“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:19 (NKJV)
Since the COVID-19 pandemic reared its head in 2020 a lot has happened, and a lot has changed. Many of the changes have been due to safety regulations and the need to do things differently in order to maintain some kind of normality. In other words, some of the changes we faced have not been as a result of our own choices. Change is often uncomfortable because it requires effort on our part to adapt to the “NEW THING.” The “known thing” is always more comfortable than the “new thing.” According to the dictionary& thesaurus, to “reposition” is to change position or direction, to move, shift, dislodge, relocate or transfer. God has always been in the business of changing position and direction for the better, often needing to “dislodge” us from our comfort zones and set ways.
All through the Bible God has used change to catapult people into the new thing He had in mind. He instructed Abram to pack up his family and leave his home in Ur to go to a place God would show him (Gen. 12). He was not given a map or even a hint as to where this place would be. Yet, he obeyed God, and became the Father of nations and an ancestor to the Messiah, Jesus. Joseph was his father, Jacob’s, favourite son, causing his older brothers to be intensely jealous of him. When the opportunity presented itself, he was sold by his brothers into slavery, taken to Egypt, eventually thrown into jail because he refused to compromise his purity, and only much later was promoted to a place of authority as the second in charge to Pharaoh (Gen 37-50). Gideon was called out of a place of hiding and fear to lead God’s people to gain a miraculous victory over their oppressive enemy against huge odds (Judges 6:1-7:25). All the disciples of Jesus were called to follow Him without knowing exactly what this would entail, or what it would ultimately cost them. All of these people left the known thing for the new thing God was calling them to.
Circumstances around us changed significantly during 2020. This may require us to step into unknown territory in order to be repositioned for the next thing God has prepared for us. Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV) says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land…” Abram could have refused to leave his settled, wealthy life in his hometown, Ur. Joseph could have become bitter and vengeful because of the injustice done to him. Gideon could have chosen to remain in the safety of the winepress where he was trying to secure his crops from the enemy’s raiding parties. The disciples of Jesus could have played it safe and not followed Him. In every case, the known thing would have kept these men contained and ineffective in the greater plan God had for them and the generations to come.
We have no idea what the future holds, but we know Jesus Christ – the One Who is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). He never changes, but He is always moving! He knows the end from the beginning, and if we know Him – TRULY know Him – we will obey and step into a new year, and the “new thing” God has for us with confident trust in Him, knowing that He will cause our obedience to bear fruit for His Kingdom! If we are “willing and obedient”, there is no telling how God could use us to impact our families, friends, neighbours, communities, and ultimately, generations to come!