A New Thing

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹ 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.

It's new years again! If you read last year's post, you know that I don't make new years resolutions so much anymore on account I need to work the kinks out of my life as I go rather than let them stack up for 12 months and resolve to work them out later. The thing about this New Years though,is that it comes at a perfect time to close this chapter of my life and look ahead to the next one. 

The Year 2012 for me was filled with some of the very most wonderfullest things ever, as well as some of the very darkest valleys, deepest rivers, and most painful trials. I'm more than ready to put it all behind me and look ahead to the new thing that God has planned for me. The passage above comes from Isaiah 43. I thought about posting the whole chapter, but I figured I'd probably lose the interest of my readers before I got to share my own thoughts so anyone who wants can look up the whole chapter and read it on their own. 

I love that it starts out with the promise that in all the hard times, no matter what, God is going to be with you and because of the great worth that we are to him. I love that He goes out of His way to state and restate that we are precious and honored and loved and that we belong to him. We are His! That's exactly what I've needed to hear as I've walked through the fires and come out covered in the ash of things I once held dear. 

And then after listing all the hard things that we go through and assuring us that He'll be there for us, He explains to us that we've walked through those things so that He can start fresh and do a new thing! 

The Lord is a master planner and builder, working out all the tedious details with great care and concern. He's perfect and He's a perfectionist. Whose to say that a master perfectionist won't take things apart and start brand new when one of His precious children tries to "help" and messes up the work He was planning. Not that he can't correct small mistakes and work them into his masterpiece as character..but isn't it a wonder to think that His plan for us is SO great and SO perfect that sometimes, instead of correcting to the point of something disfigured or way different than originally planned, He'll just scrape away the old stuff, lump the clay back into one solid thing and start over? I love the idea of that. It makes me feel loved. So loved that He won't settle for a  final work with imperfections, but will remake the parts that need more than a small adjustment. He renovates if need be. 

A new thing. That's what I am. I was made new when I welcomed Him into the darkest places of my heart a couple of years ago. I was made new as I walked through various trials in high school and called upon him for a rescue. I was made new my freshman year of college when I said "yes" too many times and my heart burnt out on ministry stuff and needed a complete restoration. I was made new after working at a summer camp that wiped me out but shaped me in more ways than I can count. I was made new when began to serve with The Bridge of Storm Lake and came to know more of the love the Father has for His children. 

And I am being made new today. Actually, I feel most like I've come to a place of rest in my journey. I know I am blessed and loved and that not everyone who goes through pain is so privileged to enter such a place of rest. But being home has been beyond wonderful. Seeing my extended family at Christmas time was such a blessing and provided much joy. I think what I love most is that there is no time limit on my time alone with God. I don't have any classes to rush off to or assignments to complete. At the same time, my heart is so dependent on God. If I go a day without time spent alone with Him, my heart is   an open target to the attacks of the evil one. 

Last night I spent some time with Jesus and it was perfect. I memorized Psalm 103. That was perfect too. In all the trials and painful things I've gone through, I've wanted more than anything to be like Job who, after having lost much, He fell on his face and worshiped the Lord saying "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord."  One of the greatest desires of my heart has been to be able to say that. It's a scary desire to have. In order to see that happen, He has to take things away. I've been trying to practice saying those words the last couple months. I want to be able to face the pain and the trials and say, "Praise God" in spite of all of it. Some days I can. Somedays I struggle. It's actually not easy. It's no wonder Job fell on His face when He did it. I wouldn't have the strength to stand up and say those words.  In Psalm 103, the psalmist starts out by praising God..commanding the deepest places of his heart to praise God. Then he goes on to name the hard things in life that he goes through, But God is in control of those things. He writes of the promises the Lord has made for the hard times we go through. He speaks of the Love the Father has and how the Father knows how we are formed. As he closes the psalm, he commands the angels and servants of God to praise him. Those who know of his goodness and actually see how God works out good things. And then, in one final, triumphant command of his own heart, the psalmist praises the Lord with his own soul again. You should read it.. it's so great. 

I think it's easy for someone who has lost much to feel hopeless. To look backwards and feel the pain of what is no longer there. That has been my biggest pain. But the biggest joy is looking ahead. There is nothing. You could, perhaps, feel the pain of that. Nothing. But really, it's perfect. White pages ready for God to write the best novel in all of history. A solid foundation to serve as the perfect starting point for grand architecture. A blank canvas for a priceless masterpiece. A new thing. Not blemished, not broken, not chipped or cracked. Not weak or dull or ripped and ruined. Perfect. In every beautiful way, the Lord is making a new thing and we have only to trust in his perfect plans. 

"Ashes Ashes we fall down, it always feels too soon. 

But when we walk on golden ground, all will be made new." 

~JJ Heller