“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.”
-Isaiah 43:18-19
This Labor Day weekend Dad and I were given the opportunity to go hiking in the mountains of Wyoming. Camping by the glassy lakes and majestic peaks, it seems inevitable to spend some time in raw self reflection.
Sometimes the past is messy. Sometimes it isn’t just messy; it hurts and binds. And when this pain surfaces I long to run to the mountains, to be free and full of abandon. I find solace in the fresh air, the bright sun, the rainbow of colors found in rocks and plants. But as soon as I drive past those last foothills that signal the reality of going home, all the mess is back. What if it didn’t take an 8 hour trip to the mountains to feel free? What if a lasting comfort existed?
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” God doesn’t want me to dwell on my past, but instead tells me to remember not. “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 longs to quench my thirst for wholeness, for order, and peace. He wants to make me new, to satisfy. Do I perceive it?
There is life in Him. Even when our hearts feel like forgotten stumps of dead wood or rock, there is hope. God may bring pure white flowers out of that hardness, one never knows.
God, help me to remember that I can come to You when my messy past reminds me of my need and thirst for true life. You are good, You want to do a new thing in my life, help me to trust you and run to You, the Creator of the mountains.
All Things Possible 