“Do not remember the past events; pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”
In Isaiah 43 we are encouraged to not remember the past events. But, if we back up two verses to Isaiah 43:16-17, we see God speaking through Isaiah, recalling and remembering the path of the Exodus. He is speaking to the exiles in Babylon, reminding them of the Exodus and the Isrealites’ escape from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites’ path through the Red Sea, the chariots and horses of the Egyptians wiped out. There is a tension here. Do we not remember or do we remember? What path is God calling us to take? Maybe God is calling us to remember his faithfulness. Maybe we are to not hold onto these past events, these past miracles, as a limit or ceiling to what God can do; the events of the past do not affect what the Lord can do now.
So, what does this mean for us today? We can refuse to let the past define us, and we can refuse to let the past be a limit to what the Lord can do now and in the future. Remembering his faithfulness, while not holding onto it as all God can do, can cause our faith to ignite. God plans to move with us through our wilderness seasons.
With faith ignited, look at Isaiah 43:19: “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming.” Our God is doing something new even in the desolate, dry and dark places of our now. God will bring new life.
I love the way this verse reads in the NKJV: “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth.” It shall spring forth from exactly where it is, exactly where it is planted, even if it is planted in cracked, parched ground. The original Hebrew for “spring forth” is tsamach, meaning a plant sprouting. Right where we are, the Lord will create something new, a new sprout.
What comes to mind when you picture a sprout? For me, I am reminded of the science experiment I did in elementary school. The one where you take a dried bean, place it in a damp paper towel and seal it in a bag. From that dry bean springs forth a small green sprout, new life. God does the same thing with us; he brings new growth. And it isn’t always in big ways. This visual reminded me of Isaiah 11:1, where Isaiah uses the image of a cut-down tree, its growth stopped, destroyed. Yet, from it springs new life, a small green shoot growing out of the stump. An image for the coming of Christ and his plan to save the world.
But let’s take a closer look at tsamach, spring forth, a plant sprouting. When I dug deeper, I learned that the Branch (how Jesus is referred to in Isaiah 4:2, Jeremiah 23:5, Jeremiah 33:15, Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12) uses the same root: tsemach.
“You are to tell him: This is what the LORD of Armies says: Here is a man whose name is Branch [tsemach]; he will branch out [tsamach] from his place and build the LORD’s temple.”
In this verse, the same root word tsemach is used of Jesus, the Branch. And the same word tsamach, used in Isaiah 43:19, is used for “branch out.” Think of Jesus, the Branch, the Savior of the world. God brought the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords into this world first as a baby. A small sprout of new life. A baby, tiny and helpless, who would branch out from his place and build the LORD’s temple, the LORD’s dwelling place inside the hearts of believers.
This is good news: God can spring forth new life, from dry, desolate and dead places. The new growth, the new thing might not be big; the new thing might be small or seem insignificant. It might be easy to overlook if we are not paying attention. Do you not see it? In Isaiah 53:2 Jesus is described as not having impressive form or majesty, no appearance that we should desire him. Jesus definitely didn’t take on the cultural look of a king. So, why would our growth look the way our culture would define it? Our growth might not look extravagant and large, but isn’t that just like God? He often uses the small, lowly things to bring about his glory and majesty.
In 2023, I found myself in a difficult season. I had been praying for something, anything new. New growth, new circumstances, new thoughts, you name it, I was praying it. I had been dealing with overwhelming anxiety, panic attacks, a stressful job that took all my energy and on top of that I kept putting on weight. I was upset and angry at myself. God seemed distant and quiet. That fall my good friend Lisa (yes, Active Abundance Lisa) suggested I come on the inaugural Active Abundance Zion pilgrimage the following May of 2024. When she asked me, my first thought was, I’m not in a wilderness season. I am not the type of woman the retreat is designed for. She was gentle and patient with me.
But let’s pause for a moment. Let’s reread what I wrote just a few lines above: “I had been dealing with overwhelming anxiety, panic attacks, a stressful job that took all my energy and on top of that I kept putting on weight. I was upset and angry at myself. God seemed distant and quiet.” I was in a wilderness, and I was the type of woman the retreat was designed for.
She asked a few more times, and in January of 2024, with some encouragement from my husband, I said yes and my ticket was booked.
Then one week before the pilgrimage I broke my toe. This was not how I wanted to attend: limited and not able to go on all the hikes. But this was exactly what God would use as the catalyst for reigniting my faith and sprouting new life.
On the second-to-last day, I was unable to go on the longest hike with the group. Instead, I went on a shorter hike with no real jaw-dropping views or vistas that Zion is known for. But it was on that hike that I had a God-ordained moment where he gave me a gift that helped ignite my faith again.
As I walked on the trail, in the desert of Zion, I was able to pause, breathe and look around. I could see the beginning of new life all around me on the trail as flowers were beginning to bloom. God was reminding me of something. As if he were right beside me, I heard, “Just walk with me.” Just walk. Not walk alone, or walk in your own strength but walk with him. I continued on the trail, walking with him in the desert yet surrounded by beauty. Even in the bare, dry desert I could see beauty. Beauty that he provided. At that point in my wilderness season, I had been trying to do everything within my own strength. But God. He reminded me that it wasn’t my strength that would get me through this wilderness I found myself in, but it was his strength and faithfulness that would walk me through it. He had never left me and he had no plans to leave me where I was.
And that simple hike sprouted a new path. Not an easier path but a new path. I was still going home with the same job and extra weight but with a reignited faith. He was making a way through my desert regardless of the past events and how I had found myself in the wilderness.
“I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you…”
God does not always remove the imperfections of the season in order to bring new growth. Instead, our God makes a way through it. His faithfulness is meant to ignite expectation, not to become a thing of the past. He is making a way, a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to walk in the abundance that he has always been offering us. We are called to remain faithful, to consistently rekindle the flame of our faith so that we don’t miss what he is doing.
What might God be trying to grow in your life during your current season? Where might new growth be taking place that you have overlooked?
Please pray with me: Lord, thank you for sprouting new life in our dry and desolate seasons. Lord, thank you for your Word that reminds us that you can and will spring forth new life. You will walk with us through each and every season with the same intention and abundance you always offer. Thank you for your patience, your grace, your goodness and your kindness. Father, I ask that you keep our eyes open, expectantly looking for what you are doing in our lives. I ask that you help us to see where you are creating new growth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
I’d like to extend an invitation. An invitation to come on pilgrimage with us in Zion. A time to walk in worship, ignite your faith, lean on community and dwell in the Word. Come on pilgrimage with us.
