DAY 2: Courage To Embrace Change

I don't know about you, but I have seen God do some pretty incredible things in my life. When I was sick, He healed me. When I was broke, He provided for me. When I was hurting, He rescued me. When I was overwhelmed with sadness, He comforted me. Every time I needed Him, He was there. Even when I couldn't see Him moving in the moment, I can look back now and see that He never left my side.

Can I get a witness that He is a good and faithful God who loves His children. Through every season, He has never left me or forsaken me. He has truly been my ever-present help in times of need.

But all too often, I think we put God in a box. We build expectations based on what He's done before and assume that's the only way He will move again. Sometimes we even wonder if He's forgotten about us because He isn't answering the way we expected. We know in our hearts that we serve a God who can do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine, but what if we actually lived like we believed it?

What if the God of the universe wants to do something completely new; something fresh, creative, and unexpected? Do you think we would walk with greater confidence, courage, and boldness if we truly believed He was already making a way where we couldn't yet see one? What if, in the midst of it all, God is moving in ways we've never experienced before? Maybe all that's missing is our willingness to open our eyes. Perhaps then we'd walk with a renewed hope, a deeper expectancy, and even a little more pep in our step, trusting that God is already at work.

Scripture - Isaiah 43:18-19 - But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

This passage comes after God reminds Israel of His past acts of deliverance, then declares that He is doing something new. It emphasizes that God's work is not limited to what He has done before He can bring hope, restoration, and unexpected provision even in circumstances that seem barren or impossible. The imagery of "a way in the wilderness" and "rivers in the desert" symbolizes God's ability to create opportunities, guidance, and life where none appear to exist. God wasn't asking Israel to forget His faithfulness. He was asking them not to limit His future work by only looking at His past work. The same God who made a way through the sea was now making a way through the wilderness.

Personal Reflection

So how do we embrace the "new thing" God is doing? How do we have courage to embrace change.

For me, it meant learning to loosen my grip on my own expectations.

Years ago, I was desperate to grow our family. I believed God was leading us to adopt again. Since our oldest child was adopted, I assumed that was how God would expand our family. My heart was ready, and I willingly stepped back into the adoption process.

But instead of seeing doors open, we experienced five failed adoptions.

I can't begin to describe the disappointment. I wrestled with frustration and asked God, "Lord, I thought this was what You wanted. Why would You allow this if this was Your plan?"

Looking back, I realize I had unknowingly put God in a box. Because He had worked one way before, I expected Him to work the same way again. I had become so focused on what I thought God should do that I almost missed what He was actually doing.

What if God wasn't saying "no"? What if He was simply saying, "Not this way"?

The miracle in one season was adoption but God wanted to move differently in the next.

That season taught me that God isn't limited by my expectations or my past experiences. He is always faithful, but His faithfulness doesn't always look the same. Sometimes He repeats a miracle. Other times, He creates an entirely new one.

Following Jesus means trusting that He knows what He's doing, even when His plans don't match mine. The God who made a way before is more than capable of making a new way today. My job isn't to tell Him how to work. My job is to keep my heart open enough to recognize Him when He does.

Encouragement/Challenge

When we trust God, we gain the freedom to let go of what was so we can embrace what is. We don't have to cling to yesterday's expectations because the God we serve is always at work, even when we can't yet see it.

Today, I want to encourage you to open your eyes, release your expectations, and allow God to move in the way He knows is best. Don't limit tomorrow's miracle by insisting it has to look like yesterday’s.

Take a moment and ask yourself: What am I holding on to that God is asking me to release? What expectations do I need to surrender so I can recognize the new thing He is doing? Where do I need to trust that God is making a way, even though I can't see one yet?

God is still in the business of making ways through wildernesses and bringing rivers to deserts. Trust Him. Follow Him. Expect Him to do something new.

Prayer

Jesus, we are so grateful that you are the kind of God who never leaves us or forsakes us. Thank you for being our ever-present help in times of need. We thank you that our confidence is in you, and we can rest, knowing that you are God and God alone. Father, are so grateful that you move in such unique, creative ways. We trust you in the change, we trust you in the midst of unknowns, we trust you when we don’t see it yet. Help us Lord to have the courage to embrace the change and stand in confidence knowing that you are doing something so new and so fresh. We love you!

In Jesus name, Amen.

Courage To Embrace Change | Written By Pastor Taylor Hamstra