Let’s keep unpacking Isaiah 43. You know how scripture can become familiar and sometimes dulled to your senses? Is it just me? I have read this passage so many times. Heard it taught so many times. But this, my friends, is the beauty of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Holy Spirit breathes on the word for us and causes it to become living and active. Siigh. Isn’t God beautiful? Anyway. Let’s talk about forgetting and dwelling on the past.

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

Chuck and I got a Holy Hold-up about this passage. You know, one of those moments where God interrupts your speaking in the middle of a sentence. Yeah, that kind of interruption. As many of you know, this move to Florida has been a str-e-t-t-t-c-h.  Lots of mercy and revelation, but still a strain financially and relationally. On Jan 7th, God told us we were entering a new season of Harvest. We were so thrilled and relieved. Yet in the weeks that followed, when it came time for action or faith, we would often recount  (read: whine and regurgitate) the hardships of the last three years. Hard stop. Enter this verse.

Forget the former things. Stop replaying failure, disappointment, and betrayal. Stop rehearsing the fear of what-ifs or the fear of repeating the same mistake. God carried you then. He will carry you now.

Do not dwell on the past. Literally, do not move and live in the memory and experiences of days or people gone by. They may be delightful or dreadful, but we cannot be at home in days already lived. It hinders, even paralyzes futures. His mercies are new every morning — for a reason. We keep no records of wrongs  — for a reason.

Chuck and I realized we had this dance. First, we recalled every bad outcome, every tough decision, every loss in intricate detail. Second, when we tried to plan for the day or the coming months, we got all seized up because we couldn’t see past the dreaded repeat cycle. What if we made the same mistakes? What if it didn’t work? What if we haven’t learned the lesson?

¹⁹ See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

God was reshaping our vision and trust. HE was DOING something fresh, unexpected, even marvelous.

A new thing is not the same old thing. We couldn’t keep doing the same thing, retelling the same past story, yet expecting a different result. We had to learn how to PERCEIVE the New Thing that HE was doing. That meant we had to surrender our version of the past.

God had been faithful every day of those last three years.

Yes, it has been hard.
Yes, He is good.
Yes, we are different now.
Yes, He doesn’t waste anything.
Yes, He means for us to do something altogether different.
Yes, we get to choose His ways or our whining.

I don’t have a formula for you. But He is changing us.

Incrementally, our prayers changed. We went from complaining and begging to thanking and declaring. I know this sounds harsh. But we have to get real about how we sound to God. He loves us unconditionally AND He wants us to grow up into Christ. Whining is not a fruit of the Spirit.

Then our words changed. We started talking about God’s presence and provision more than lack and scarcity. We started dreaming again. We started seeing unexpected pieces and people come together. Out of nowhere.

We kept saying to each other: We didn’t see that coming. God is doing a NEW thing.

Here we are end of March. Chuck’s real estate business is growing. Many Waters’ first event was a  glorious new wind. And we are HERE for it.  Whew, He’s beautiful.

Have a conversation with the Lord about your conversations. Are you saying what He is saying? Are you as excited about your future as He is?

Selah.