A New Thing - Thursday June 04, 2015
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV
It was the first really warm day of spring, and I knew it was the perfect day to be outside taking a walk, enjoying the sunshine, and talking with God. After hitting the trail for a bit, I noticed a fallen tree that seemed to invite me to sit a few minutes and rest my legs.It was a cozy spot in a small grove of trees. As I glanced around, my first reaction was that despite the warm temperature outside, this setting certainly didn't look like spring. Everything appeared quite dead. Indeed, dead leaves covered the ground and the tree branches were bare above me.Then the Lord brought the above verses in Isaiah 43 to mind. It was as if He were saying, "Dawn, look at all the bleak, barrenness left from this past winter. Though there appears to be no life, don't be fooled. It is ready to emerge! Watch for it; it will come!"I immediately thought of "barren, bleak" situations involving family and friends, situations that seemed hopeless and dead, situations that were easy to just give up on.And my tears began to flow. I knew that all too often I base my hope on appearances, how I perceive things to be. Would I believe that God was doing a deeper work, an unseen work in hearts? Just as God could stir the trees, bushes, and grass to put out fresh, new life, He was perfectly capable of stirring and reviving hearts.Hope kindled, I left my log, freshly motivated to keep looking to the Author of spring who is fully and passionately able to breathe new life into past barrenness.
Submitted by:
Dawn Bovenmyer
Stonebrook Community Church
Ames, Iowa
One-Year Reading Plan:
2 Samuel 22::1-23:23
Acts 2:1-47
Psalms 122:1-9
Proverbs 16:19-20
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCB-ES: Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible B) The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy, Bible, New International Version, copyright B) 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternaB-tional Bible Society; (NKJV) are from New King James Version B) 1982 by Thomas Nelson; (NLT) are from the New Living Translation, B) 1996, Tyndale House Publishers; (ESV) are from English Standard VersionB., B) 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers; (TM) are from The Message B) 1993 by NavPress Publishers.