New Things! Who among us does not enjoy receiving something new- new clothes, new shoes, a new purse, a new house, a new car, a new baby! When I was a boy, we lived on a farm and raised cows. Back then the cow feed was sold in brightly colored feed sacks. We were not poor, but my mom was very frugal, and she always kept the feed sacks. She used them to make colorful shirts for my brother and me. A special time of year was when my mom would make each of us a new brightly colored shirt to wear to church on Easter Sunday. We were always proud to wear a special shirt made by my mom.
The question arises: Is God into new things? The writer of Ecclesiastes, or the preacher, says in Chapter 1 Verse 9, “That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun.” The preacher is writing from one perspective; however, the prophet Isaiah in his book states an entirely different viewpoint. In Chapter 43 Verse 15, God states through the prophet, “I am their Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King”. And in Verse 19, the Lord continues to speak saying “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it?”
The scripture goes on to say that God will give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to His chosen people. “The people whom I formed for Myself, they will declare my praise.”
Isaiah speaks of several other new things that God will bring forth among the people who will declare His praise on the earth. Isaiah 42:10 speaks of a new song; Isaiah 42:9 and 41:1 speak of a new strength; Isaiah 62:1-2 speaks of a new name; and Isaiah 65:17 and 66:22 speak of God ultimately creating a new heaven and a new earth. The prophet Isaiah declares over and over again that God is into new things.
I spent many years of my life as a believer in Christ and His atoning work on the cross, pondering 2 Corinthians 5:17 which states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I would hear others share testimonies how God had radically changed their lives, but I would have a hard time relating. And then over a period of time, it was as though the Holy Spirit came and began to brood over my life even as a mother hen broods over her chicks. I became convicted of sin in my life, and one day I prayed a prayer in which I said, “Lord, I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I want to start over and be a New Testament Christian, whatever that means.” It was as though a light bulb went off in my soul. God and His Word became a rich treasure in my life. I began to put off the old and put on the new, and I too became a new creation in Him.
May each one who reads this, call upon the Lord Jesus in faith and become part of His new creation in the earth, His Church.