Scripture Reading: Isaiah 43:14–21

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19

These words were spoken to a people who felt stuck in exile, stuck in disappointment, stuck between what God had done before and what they couldn’t yet see. They remembered the Red Sea, the miracles, the victories. But their present reality felt nothing like those stories. Into that tension, God speaks with a steady, tender voice: I’m not done. I’m doing something new. In case 2025 was rough and you stepped into this new year with fear and uncertainty, be assured that God will do a new thing in 2026.

Here are three truths from this passage

  1. God reminds us of His power so we can trust Him again. God brings up the past not to trap us in it, but to anchor our faith. He’s saying, “You’ve seen Me work before. You’ve watched Me make a way where there was none. Hold on to that.” When we look back, we don’t cling to old seasons. Instead, we cling to the God who carried us through them.

  2. God invites us to release what we can’t change. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” This is God freeing us from living in our old memories. He knows how easily we replay old wounds, old failures, old disappointments. He knows how the past can quietly shape our expectations. So, He gently says, “Let it go. I’m leading you somewhere new.”

  3. God is beginning His new work now. The wilderness represents confusion. The wasteland represents exhaustion. And God chooses those exact places to reveal His new work. He doesn’t wait for ideal conditions. He brings life where life shouldn’t exist. He makes paths where there were none. He provides water where everything felt dry.

This passage invites us to lift our eyes in 2026 and believe that God is not limited by what we’ve lost in the previous year(s) or what we fear. He is the Redeemer, the Holy One. And when He says He is doing something new, He means it. Even if we can’t see it yet, it is already beginning to spring up.

Pray with me: Dear Lord, thank you for bringing me into this new year. Please make a way in my wilderness and let Your living water refresh my soul as I journey into the year