Reimagine a New Future
"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" - Isaiah 43:19
It is easy to get stuck in the past. Whether it is memories of mistakes, seasons of struggle, or even moments when God moved powerfully in your life, looking back can keep you from moving forward. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in what God did before that we expect Him to do things the same way again. You begin to hold on to past victories, thinking that if He worked a certain way once, He will surely do it the same way again.
That is exactly what was happening with Israel. As they struggled to rebuild their lives after exile, God reminded them of how He had once rescued them from Egypt. He parted the Red Sea, led them through on dry land, and crushed their enemies behind them. But then, almost immediately, He told them to forget the former things and stop dwelling on the past. That might seem like a contradiction, but God was making a powerful point. If they only looked back at what He had done before, they would miss what He was doing now.
God was not saying that the past was unimportant. He was saying that it was not the only way He works. He was doing something new, something they had never seen before, but they had to be willing to let go of the past in order to see it.
The same is true for you. Maybe you have been waiting for God to move in your life, but you keep expecting Him to do it the same way He did before. Maybe you feel stuck in regret, convinced that your past mistakes have defined your future. But God is not limited by your past. He is not bound by what has already happened. He is still working, still moving, and still writing your story.
Joseph could have easily given up after everything he went through: betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and thrown into prison. But instead of getting stuck in regret, he trusted that God was still at work. And in time, his disappointments became the very path to his destiny.
God is inviting you to do the same. He is calling you to lift your eyes from what was and see what He is doing now. It may not look like what you expected, but it will be good because when God is writing the story, He always has a greater purpose. Do not let your past keep you from seeing the new thing He is doing. Step forward in faith and trust that He is already at work.
It is easy to get stuck in the past. Whether it is memories of mistakes, seasons of struggle, or even moments when God moved powerfully in your life, looking back can keep you from moving forward. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in what God did before that we expect Him to do things the same way again. You begin to hold on to past victories, thinking that if He worked a certain way once, He will surely do it the same way again.
That is exactly what was happening with Israel. As they struggled to rebuild their lives after exile, God reminded them of how He had once rescued them from Egypt. He parted the Red Sea, led them through on dry land, and crushed their enemies behind them. But then, almost immediately, He told them to forget the former things and stop dwelling on the past. That might seem like a contradiction, but God was making a powerful point. If they only looked back at what He had done before, they would miss what He was doing now.
God was not saying that the past was unimportant. He was saying that it was not the only way He works. He was doing something new, something they had never seen before, but they had to be willing to let go of the past in order to see it.
The same is true for you. Maybe you have been waiting for God to move in your life, but you keep expecting Him to do it the same way He did before. Maybe you feel stuck in regret, convinced that your past mistakes have defined your future. But God is not limited by your past. He is not bound by what has already happened. He is still working, still moving, and still writing your story.
Joseph could have easily given up after everything he went through: betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and thrown into prison. But instead of getting stuck in regret, he trusted that God was still at work. And in time, his disappointments became the very path to his destiny.
God is inviting you to do the same. He is calling you to lift your eyes from what was and see what He is doing now. It may not look like what you expected, but it will be good because when God is writing the story, He always has a greater purpose. Do not let your past keep you from seeing the new thing He is doing. Step forward in faith and trust that He is already at work.
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