5th March 2024

All things new
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)
It has been brought to my attention, how much we wish and dream for things that we do not or cannot have. The little game I play with a little family and their home has people who are always wishing for that second bathroom, that entertainment centre, or closets for their rooms. Sound familiar? I must tell them ‘Sorry, it is not happening right now.’ I was talking to a friend who had wished to come to the United States, and I mentioned how I had wished to go to England as a teen. I even had a pen pal from England, and I would write to her and we would share each other’s dreams. As I was watching a video of the Beatles this morning, of their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show many years ago, it reminded me of how most young girls then (myself included) dreamt of meeting them someday. Sorry, for most of us that was not happening. Dreams are not a bad thing, but often we do not really comprehend what those dreams will lead to. They are not always good or right for us, and quite often they are just out of reach. Does God shake his head and tell us ‘Sorry, it is not happening right now?’ It is not that God does not love us or want to make us happy, it is that he knows what is best for us, and he knows the proper timing.
We desire new in everything it seems: new clothes, new adventures, new advancements, a new us, always something new. But what a treasure it is to be satisfied with the way we are, not needing to please others, and aware of the good things around us. Taking pleasure in the beauty of what God gives us, satisfied with his gifts of grace. God is always enough! His gifts are overflowing. His mercy is abundant. Oh, I catch myself dreaming as well, but I soon realise that what I really need is more of Jesus. When I come to remember this, those needs seem to fade away to the background, and what is more important slides back into its place where it needs to be and remain.
God is also wanting new things. He is the God of creation after all. In the world we live in we have the seasons that are renewed each year. They bring the gifts of that season anew: new rain, new snow, new flowers and new birth. He wants a ‘new us’ in a sense. A return to who he has made us to be, a rebirth in our spiritual life, a renewal of the journey to be more like him, to be all we can be in him. To live is to grow, to be in constant renewal, and constant movement forward. When we cease to move forward in life, we die. Life is about change. Life is about growth. That life is found in God. He is the giver of everything good; he is our dream maker.
In Matthew 19:28 it speaks of the renewal of all things. All the details of this renewal I do not know, but I do know that God will oversee this renewal and that Jesus will be on his throne. Before this verse it speaks of the renewal of relationships, those relationships with each other and those with God and his children. As we view the world around us and its wars, we think this is impossible, but as it says in verse 26, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” He is the restorer of our lives, the fulfiller of our dreams, the giver of all things good! We praise you God.
Study by Anne Gillam
About the writer:
Anne Gillam is a retired Pastor in Grace Communion International, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA.
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