Don't Dwell on the Past

 Scripture:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18

Observation:

Isaiah tells God's people to forget the former things and not to dwell on them.  This seems in opposition to what God usually tells His people.  He usually tells us to remember the things He has done. He usually told them to set up stones of remembrance.  Here, He tells them to forget the past because He is doing a new thing. He tells them it is springing up and that He was making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 

Application:

Sometimes the past can be our greatest hindrance to the future. We tend to long for God to do what He has done in the past.  We should appreciate what God has done in the past, but never limit what He can and will do in the future. God can do anything He wants to do. If He wants to move differently than I'm accustomed to, I need to change. If He chooses to work in ways I don't understand, then so be it! I never want to get crusty and stuck in a way of serving God that makes me feel good, but I want to do what God is doing here and now.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for reminding me this morning not to get stuck in the former things.  We always say, "God is moving".  Help me to always move with You and do what You are doing.  Teach me not to get stuck on the way things use to be, but help me to embrace what You are doing in the here and now. I don't want to make idols out of old moves of God. I want to see rivers in the wasteland.  I want to walk with You into all that You want to do.  Don't let me limit You in any way.

Yours Forever,

Jeff