See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:19
The beginning of a new year is often filled with hope, promise and potential. We wish each other a joyous “Happy New Year!” because we really desire a happy future; a future different from all the complications and struggles of the past year. In reality, life does not turn on a dime. Life is life, and it is filled with moments of darkness and light. A few months into a new year, we often discover that the rhythms of life do not change according to the whims of our calendar. Life unfolds in familiar patterns of struggle and joy, hope and dismay. But as believers, we are not slaves to the winds of life. As children of the Most High God, we live in the knowledge and power of his promises which are yea and Amen.
Currently the whole earth is under pressure. It is cracking under the weight of sin. Collectively, humanity is experiencing dread deep inside. Something is changing around us. We know there is a shift, which feels like an invisible, slow, ominous oncoming threat. What are we to do in times like this? Where are we to run? We are to believe that God is doing a new thing in us. We are to run straight to his word for guidance. The pressure we feel is God’s way of refining us and preparing us to triumph over every circumstance that may befall us. So let us continue to live in the world as children of light, with an eye focused on heaven.
Our God is doing a new thing. He is doing a new thing in your life. Believe him! The mounting pressure you feel is not all bad. This pressure is designed to give you flight, in the same way that a jet engine needs propulsion to take off. Pressure will refine you. Pressure will mature you. Pressure will deepen and strengthen your faith. Pressure will mold you into the vessel God wants you to be. Therefore, this year, purpose to walk by faith, thanking God for those things that you cannot yet see. Anticipate God’s miraculous power as he makes a way in the wilderness of your heart and streams in the wastelands of your life.
These are not my words, but God’s promise to YOU and it is only on the basis of his trustworthy word that I wish you, a joyous and blessed New Year!