New Year. New Beginnings.

The things announced in the past—look—they’ve already happened, but I’m declaring new things. (Isaiah 42:9a. CEB)

Where you focus your attention makes all the difference,  It is easy to focus on our past.  Those are comforting images, familiar and known, while the future is unknown and often seems scary.  At pivotal moments in our lives to look back often means dwelling on what we have lost.  

In our scripture, the people of Israel were at such a time.  They had been conquered and many were in exile.  They were focusing on their past.  The prophet Isaiah reminds them all those things have happened.  You can’t change them.  He wanted them to let go and turn the other direction, for God is doing a new thing. As we begin a New Year we need to be reminded that the past is past! Our focus must be on what is to come, what new thing God is doing.

Three years ago my wife and I were preparing to move here to Tennessee.  Like the people of Israel, it was easy to look back and see all that we were giving up.  I was retiring after 40 years in ministry, all of our friends were in Washington State, and we were leaving one of our children and her family. To focus on this would have weighed down my spirit.  Instead, I intentionally turned my focus to the new that was coming. I believed God was going to do new and wonderful things in our lives.  We have not been disappointed. We love living in Tennessee, being near another of our children, and our new friends and church.

At this time of year choose where to focus your life. Isaiah reminds us that we need to put the past behind us and to face the future with optimism and joy. If we believe in the promise that God will continue to do new things in our lives we will be amazed at what God can do.

Let us pray.

Loving God, of possibility and joy, let us honor our past but not be bound  by it. Instead help us celebrate all the new things you are doing in our life and in the world,  AMEN.

This devotional was written by Bill Green and read by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.