“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,…’Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. … I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.’” (Isaiah 43:16, 18b-19, 20b-21)
God is using the prophet Isaiah to remind His people Israel what He has done for them. He is describing His mercy toward them in the face of their unfaithfulness. That which He says is meant to show Israel of the saving nature of their God. The path through the mighty waters is in reference to the parting of the Red Sea. With the Pharaoh and his mighty army on their heels, God deliver them over a dry sea bed with walls of water on either side of them. It was those same walls of water that came crushing down on the Pharaoh and his army when they attempted to follow the Israelites, drowning them that they may never be a threat to the Israelites again. It was Moses obedience to God that caused this to take place. In the wilderness, God provided water for them to drink when they were thirsty and manna for them to eat each day. Yet their unfaithfulness continued.
Faithfulness and obedience to God is critical to receiving the blessings of God. He does not turn a blind eye to our disobedience. We may do as we like in this life; however, we will reap what we have sown. Look over your life this past year. Have you paid God any mind? Have you sought His will? Do you seek His mind regarding anything at all? Or do you go through your life with God as your Savior only and not your Lord? We are a free people, that is true; however, that freedom came at a colossal cost. I speak of personal freedom, not national freedom. We all have a deep gratitude for all those who fought and died to keep our nation free from the tyranny of outsiders, but what of us being a free nation under God? Let us not be an unfaithful people as the Israelites were. Let us proclaim praise for our God regularly and let us allow His Holy Spirit to direct our paths going into this New Year.
My prayer for us all is that God might bless us that we might be a blessing to others and that we would prosper even as our soul prospers. God wants to do a new thing in us. All old things are past. We must forget that which is behind us and move forward into the rich blessings of God. We must learn to be a faithful and obedient people to our God, not living for ourselves, but rather living for Him and for others. That is where the greatest blessing lies.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!
