I like new things.
New clothes.
New gadgets.
New opportunities.
New places to explore… just not camping or woodsy types of places.
New conversations that surprise me.
New ideas that stretch me.
New seasons that invite me to grow.
This is not to say that I don’t appreciate older things — I love the comfort of a well‑worn hoodie, the reliability of an old pair of Birks, the familiarity of a favorite chair (or pillow) — but it’s simply to say that I welcome all that is new.
As I continue my second six‑month journey through the Scriptures with my son Tristan, I’m doing the best I can to pay attention to the QUESTION I sense the LORD asking me through His Word. This past week, as I was wrapping up my time in Isaiah, I was confronted with this question…
WHAT NEW DO YOU WANT TO SEE THE LORD DO?
To be clear, this was not an audible voice of God moment. Rather, it’s me listening for all that God has to say as I sit with Him in His Word. And in Isaiah 43, the LORD is talking to Isaiah about a “NEW” thing He was about to do. See that with me in Isaiah 43:19:
“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?”
A bit of context for you… Isaiah was living in a time when the people of God were walking in open disobedience. They were on the verge of experiencing the consequences of that disobedience — exile to Babylon.
Everything familiar was about to be stripped away.
Everything stable was about to be shaken.
And yet — right in the middle of their discipline — God speaks a word of hope.
A word of promise.
A word of newness.
God wanted His people to know…
I’m not done with you.
Your story is not over.
Your failure is not final.
Your future is not ruined.
For a people who felt defeated, discouraged, and distant from God, this promise would have landed like water in a desert.
God was essentially saying to His people…
WHO YOU ARE WILL NOT CHANGE WHO I AM.
I’m still God.
I’m still faithful.
I’m still gracious.
I’m still loving.
I’m still working.
I’m still doing something new.
As I sat with Isaiah 43, I was confronted afresh with God’s desire to keep doing NEW things in the lives of His kids.
Not just once.
Not just occasionally.
But continually.
And for me, the NEW thing I’m asking God to do has everything to do with JOY.
I tend to be serious.
I tend to be focused.
I tend to be… well… melancholy. (Okay — melancholy a lot.)
But the NEW thing I’m asking the LORD to do is this — to grow JOY in me — a joy that is seen, felt, and experienced by the people around me.
A joy that isn’t dependent on circumstances.
A joy that isn’t tied to productivity.
A joy that isn’t swallowed up by the season I’m in.
A joy that REFLECTS the heart of Jesus.
I want to walk into rooms with joy.
I want to sit with people in joy.
I want to serve with joy.
I want to lead with joy.
I want to be a man marked by joy because I’m a man walking closely with Jesus.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
If God is still doing NEW things — and He is — what NEW thing do you want to see Him do in your life?
Maybe it’s…
A new freedom from something that’s held you back…
A new healing in a place that’s been hurting…
A new courage to step into something you’ve avoided…
A new peace in the middle of anxiety…
A new forgiveness toward someone who wounded you…
A new hunger for His Word…
A new boldness in sharing your faith…
A new tenderness in how you love people…
A new rhythm of rest…
A new clarity in your calling…
A new compassion for those around you…
What NEW do you want to see the LORD do?
Before you move on, maybe take a moment right now and ask our good and generous and gracious Heavenly Father to do this NEW thing.
And then TRUST that the God who spoke through Isaiah is still speaking today… “I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! DO YOU SEE IT?”
Praying for me… praying for you… that we might be the people who welcome the NEW work of God — not because we’re chasing novelty, but because we’re walking with the God who is always faithful, always present, and always making things NEW.
