God Is Doing a New Thing in You

Devotional

Day 1: Wilderness Roads and Unseen Rivers

God’s new work often begins in barren places where old maps fail. Like a hiker lost without a compass, we may feel disoriented when familiar paths vanish. Yet Isaiah declares God’s promise to carve roads through untamed wilderness and pour rivers into deserts. The wilderness is not a dead end but a proving ground for divine creativity. What looks like a detour becomes a revelation of God’s faithfulness beyond our plans. [01:17:10]

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:19, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your life feel like a wilderness right now? What small sign of “water” or “road” can you thank God for today?

Day 2: Thorns on the Stem of Grace

A rose blooms alongside thorns, its beauty inseparable from struggle. Growth often happens in hidden, gritty places—roots pushing through soil, buds enduring storms. God’s new work in us may include seasons where pain and purpose intertwine. The scars we carry don’t negate the beauty God cultivates; they testify to resilience shaped by His hand. [01:20:58]

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8–9, ESV)

Reflection: What “thorn” have you resented that might actually be part of your growth? How is God nurturing beauty in your struggle?

Day 3: Broken Compasses and New Paths

When our strategies fail—like a scout relying on a faulty compass—we confront our need for God’s guidance. Past successes can’t navigate new terrain. Isaiah warns against clinging to former miracles when God is initiating fresh breakthroughs. A closed door yesterday doesn’t mean God isn’t opening a window today. [01:12:56]

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing.” (Isaiah 43:18–19, ESV)

Reflection: What old method or expectation are you holding onto that God might be redirecting? Where do you need to surrender control?

Day 4: Sprouts in the Soil of Silence

New life often starts imperceptibly—a seed splitting underground, a bud forming in winter. God’s “springing forth” requires patience to perceive growth before it blooms. What seems small or hidden—a flicker of hope, a whispered prayer—is evidence of God’s quiet work. Faith trusts the process, even when only roots are stirring. [01:14:19]

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.” (Mark 4:26–27, ESV)

Reflection: What barely visible “sprout” in your life might God be nurturing? How can you protect and pray over it this week?

Day 5: Process Over Palaces

Roses don’t bloom in vases first—they endure dirt, thorns, and coloring processes. God’s transformative work often happens in unglamorous seasons of waiting, refining, and surrendering. Our culture craves instant results, but discipleship is a lifelong journey of being reshaped in Christ’s image. Trust the Gardener. [01:22:16]

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature… For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

Reflection: What part of God’s process feels frustratingly slow? How might He be deepening your character in the delay?

Sermon Summary

Isaiah announces a strange command and a sure promise. “Do not remember the former things… behold, I am doing a new thing.” God speaks in the present tense, not “might” or “once did,” but “I am.” The text insists that God is already moving before explanation is available, already making a way before direction is clear. The old burdens and old patterns do not set the terms; the living God does. Isaiah presses the harder question, “Do you not perceive it?” A new work can rise right under tired eyes and be missed because expectation is chained to yesterday’s methods. God refuses to be limited to what God has done before. The same God who once opened a sea now opens a road in a wilderness.

Memory still matters, but it cannot become a prison. Israel’s rich remembrance of Egypt’s defeat and manna in the desert should fuel trust, not fix God to one script. Exile brings new problems, and God writes new pathways. The wilderness image names that in‑between space where old maps fail and familiar markers disappear. The wilderness humbles badges without skills and exposes that pretending capacity only gets a soul more lost. Yet the wilderness does not scare God. God is concerned right there, and God meets people right there.

“Now it springs forth” is seed language. God’s work often begins hidden, in the dark soil, beneath the surface. Sight is not the same as perception. Discernment notices the holy sprout when spectacle is absent. A little peace, a small courage, an inch of progress is not “nothing”; it is evidence that the seed is alive. The enemy wants the sprout ignored or despised. Faith calls it living because God called it springing.

The promise sharpens: God makes a way where there is no way, rivers where there is no water. The wilderness holds no road, the desert offers no relief, but God is not bound by scarcity. Hope does not rest on budgets, popularity, or perfect circumstances. If God raised Jesus, then God can raise faith, a family, a church, a community, and a person whose strength has thinned to a thread. Finally, a rose testifies. Beauty and thorns live on the same stem. Dirt and darkness did not cancel the bloom, and the thorn did not cancel the beauty. Growth includes process, even a hidden coloring after the stem has risen. God formed a people “for myself,” so that praise would rise from those who have been carried through process. Let eyes be opened to what is already springing forth.

Key Takeaways

1. Do not be prisoners of the past Memory should widen trust, not trap expectation. Isaiah’s command does not erase testimony; it refuses to let yesterday’s help dictate tomorrow’s hope. New crises require fresh guidance from the same faithful God. Let remembrance become fuel, not a fence. [67:12]
2. Perceive the sprout beneath the soil God’s new thing often begins hidden, beneath sight but within reach of discernment. Small peace, slight courage, or a first step is evidence that the seed lives. Calling a sprout “dead” just because it is small insults the God who named it “springing forth.” [74:57]
3. God makes roads in the wilderness The wilderness exposes that old maps no longer fit and familiar markers are gone. Yet God specializes in path-making where paths do not exist and in water-making where ground is cracked. Trust shifts from control to the Waymaker who leads between “out of” and “into.” [77:10]
4. Beauty and pain share one stem The rose grows through dirt and bears thorns, yet the thorn does not cancel the bloom. Grace does not skip the process; it transfigures it, sometimes adding color only after growth has begun. Scars can coexist with praise without reducing either. [80:22]
5. Hope follows resurrection logic today If God raised Jesus, God is not out of power or options. That Easter energy does not stay in history; it breaks into families, congregations, and hearts that feel spent. Resurrection becomes the measure of what God can still raise right now. [78:35]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[60:33] - Turning to Isaiah 43
[62:28] - Behold, I am doing a new thing
[65:42] - Wanting old methods for new moves
[67:12] - Do not remember the former things
[68:55] - New problems, new paths
[69:45] - Wilderness orienteering story
[73:21] - Now it springs forth
[74:57] - Seeing versus perceiving
[76:50] - Calling small evidence alive
[77:10] - Way in the wilderness, rivers in desert
[78:35] - If God raised Jesus, then...
[79:27] - The rose with thorns
[84:47] - Invitation and altar call
[86:35] - Prayer for Brandon and family

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Isaiah 43:18-21 (ESV)
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”

Observation questions

What specific command does God give in Isaiah 43:18, and what promise follows in verse 19?
The sermon mentions that God’s new work often begins “hidden, in the dark soil.” What examples of hidden growth (like seeds or roses) were used to illustrate this? [01:14:19]
How does the wilderness differ from the desert in the imagery of Isaiah 43:19, and what does this reveal about God’s ability to act?
What personal story about orienteering in the wilderness was shared to highlight human limitations and God’s faithfulness? [01:09:45]

Interpretation questions

Why might God command His people not to dwell on the past (Isaiah 43:18) while also frequently urging them to remember His deeds in other parts of Scripture? How do these ideas work together?
The sermon says, “The wilderness humbles badges without skills.” What does this mean about relying on past achievements or titles when facing new challenges? [01:12:56]
How does the metaphor of a rose growing through dirt and thorns challenge our expectations of how God’s blessings or growth should look? [01:20:22]
Isaiah 43:21 says God’s people are formed “for myself, that they might declare my praise.” How does this purpose connect to enduring seasons of wilderness or hidden growth?

Application questions

What “former things” (disappointments, habits, or expectations) might God be asking you to release so you can perceive His new work? How could clinging to them hinder your ability to trust Him today?
The sermon warns against dismissing “small peace, slight courage, or a first step” as insignificant. What tiny “sprout” of growth or hope in your life might God be asking you to acknowledge as evidence of His work? [01:16:00]
In what current “wilderness” (confusion, transition, or unfamiliar struggle) do you need to trust God to make a way where there seems to be none? What practical step could you take to shift from self-reliance to dependence on Him?
The rose’s thorns and dirt symbolize pain and process. Where have you experienced growth that coexisted with hardship? How might embracing both deepen your praise for God’s faithfulness? [01:20:58]
The sermon ties resurrection hope to God’s power to “raise faith, families, or communities.” What area of your life feels “spent” or dead that you need to invite God’s resurrection power into today? [01:18:35]
How could you encourage someone else this week by pointing out a “sprout” of God’s work in their life that they might be overlooking?

Sermon Clips

47s

“``god can raise Jesus, then god can raise faith. If god can raise Jesus, then god can raise a family. If god can raise Jesus, then god can raise this church. If god can raise Jesus, then god can raise this community. If god can raise Jesus, then god can raise you to where god would have you to be. Yes. Beloved, don't let the desert define you. Don't let the moment of the wilderness to lie to you. Sometimes, a dry place is where god shows his deepest power.”

from 01:18:35

#GodCanRaiseYou

64s

“The rose does not start in the display case where it has the large price upon it. It starts in the ground. Not only did it grow through the dirt, but it grew with thorns. That means that beauty and pain were on the same stem. And that's somebody's testimony this morning. You have beauty but you also have some thorns. You have grace, but you also have some scars. You have strength, but you also have some stories of how god worked with you. You have worship, but you also have some wounds. But the thorn does not cancel the bloom. Hear that? The thorn that's on the rose does not cancel the bloom of the rose.”

from 01:20:11

#BeautyWithThorns

43s

“But here's the challenge. Sometime, god is doing a new thing and we are still looking for god to do it in an old way. Alright. We are asking god to repeat a miracle from yesterday and God is saying that I am not limited to what I have done before. We are looking for the same door, and God is opening a window. We are waiting for the same person, but God is raising up some new help. We are expecting the same path, but God has created a road in the wilderness.”

from 01:05:40

#GodDoesNewThings

39s

“Sometimes, you cannot see the whole thing yet. It's because you have not perceived what god is up to in your life. Yes. Sometimes, we don't have the full answer but we can perceive it. Sometimes, we don't have the whole plan but you can perceive the strength for the plan. You don't have to have the full harvest. You don't have to have the full healing. You don't have to have the full clarity. All you need is to sprout up a little evidence to show that the seed is alive.”

from 01:15:07

#PerceiveThePromise

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God Is Doing a New Thing in You

Devotional

Day 1: Wilderness Roads and Unseen Rivers

Day 2: Thorns on the Stem of Grace

Day 3: Broken Compasses and New Paths

Day 4: Sprouts in the Soil of Silence

Day 5: Process Over Palaces

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

God Is Doing a New Thing in You

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