Doing the New Thing

One of the truths of God that is very precious to me is His unchangeable nature. His Word tells us that He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. God never changes, but He is ALWAYS moving. God’s unchangeable nature does not equate to being stagnant and in a rut. God is creative beyond imagination and He loves new things! Look at the following scriptures:

‘See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare’(Isaiah 42:9)
‘See, I am doing a new thing!’(Isaiah 43:19).
‘From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you’ (Isaiah 48:6).
‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
‘For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant’ (Hebrews 9:15).
‘And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it’ (Revelation 2:17).

Although the context of each scripture is different, it accentuates the fact that God is always ready and excited for the NEW THING, whether it be a new name, new plans, new life He wants to impart, or new circumstances.

I watched a message on DVD recently by Christine Caine, and she made this profound statement: "Sometimes we miss the NEW thing God's doing because we're looking for the next thing of the SAME thing that God has already done.” This is so true. When we’re preparing for something new, we often have in mind an ‘upgrade’ to what we’re used to.

When God says He’s doing a new thing, it may mean radical change to what we’ve been accustomed to. In biblical times the people would have understood the illustration of the wineskins Jesus used. Wine was often stored in wineskins, made of tanned goat skins. If partially fermented wine was put into the skins, it would stretch the skins. New wineskins were therefore needed for new wine, to allow for the stretching process. If it was poured into old, already stretched skins, this would cause the skins to burst.

When God is doing a NEW thing, we need to be like a new wineskin, ready to stretch and grow according to God’s design of the new. If our mind-set is narrow and unyielding to His design, we will not be able to contain His best for our lives. So, get ready and be willing to S-T-R-E-T-C-H!

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are a God who’s always moving and doing new things. Help me to never be unyielding to the changes and the new things You’re doing in my life, but to allow You to grow and stretch me for the ‘new wine’ You have in store for me. Amen.