A New Thing

In the UK, over the past couple of years, we have had several storms with very high winds. Some of these have come from directions in which they don’t normally come, which has resulted in many, many trees being blown over. This has spoken to me a lot about shallow roots and not being strong in certain areas of our lives, and being taken by surprise when we are pressed from a different direction.

However, despite all these thoughts, the biggest problem that I had with these fallen trees was that they covered my normal access path to the woods where I love to walk. I was so disappointed and upset, and avoided that area for well over a year, getting angry because no-one had cleared it.

One day I decided to go up and just sit at the gate, because it was such a special place where I felt close to God. To my surprise I discovered that someone had made a new path to access the woods. It went in a slightly different direction and was not so obvious or well-worn, but it was still a path to the wonderful view of the local area. I had missed out on being able to walk there because I had been so focussed on the fact that my known path had been blocked by the fallen trees. I had wanted my known path back, or I wasn’t going there.

Several weeks ago, to my great joy, it came to my attention that the path had at last been cleared. So, I took myself off for a walk along my old access route to the forest.  Yes, I could now walk along it, but it looked nothing like it used to! All the tall and beautiful trees, which had lined the path, had been blown over, and had then been removed. Now it was just scrub and tree stumps. Everything had changed.

As we move into this new year, I find that there are lots of circumstances and situations that are changing around me. I’m sure this is probably true for you too. We may find that we have moved into an ‘empty nest’ season. We may have lost a loved one, moved location, lost a job, had friends move away, lost touch with someone dear to us, or been diagnosed with illness. The list goes on.

Thinking about my walking path, I have a choice to make. I can refuse to go unless I get ‘my old path’ back, or I can choose to embrace the change and enjoy a new route and a new view.

Today’s verse says that God is doing a new thing. It is a way in the wilderness and wasteland. If we think about a wasteland, it is not a comfortable place. Perhaps we have to lay down our need for the ‘comfortable and known’ and submit to God, embracing the change, and trusting Him to make a way, a new path.

Hebrews 13:8 says, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever’. In our ever-changing lives there is one constant, Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, our Friend who wants to help us navigate this new way. He is calling us forward into a deeper relationship with Him. Are we willing to go?