through the work He would take on by completely changing our perspectives. Our perspectives about God, about ourselves, about our church family. There was a lot of work that needed to be done, it would require a major remodel in our lives. We couldn’t do it, we couldn’t fix it, but God could.
As we gave everything to Him, entrusting Him, with our failures, hurts, sins, He exchanged each one with more of an urgent dependency upon His ability and desire to work through us on His behalf.
Little by little, we made radical life choices to trust Him more, do things more….HIS way.
And now like Paul, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:12) we become like the illustration in this post. God, saying to us, “I shall do a new thing, and it shall spring forth, shall you not know it?”
WHEREVER YOUR PAST FAILURES HAVE DELIVERED YOU, KNOW THAT GOD LOVES YOU AND HAS A BRAND NEW START FOR YOU…
That His works may be seen through your changed life and His glory might be exalted!
Walking the Berean Road 
This message was right on, Marty! It follows on the heels of what we talked about in church today. Committing your life to Christ is not a one day thing, but something you have to do each and every day as He continues to direct your life and make you a New Creation! He is Awesome!!!