When God Says "I Am Doing a New Thing" - Moving Beyond Spiritual Nostalgia
Have you ever found yourself spiritually stuck, clinging to what God did in the past while missing what He's doing right now? Many believers experience seasons where they feel caught between memory and hope, wondering what's next in their spiritual journey.
The Danger of Living in Yesterday's Victory
It's natural to look back on the moments when God moved powerfully in our lives. Maybe it was the day you accepted Christ, a time of breakthrough in prayer, or a season when you felt particularly close to God. These spiritual markers are important and worth remembering.
However, there's a subtle danger in becoming so fixated on past victories that we fail to see where God is working today. When we get stuck in spiritual nostalgia, we can miss the holy moments happening right in front of us.
What Does It Mean When God Says "I Am Doing a New Thing"?
In Isaiah 43:18-19, God speaks to His people who were living in exile, displaced from everything that once defined them. They had lost their homeland, their temple, and their sense of identity. Yet in this moment of uncertainty, God gives them a powerful message:
"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 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."
God Honors the Past But Refuses to Be Confined by It
God wasn't telling His people to forget His faithfulness. Instead, He was warning them not to limit their future to their past. The danger wasn't that Israel didn't believe God had worked - it was that they wanted Him to work the same way again.
This same principle applies to us today. God's past performance is indeed an indicator of His future ability, but His methods may look completely different than what we expect.
Why Do We Get Stuck Between Memory and Hope?
There are several reasons why believers find themselves spiritually stagnant:
Fear of the Unknown: Moving forward requires releasing control and trusting God with uncertainty.
Comfort in Familiarity: We know what worked before, so we want God to repeat those exact experiences.
Lack of Spiritual Vision: We become so focused on maintaining what we have that we lose sight of what could be.
Spiritual Dryness: When we haven't heard from God recently, we retreat to past experiences instead of pressing in for fresh encounters.
How Do We Recognize When God Is Doing Something New?
The key question God asks in Isaiah 43:19 is: "Do you not perceive it?" This suggests that God's new work is already beginning, but we might miss it if we're not paying attention.
Signs God May Be Doing Something New:
You feel restless with the status quo
Old methods aren't producing the same results
You sense God calling you to step out of your comfort zone
There's a stirring in your spirit for something more
Circumstances are shifting in unexpected ways
Moving from Nostalgia to Expectancy
The journey from spiritual nostalgia to expectancy requires intentional steps:
Open Your Hands: Release your grip on how you think God should work and when He should work.
Pursue God's Presence: Instead of pursuing outcomes, pursue intimacy with God Himself.
Expect Discomfort: Growth often requires leaving familiar territory and trusting God in new ways.
Stay Present: Don't get so caught up in past victories or future worries that you miss what God is doing today.
What Does "Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done" Really Mean?
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done," He was establishing a foundational principle: God's kingdom is always advancing, and our job is to align ourselves with His purposes rather than asking Him to align with ours.
This prayer isn't just about future hope - it's about recognizing that God is actively working right now and positioning ourselves to join Him in that work.
The Risk of Spiritual Breakthrough
Moving from memory to hope is risky. It requires:
Letting go of control
Trusting God's timing over our timeline
Being open to methods we haven't experienced before
Accepting that God's ways may not match our expectations
But this risk is necessary for spiritual growth. God does honor the past, but He refuses to be confined by it.
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to move from spiritual nostalgia to expectancy. Instead of asking God to repeat what He did yesterday, ask Him to reveal what He's doing today.
Questions for Reflection:
What past spiritual experience am I clinging to that might be preventing me from seeing what God wants to do now?
In what areas of my life am I trying to force God into the box of how He worked before?
What would it look like for me to truly open my hands and say "Your will be done" in my current circumstances?
How can I create space this week to listen for God's voice and perceive the new thing He might be doing?
The same God who rescued you and provided for you in the past is still at work today. But what it looks like today and tomorrow may not resemble what it looked like yesterday. Are you willing to let go of whatever you're grasping onto and pursue His presence? The journey may be uncomfortable, but it leads to the kind of spiritual breakthrough that can only come when we trust God enough to do something completely new.
The Danger of Living in Yesterday's Victory
It's natural to look back on the moments when God moved powerfully in our lives. Maybe it was the day you accepted Christ, a time of breakthrough in prayer, or a season when you felt particularly close to God. These spiritual markers are important and worth remembering.
However, there's a subtle danger in becoming so fixated on past victories that we fail to see where God is working today. When we get stuck in spiritual nostalgia, we can miss the holy moments happening right in front of us.
What Does It Mean When God Says "I Am Doing a New Thing"?
In Isaiah 43:18-19, God speaks to His people who were living in exile, displaced from everything that once defined them. They had lost their homeland, their temple, and their sense of identity. Yet in this moment of uncertainty, God gives them a powerful message:
"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 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."
God Honors the Past But Refuses to Be Confined by It
God wasn't telling His people to forget His faithfulness. Instead, He was warning them not to limit their future to their past. The danger wasn't that Israel didn't believe God had worked - it was that they wanted Him to work the same way again.
This same principle applies to us today. God's past performance is indeed an indicator of His future ability, but His methods may look completely different than what we expect.
Why Do We Get Stuck Between Memory and Hope?
There are several reasons why believers find themselves spiritually stagnant:
Fear of the Unknown: Moving forward requires releasing control and trusting God with uncertainty.
Comfort in Familiarity: We know what worked before, so we want God to repeat those exact experiences.
Lack of Spiritual Vision: We become so focused on maintaining what we have that we lose sight of what could be.
Spiritual Dryness: When we haven't heard from God recently, we retreat to past experiences instead of pressing in for fresh encounters.
How Do We Recognize When God Is Doing Something New?
The key question God asks in Isaiah 43:19 is: "Do you not perceive it?" This suggests that God's new work is already beginning, but we might miss it if we're not paying attention.
Signs God May Be Doing Something New:
You feel restless with the status quo
Old methods aren't producing the same results
You sense God calling you to step out of your comfort zone
There's a stirring in your spirit for something more
Circumstances are shifting in unexpected ways
Moving from Nostalgia to Expectancy
The journey from spiritual nostalgia to expectancy requires intentional steps:
Open Your Hands: Release your grip on how you think God should work and when He should work.
Pursue God's Presence: Instead of pursuing outcomes, pursue intimacy with God Himself.
Expect Discomfort: Growth often requires leaving familiar territory and trusting God in new ways.
Stay Present: Don't get so caught up in past victories or future worries that you miss what God is doing today.
What Does "Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done" Really Mean?
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done," He was establishing a foundational principle: God's kingdom is always advancing, and our job is to align ourselves with His purposes rather than asking Him to align with ours.
This prayer isn't just about future hope - it's about recognizing that God is actively working right now and positioning ourselves to join Him in that work.
The Risk of Spiritual Breakthrough
Moving from memory to hope is risky. It requires:
Letting go of control
Trusting God's timing over our timeline
Being open to methods we haven't experienced before
Accepting that God's ways may not match our expectations
But this risk is necessary for spiritual growth. God does honor the past, but He refuses to be confined by it.
Life Application
This week, challenge yourself to move from spiritual nostalgia to expectancy. Instead of asking God to repeat what He did yesterday, ask Him to reveal what He's doing today.
Questions for Reflection:
What past spiritual experience am I clinging to that might be preventing me from seeing what God wants to do now?
In what areas of my life am I trying to force God into the box of how He worked before?
What would it look like for me to truly open my hands and say "Your will be done" in my current circumstances?
How can I create space this week to listen for God's voice and perceive the new thing He might be doing?
The same God who rescued you and provided for you in the past is still at work today. But what it looks like today and tomorrow may not resemble what it looked like yesterday. Are you willing to let go of whatever you're grasping onto and pursue His presence? The journey may be uncomfortable, but it leads to the kind of spiritual breakthrough that can only come when we trust God enough to do something completely new.
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