Part 5 of “Paths in the Wilderness”
Isaiah 43:18–21
(18)Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. (19)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. (20)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, (21)the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.(ESV)
There comes a point in the journey where you have to stop looking over your shoulder. Not because your past wasn’t real. Not because the scars vanished. But because God isn’t leading you backward.
“Remember not the former things…”
That doesn’t mean ignore them. It means don’t camp in them.
God doesn’t just rescue—you. He renews you.
Rescue is reactive. It’s what happens when the ship is going down. But renewal? That’s intentional. That’s when God starts building something out of what you thought was wreckage.
Isaiah 43:19
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.(ESV)
Sometimes we miss what God is doing because we’re looking in the wrong direction—fixated on what was instead of watching for what is.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.(ESV)
If you want to see what God is doing now, you have to let go of what you expected Him to do then.
New things often begin in dead places.
God doesn’t say He’ll make a path in a garden or build rivers beside lush trees.
He says:
- “a way in the wilderness”
- “rivers in the desert”
That’s not just poetic. That’s pattern. God plants new growth in the driest, most unlikely terrain—so there’s no confusion about where it came from.
Ezekiel 36:35
And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’(ESV)
Sometimes He waits for the wilderness to be complete before releasing the river. Why? So we stop thinking it was our discipline that saved us—and start realizing it was His mercy.
Your purpose isn’t just survival. It’s praise.
Isaiah 43:21
the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.(ESV)
Even the wild animals honor Him when they see the water come. How much more should we—those He formed for Himself? You weren’t just pulled from the fire. You were formed for praise. Not performance. Not perfection. Praise.
Reflections and Questions for the Journey
- Are you still measuring today by what was lost yesterday?
- What “new thing” might already be springing up in your life—if you’d stop looking backward?
- Have you confused survival with success, when God is actually calling you to praise?
Tomorrow: Day 6 – The Problem of Forgetfulness (Isaiah 43:22–24)
We’ll look at how easy it is to forget the God who carried you—and how even the faithful can drift into spiritual neglect.
Walking With Christ 
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