Make Room for New to Bloom Now

Devotional

Day 1: Make Room for New to Bloom Now

You don’t have to rush to the next thing for God to move; He meets you right in the in-between. New is now because the Spirit loves to plant fresh beginnings even while you feel stuck between what was and what’s not yet. Open your hands, loosen your grip on old expectations, and ask for a prophetic imagination that notices the small green shoots of hope. There is more—often arriving as a quiet sprout before it becomes a harvest. Make room, slow down, and let the new bloom. [15:19]

Isaiah 43:18–19
Let go of former things and don’t camp in the past. Pay attention—I’m bringing something new into being; it’s already pushing through the ground. Can you sense it? I’m cutting a roadway through the wild places and causing rivers to run where it’s been dry.

Reflection: Where are you tempted to rush into the next season, and what one simple practice this week will help you linger with God to notice the new He’s already growing?

Day 2: Nourish Your Imagination on God’s Word

Hungry souls often grow quiet instead of growling, so feed yours on what God has said. Return to “This is what the Lord says,” and let Scripture reintroduce you to God’s character, care, and creativity. His words won’t expire; they train your eyes to recognize His work in ordinary days. Open the Gospels, meditate slowly, and let the Word water your roots until hope rises again. A nourished imagination recognizes the new when it springs up. [24:59]

Isaiah 43:16, 21
This is what the Lord says—the One who split the sea and cleared a path through deep waters: He formed a people to be His own so they would broadcast His praise.

Reflection: What small change in your daily rhythm could help you reach for Scripture before you reach for your screen, so your soul is actually fed?

Day 3: Engage with Intent, Resist Passivity

Passivity dulls perception; it keeps you from seeing the tiny sprout that proves God is moving. Grace is not opposed to effort—it is opposed to earning—so take a step that aligns your life with what God is doing. Sow, water, and tend the ground you’ve been given; healthy things grow and multiply. Don’t just remember the old story; press forward into the next one Jesus is writing with you. Intentional engagement helps you perceive the new “springing up” in real time. [34:32]

Philippians 3:12–14
I’m not there yet, but I chase after the purpose for which Christ has taken hold of me. Forgetting what’s behind and stretching toward what’s ahead, I keep pressing toward the goal to receive the prize of God’s upward call in Christ.

Reflection: In which specific area—home, work, church, or neighborhood—have you slipped into passivity, and what one intentional step will you take in the next 48 hours?

Day 4: Grace in Weakness, Water in the Wilderness

Wilderness seasons are real, but they are not wasted; they become classrooms where you meet the God who gives water in dry places. You may not love the trial, yet you can lean into the One whose grace is enough and whose strength completes itself right where yours runs out. Trust Him for daily bread and desert streams—today, not just someday. Let your weakness become the very doorway through which Christ’s power rests on you. Hope rises when you discover He is enough right here. [52:38]

2 Corinthians 12:9–10
The Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you; My power reaches its full strength in your weakness.” So I will gladly speak of my weaknesses so Christ’s power can dwell on me. When I am weak, then I am truly strong.

Reflection: What current weakness or limitation could become a place to receive Jesus’ strength, and how will you ask Him for grace there today?

Day 5: Witness the Wonder and Proclaim His Praise

Wonder is not childish; it is holy. Wake up to the gift of breath in your lungs, the mercy that met you before dawn, and the quiet ways God is making roads in your wilderness. Let radical amazement give way to grateful praise, because you were formed to declare His goodness. Enjoy the wow that’s happening now, and let thanksgiving become the soundtrack of your day. Praise turns perception into participation in what God is doing. [59:14]

Lamentations 3:21–23
Here is what I choose to remember, and it revives my hope: we are not consumed because the Lord’s loyal love holds us fast; His compassion never runs out. Fresh mercies arrive every morning—great is Your faithfulness.

Reflection: Before this day ends, what specific evidence of God’s faithfulness will you name aloud in gratitude, and who could you share it with to encourage them?

Sermon Summary

Drawing from Isaiah 43:14-21, this teaching insists that new is now. God is not waiting for a clean calendar to act; He breaks roads through wilderness and lays streams in wastelands in the middle of exile-like seasons. The biblical story itself nurtures this hope: from “In the beginning” to “I am making all things new,” God keeps creating new beginnings through messy, ordinary people—Adam and Eve’s line through Seth, Abraham’s family through slavery and Sinai, exiles instructed to build, plant, marry, and seek the city’s shalom. The climax is not at Armageddon but at the cross and the empty tomb; between resurrection and consummation, Christ’s people live in the charged “in-between,” where renewal and revival are meant to sprout in real time.

To live into that reality requires a prophetic imagination—an outlook shaped by God’s promises that refuses escapism and drags tomorrow’s hope into today’s choices. Three simple but weighty practices make room for new to bloom. First, nourish on the Word. When souls go quiet, Scripture feeds perception, clarifies God’s character, care, and creativity, and keeps forgetful hearts awake to His faithfulness. Second, engage with intent. Passivity numbs perception. Grace is not opposed to effort; it is opposed to earning. Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead is how seeds take root rather than stay in the bag. Third, witness the wonder. Many do not lack miracles as much as they lack wonder. Radical amazement—at breath, rain in a drought land, daily bread, and unexpected strength—rehearses praise and retrains eyes to spot God’s newness as it springs up.

This is a summons to resist the hurry to “next” and attend to the holy now. The God who once split seas still makes ways in testing places and provides water in dry ones. Those formed by Him are formed for praise. Lift up thanks for the small sprout, not just the full harvest. Dream another dream. Keep company with Jesus long enough to sense the rumble of new beginnings—and then move with Him.

Key Takeaways

1. New is now, not later Perpetual deferral blinds the heart to present grace. God’s promise is active in the in-between, not just at some distant finish line. Look for the sprout, not only the forest; hope learns to recognize small beginnings. The Holy Spirit insists on present-tense faith. [18:43]
2. Nourish your imagination in Scripture When the soul is hungry it grows quiet; Scripture wakes it up. God’s Word steadies identity, expands horizons, and reminds us who He is—Redeemer, Holy One, Way-Maker. A Bible-shaped imagination recognizes God’s fingerprints in unlikely terrain. Feed perception to recognize the new. [24:59]
3. Reject passivity; engage with intent Passivity numbs perception; intention trains it. Grace fuels effort without slipping into earning—pressing on, forgetting, and straining are Spirit-enabled verbs. Sow, water, and watch; seeds do not grow in the bag. Participation is how “new” takes root. [34:32]
4. Cultivate wonder and give God praise We often don’t lack wonders as much as we lack wonder. Awe at daily mercies—breath, provision, strength in weakness—reawakens gratitude and sharpens sight. Praise is the beauty of God’s people; it turns deserts into sanctuaries. Speak the thanks your season owes. [52:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:43] - Opening prayer for our hearts
[05:31] - New is now: living in-between
[08:33] - Scripture’s arc: new beginnings
[11:57] - Exile wisdom: seek shalom now
[15:19] - Prophetic imagination explained
[18:43] - Reject escapism, embrace now
[21:39] - NEW framework overview
[24:59] - Nourish on the Word
[34:32] - Engage with intent, not passivity
[37:53] - Press on: forgetting and straining
[46:27] - Witness the wonder
[52:38] - Streams in the wasteland, praise
[59:14] - Enjoy the wow happening now

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
- Isaiah 43:14-21

Observation questions

In Isaiah 43:16-17, what past act of God is remembered, and how is it described in detail?
In verses 18-19, what are the two commands and the one present action God announces? What images does God use to picture “the new”?
In verses 20-21, who responds to God’s provision, and for what purpose does God form His people?
The “NEW” framework was given to help us make room for new to bloom. What are the three practices, and how were they explained? ([21:39])

Interpretation questions

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past” (v.18). How can someone remember God’s faithfulness without getting stuck living in yesterday’s wins or wounds? What might “not dwelling” look like in practice? ([40:40])
God asks, “Do you not perceive it?” (v.19). What habits or attitudes most numb spiritual perception, and why is passivity especially dangerous to seeing what God is doing now? ([34:32])
“A way in the wilderness” and “streams in the wasteland” are strong pictures. What kinds of present-day trials do these images point to? Why might praise be a fitting response right in the middle of those places? ([52:38])
Between the resurrection and the renewal of all things, how does present-tense hope resist escapism and pull tomorrow’s promise into today’s choices? What helps a community live that way? ([18:43])

Application questions

Where are you in a hurry to get to “next” and missing the “holy now”? Name one place this week you will slow down, look for the sprout, and “enjoy the wow that’s happening now.” What will you actually do to notice it? ([59:14])
Souls get quiet when they’re hungry. What are your telltale signs that your soul is undernourished? What is one simple plan this week to nourish on the Word (e.g., one Gospel story a day, memorizing Isaiah 43:19, reading with a friend)? ([28:08])
Where have you been passive in your discipleship—waiting, scrolling, or stalling? What one step of effort (not earning) will you take in the next seven days, and who will you tell for accountability? ([34:32])
What past success or failure keeps you dwelling on “what was”? What concrete practice will help you “forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead” (e.g., a written release, a new habit, a fresh goal)? ([37:53])
Make a “wonder list” right now: name three everyday mercies from the last week (breath, safe travel, daily bread, strength in weakness). How will you rehearse wonder daily—first thing in the morning or at the table—so gratitude becomes your rhythm? ([49:43])
Where do you feel like you’re in a wilderness or a drought? What would asking God for “water in the wasteland” look like this week (specific prayers, specific needs)? If and when God provides, how will you give Him praise publicly? ([52:38])
What is one “tomorrow” hope you can drag into today—peacemaking in a conflict, seeking your city’s shalom, a step of generosity, a conversation with someone far from God? What will you do by next Sunday? ([15:19])

Sermon Clips

you are wondering has god left us has god forsake they're in the in between yet there there are two like major movements in these these eight verses that we read in verses 14 through 21 of chapter 43 and they start out uh with the same six letters this is what the lord says this is what the lord says and then isaiah goes into to say what the lord has placed um upon his heart uh here's something to know as we talk about this is what the lord says when we consider what it looks like to hear from god if you're saying man it feels like god is awfully silent can i tell you a great place to start is right here jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my words will by no means pass away [00:24:59] (54 seconds)

and then isaiah goes into to say what the lord has placed um upon his heart uh here's something to know as we talk about this is what the lord says when we consider what it looks like to hear from god if you're saying man it feels like god is awfully silent can i tell you a great place to start is right here [00:25:24] (24 seconds) #HearFromGod

there's action involved there there's intentionality involved there there's pursuit involved there there's tenacity involved there can i just name something okay let me just name something i know for some of us that's 2025 or maybe just this past season whatever that season looks like for you whether it's a few months whether it's a few years this past season maybe killed your fire maybe it wore you out and you are burned out and exhausted okay can i help you with something find nourishment in the word [00:38:46] (41 seconds) #NourishOnTheWord

can i just name something okay let me just name something i know for some of us that's 2025 or maybe just this past season whatever that season looks like for you whether it's a few months whether it's a few years this past season maybe killed your fire maybe it wore you out and you are burned out and exhausted okay can i help you with something find nourishment in the word [00:38:53] (33 seconds)

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Make Room for New to Bloom Now

Devotional

Day 1: Make Room for New to Bloom Now

Day 2: Nourish Your Imagination on God’s Word

Day 3: Engage with Intent, Resist Passivity

Day 4: Grace in Weakness, Water in the Wilderness

Day 5: Witness the Wonder and Proclaim His Praise

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Make Room for New to Bloom Now

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