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? “Yes!” our
hearts hope, and “impossible” our minds declare. And here lies the
battle. 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 declares, “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” is concerned with appearance only. “See” takes “look”
somewhere it has never gone before. “Look” glances, and then moves on
and misses the depth of God's truth. “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?
“I am
making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland,” He
promises. “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). Even though I may walk
through the wasteland, it will not destroy me. It will not define me. He
created me to love and praise Him, and I belong to Him. He gives me
everything I need to survive and flourish. I choose today to forget the
old and to find the new and greater faith He has for me.
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