Doing a New Thing

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.

Isaiah 43:19

If you had only 10 words to describe the Bible, timeless should be one of them. After all, one of God’s repeated lessons to us through his Word is that there are certain truths and principles that are as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago. For example, it’s hard to argue that we don’t reap what we sow in life. If we spend our lives loving our neighbors as ourselves and otherwise make a positive difference among friends and strangers alike, good will result in one form or another. That was true then and still is today. Nothing has changed in God’s eyes.

While these fundamentals remain constant, another ongoing Biblical theme is God’s willingness to spring some surprises on those who think they know it all. That’s because

every once in a while, God likes to do a new thing. And he tends to accomplish his plans in some very unexpected ways and places through some even more unlikely people.

We can see this throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Moses had a speech impediment. King David was a shepherd boy. Jesus was born and spent his ministry in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire. And his disciples included fishermen, a tax collector and (depending on the translation) a terrorist. Even the apostle Paul — the great missionary who wrote several books of the Bible — initially persecuted Christians before he literally saw the light. The respectable religious authorities of his time were astonished. It just wasn’t what they expected.

Indeed, God chose an unlikely bunch to spread his kingdom on earth. And he used each and every one of them in ways that have shaped our walks as Christ-followers to this very day.

Let's now fast-forward to 2020, which has brought us all considerable change amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of Americans have left their offices to work from home each day — or they’re looking for work following a sudden layoff or furlough. Toilet paper is scarce and many businesses have closed. But rest assured that better days are yet to come. And as Christ-followers, this time of uncertainty reminds us about the many ways our Creator intersects unexpected circumstances, people and places to achieve the greater good.

God continues to do new, amazing things to build his new creation. Let us all perceive it!