You are not a museum
“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say ‘Thank you!’ - the coyotes and the buzzards - Because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, Drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me. Isaiah 43 : 18 - 21 (MSG) |
Museums do a great job of preserving glimpses of the past. Many people enjoy visiting them to see the way that things was done in the past, or the remains of creatures from a dim-distant part of history. The British Museum in London had over 6½ million visits last year alone!
However the problem with focusing too much on the past can be that you miss out on the here and now. Longing for an old way of doing things can mean that you miss out on innovations and improvements that make life better for everyone.
Think of the huge innovations that we have had in medicine, transportation and technology in the past few hundred years. I am sure that no-one would want to go back to a time where you would die from a simple infection. Where people in a different country may as well have been on a different planet. Or where the only source of light comes from fire or the sun.
In this passage God in instructs us to not only to be aware of the new things that he is doing, but to embrace them. Although changes can be difficult they can also be very rewarding. Just look at the example in the passage. A desert is changed through the introduction of a new thing (the river). This change has brought life-giving water to a barren desert, providing new hope, and increased opportunity for GodÂ’s followers in that place to thrive.
This week don't fall into the trap of reminiscing the past, instead keep your attention firmly on the here and now. As changes come along whether at home, at work or in church embrace them! As we have seen change is all part of God's master plan.
This weeks song is Hurricane by Natalie Grant. |
Header image by: Jeffrey via Flickr