God’s New and Wonderful Grace
Watch, I am about to do a new thing. Now it will spring up. Don’t you know about it? Indeed, I will make a road in the wilderness. In the wasteland I will make rivers. (Isaiah 43:19)
“What’s new?” is often the first question we ask when we see someone. I usually answer, “Oh, nothing.” Or when we go to the store and are looking for a particular item, we might find that a label that says, “New and Improved!” Sometimes that label is declaring the truth. But, as consumers, we realize that it can be a marketing ploy to increase sales. Sometimes it is just to disguise that fact there is less of the product in the container. The cost is increased but the quantity is less.
In this section of Isaiah, the Lord is making a tremendous promise to Israel. Even though many Israelites in Isaiah’s day had forsaken the Lord, the Lord was not forsaking his people. He remained faithful to them and promised to be with them. In fact, He declared, “Watch, I am about to do a new thing.”
The prophet Isaiah lived about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. The Lord was about to fulfill His promise of sending the Messiah. The Lord is describing His action with a picture of what our season is doing right now. It’s spring! The days are getting longer. The grass is greening up. The trees are filling in and the blossoms are declarations of “new life.” Even though it technically isn’t anything “new,” it is new.
Soon we will be celebrating Easter again. Jesus did an absolutely “new thing.” He took our sins to the cross. He died and rose again! Even though by God’s grace we have heard the message before, we can still appreciate that wonderful truth of the Lord’s wonderful grace.
Prayer: Lord thank you for this assurance of your continuing grace. Lead us once again to marvel at your love and rejoice in that “new” life you have given us. Amen.