A New Wineskin

I was watching a documentary about an aeroplane which was trying to fly between two storms. The dramatic footage shows the pilots communicating with the flight control tower and receiving the news of the weather as it was developing. Though the situation was dangerous, the pilot was insisting on flying between the two storms through a narrow gap in the middle.

It had looked normal and sunny when they took off, but half way through the journey two storms began coming in, getting closer to each other. Eventually the plane crash landed, losing lives and causing damage.

After the documentary, I was pondering on the mentality of the pilot. He had flown the same route over and over again successfully, and thought he could do it this time around. The problem was the situation had changed. The weather pattern was different and the danger was real.

Complacency is a feeling of being satisfied with how things are and not wanting to try to make them better. The pilot was complacent and unaware of the danger of the situation.

In Luke 5:33-39 Jesus was responding to the Pharisees and the scribes, when they complained about Him and His disciples not fasting, as John the Baptist’s disciples did. The Pharisees were so set in the old ways that they didn’t recognise the time of their visitation. They were comfortable with the tradition of the elders. But Jesus was bringing something new, which they weren’t ready for. Instead of being open and receptive, they tried to find mistakes about the things Jesus did.

Yet this isn’t a new thing. We see it over and over again in history. When the children of Israel left Egypt they kept looking back to what they would have had in Egypt, and failed to recognise what God was doing for them on their journey to the Promised Land.

God is always on the move, doing something, but if we’re comfortable with the old then we’ll fight the new God’s bringing. We should be willing to move as the cloud moves, be willing to adjust and be flexible, always listening to what the Lord is saying or doing now.

Wine stretches wineskins as it ferments. When we say "yes" to the call of Jesus, and when we open our lives to his new wine, we embark on an adventure of discipleship. Then we have the extraordinary privilege of participating in God's kingdom work, and there's nothing better in life than this. It’s not just about moving into the new, but also having to wait instead of rushing on. It’s about taking each step with Him

What is God saying now, and are you willing to walk into the new thing? What is the condition of the atmosphere? Do you need to abort take off? Should you wait for God before you move? Isaiah 43:18-19 says ‘Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert’.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to listen to Your voice. Renew my mind daily so I can hear Your will. I’m sorry for when I’ve insisted on my old ways while You’re doing a new thing. I’m willing to be flexible and obedient to what You’re doing now. Amen.