Have you ever been faced with something so fearful that drawing your next breath
seemed impossible? Have you ever longed to forget what has happened, and dwell
on the promise of something greater?
Have you ever wished your mind would think only of good things, and
believe in what God promises? Have you
ever yearned for a greater faith to trust in God’s purpose? Have you ever longed for a peace that is
lasting? I have!
“Yes!” our hearts hope, and
“impossible” our minds declare. And here lies the battle. We want to believe. We
yearn to believe. We hope to believe. We cry out to believe. Even though we are
meant to be new in Christ, even though we know that all things in our lives are
meant to be new, and even though we believe the old should be over, we struggle
to move forward in faith. We cannot perceive what this new life, free from the
bondage of old chains, really means.
“Forget the former things; do not
dwell on the past”
(Isaiah 43:18). This Scripture tells us
not to wrap our minds around what has happened, and not to continually think
about the past that has defined us. It instructs us to make a decision to forget
the past. Forget is a strong word,
and it means “being unable to call to mind, unable to summon up, or unable to
picture.” Now that sounds incredible!
Not to remember or even have a picture in my mind of past fears or
failures. Forget means that the past
is gone. So we shouldn’t continually think about it or dwell on it. He will keep
me, and He will keep you in perfect peace when our minds dwell on Him (Isaiah
26:3).
“See,” the Lord states, “I am doing
a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it” (Isaiah 43:19)? When my mind does not dwell on what has been,
hope is much easier. See is another strong word, and it means
“to understand, realize, or perceive.” It doesn’t mean to just look. Look has no depth, and is concerned with
appearance only. See takes look somewhere it has never gone before.
See expectantly believes that God is
doing a new thing. Faith is the “new” thing. Faith is not dormant. It is alive.
It springs up. Can I not perceive it? Can you not perceive it?
We must
forget the former things, bar them from our minds, and be renewed in the spirit
of our minds (Ephesians 4:23). We choose to remain confident because we know God
does a new thing. “Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly
rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you
will receive what He has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36). We shall rest assured, because we know He is
faithful. We will persevere until the new is perceived. In all things we will
seek His will, and He will reward our diligence. We will give Him the past, the
fear, the failures, all that has gone wrong, and His peace that passes human
understanding, will guard our thoughts (Philippians 4:6-7). His promise of peace
is real. His promise of faith is real. We choose to forget the former things,
and believe in the promise He has for us (Isaiah 43:18-19). We choose to let go of the former things
which have defined us, and believe that His promises of faith, of peace, of
victory, of joy, of healing, of hope, of purpose, of freedom, of every good and
perfect gift, are real.
“I am making a way in the
wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls,
because 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 43:20-21).
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