“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
— Isaiah 43:19
There’s something so hopeful about this verse, isn’t there? It’s the kind of promise that makes you sit up a little straighter, breathe a little deeper, and think, “Okay, God, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”
But let’s be honest—sometimes, the “new thing” God is doing feels less like a fireworks display and more like a seed buried deep underground. You want streams in the wasteland, but all you see is dust. You want the way through the wilderness, but all you feel is lost.
And that’s the tension of this verse, isn’t it? God says, “I’m doing a new thing! Can’t you see it?” And we’re over here squinting at the horizon, wondering if maybe we missed it.
But here’s what I think Isaiah is really getting at: the new thing God is doing doesn’t always look like what we expect.
We want the big, dramatic rescue—the lightning bolt, the parting of the sea, the instant answer to the prayer we’ve been praying for months (or years). But sometimes, God’s new thing starts small. Quiet. Hidden.
Sometimes, it looks like a seed pushing through the soil.
Sometimes, it looks like a single drop of water in the desert.
Sometimes, it looks like a faint path in the wilderness that you can only see if you slow down and pay attention.
And sometimes, it looks like the simple, ordinary act of showing up one more time—trusting that God is working even when you can’t see it yet.
That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Trusting that the new thing is already in motion, even when your circumstances haven’t caught up to the promise.
But here’s the good news: God doesn’t ask us to make the new thing happen. That’s His job. He’s the one who makes the streams flow and clears the path ahead.
Our job is to perceive it. To notice it. To trust that it’s there, even if it’s still underground or just beginning to spring up.
So today, I want to encourage you—look for the new thing. Not the big, cinematic moment, but the quiet work of God in your life.
Maybe it’s the strength you didn’t know you had.
Maybe it’s the conversation you didn’t think you could have.
Maybe it’s the peace that showed up in the middle of the chaos.
Whatever it is, it’s there. It’s happening.
God doesn’t waste a single season—not even the wilderness. Not even the wasteland.
The new thing is coming. It might already be here.
Do you not perceive it?
Prayer for Today:
Lord, thank You for the promise of new things. Help me to trust that You are working in the places I cannot see. Open my eyes to perceive the quiet work You are doing in my life, and give me the courage to keep showing up, even when I feel lost in the wilderness. I know You are making a way. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Amen.
Reflection:
What is one small “new thing” God might be doing in your life today? Take a moment to pause, reflect, and ask Him to help you see it. Sometimes, noticing is the first step to trusting.