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
Every new year I choose one word and a verse of scripture to be my focus for the year. The word and verse usually comes to me in a variety of ways. As 2020 came to a close, I found myself in one of the worst states of health and depression I had ever experienced. Between being more isolated due to Covid concerns and developing some new health issues, many days I found myself wandering in the wilderness with my spiritual life feeling as dry as a desert. I felt as if there was no way out at times, and I wasn’t even sure I knew how to continue navigating my way through the darkness. Anxiety and fear were my constant companions. They robbed me of peace during the daytime and kept me awake at night.
I kept thinking how I needed a fresh start and a new way to navigate this strange season of life. The word “new” kept popping up in different places and would often come to me as I prayed about what word to choose for 2021. I also started to see Isaiah 43: 19 popping up a lot in different places in sermons and in my daily devotional and Bible reading. As I pondered the meaning of the verse, it became clear it was exactly what I needed. I needed something new, because my old way of doing life certainly wasn’t working.
The more I pondered the verse, I realized I had become so blinded by my own depression that I failed to see the way out. Yet God’s word was telling me God was going to do something new. In fact, he was already at work doing a new thing. I love how God asks: “Do you not see it?” Isn’t God’s word amazing? He knows how easy it is for us to become so blinded by the cares of this world that we do not see all the wonderful things he is doing.
The enemy would love for us to continue to wander in the wilderness, feeling alone and lost. He wants us to live parched in a wasteland, cut off from the living water. He wants nothing more than to suck the joy out of us and render us hopeless, lost, and discouraged. I admit, even as a seasoned believer, I still fall for his lies and deception and often find myself in the pit of despair at times.
God promises to make a pathway through our wilderness and bring rivers of refreshment to our parched wastelands. What an amazing picture of restoration! No matter what our wilderness looks like or how dry and lifeless our wasteland may feel, God promises he is doing a new thing. He is our way maker out of any situation.
Your wilderness or wasteland may look different from mine but our way out is the same. We must seek God, trust him, and believe his promises. When I feel discouraged, I like to take a few minutes to sit with my eyes closed and visualize what a pathway in the wilderness and a river in a wasteland looks like. It is so refreshing and rejuvenating! It always reminds me of God’s goodness and grace. It soothes my anxious mind and restores peace to my soul knowing that God is making a way.
Are you wandering in the wilderness? Do you feel like you are living in a parched wasteland? Rest assured, God does not want you to live a hopeless and depressing life. He is already at work doing a new thing. Can you see it?
