New Growth

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland (Isaiah 43:19, NLT).

The temperatures have soared into the 80s over the past couple of weeks. Those who love spring are probably a little upset that we sort of skipped over the mild temperatures and jumped straight to “hot and humid.” However, having lived in Kentucky my entire life, I recognize nothing is guaranteed weather-wise. It might snow in April, be 65 degrees and sunny on Christmas day, and rain for days on end during the summer months that are normally hot and dry.

I welcome the warmer temperatures every year. Springtime is one of my favorite seasons. Though pollen is not my friend, the transition from death and darkness to new life and light is my favorite. I love taking walks along paths where new blooms are popping up, admiring and remembering that the Lord makes all things new.

Isaiah 43:19 speaks to this promise: For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Every year as we transition from winter to spring, I try to be intentional to look around and admire the ways the Lord is making all things new. Since the beginning of creation, the Lord has revealed His promises for us through nature. I love how the verse asks the question: Do you not see it?

We are often so caught up in our busy lives that we fail to pause and look around to see the new things the Lord is doing. Despite what the song “Ain’t Life Grand” says, I recognize that it isn’t always true. Thankfully, when we choose to follow Jesus, we can instead lean into His promises and choose to believe He is making all things new, even when things seem dark and dreadful.

I want to encourage you to take some time today to look around. Check out the trees full of green leaves and remember how bare the trees were only months ago. Snap a picture or two of the new blooms on your plants. Take some time to watch a sunrise or sunset. Lean into the extra hours of daylight the Lord provides this time of year.

Though the Lord doesn’t always work exactly as we might hope at times, He will always make a path through the wilderness. Sometimes we end up feeling stranded in the wilderness for way longer than we would like. When you find yourself feeling this way, lean into another promise of God expressed in an earlier verse in Isaiah 43:1, “But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

The same God that promises to make all things new also promises to walk with us and calls us His own. If you pause today to look around for new growth, you may not only find it in nature but also in your own life as God is continually transforming us as we walk with Him.

#trust #christ #growth #spring #thenarrowpath #hope #new #jesus #weather #healing