Read Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “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.” (Isa. 43:16–19) Reflect As the calendar nears December, we pull the lights out of the garage and the boxes of decorations from the attic. We set up the tree, hang the stockings, and start the annual Advent countdown. We bookmark the holiday playlist, finish (or begin!) the shopping, and mark down all the party dates. But in our Christmas busyness, do we see how God is at work in our daily lives? Do we remember how he has been at work over the past year? In our Christmas busyness, do we see how God is at work in our daily lives? Do we remember how he has been at work over the past year? We can see God working in the past and present, but the prophet Isaiah also saw God at work in the future. He called his firstborn son Shear-jashub (Isa. 7:3), a name that means “a remnant will return.” This name was a surprising choice. After all, when little Shear was born, God’s people still lived in the promised land. Isaiah named his children (and wrote his prophecies) well before Judah’s exile to Babylon. So, on the eighth day after Shear-jashub’s birth, when the boy’s name was announced at his dedication, Isaiah’s Jerusalem neighbors must’ve thought, Hmm. Return from where? The people couldn’t see what God was doing. They were blind to his future purposes (6:9–10). But God gave the prophet faith to see the certainty of the Lord’s plans. Isaiah knew that both exile and return loomed on the horizon. The nation’s neglect of God’s law, their busy self-reliance, and their trust in military pacts with foreign powers would end in judgment. To Babylonian exile they would go. But then again, just as certainly, the Redeemer would deliver his people (43:14–15). What would this future salvation be like? God’s redemptive pattern for Judah’s future had already been revealed in the past. When the Hebrew people suffered under Egyptian oppression, God made a way of escape through the sea (v. 16). Now, said Isaiah, God would build another highway in the wilderness (v. 19). At the exodus, the Lord snuffed out Pharaoh’s army with their chariots and horses (v. 17). Now, God would again do away with the people’s worldly securities so they’d put their trust in him alone. “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old,” said the Lord. “Behold, I am doing a new thing” (vv. 18–19). If only the people could perceive it, they’d see God at work bringing forth his life-giving water (vv. 19–20). Though God’s judgment still lay ahead, Isaiah also saw the day when sin would be atoned for and God’s perfected people would declare his praise (v. 21). In Christ, ‘the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.’ Do you see it? Just look back at what he’s already done. God is still at work bringing new life today. In Christ, “the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). Do you see it? Just look back at what he’s already done. At the cross, our incarnate Lord took the fullness of God’s wrath for our rebellion and gave us his perfect record instead (Isa. 43:25). When we were dead in our transgressions, God made us alive by his Spirit (Eph. 2:1–10). Looking forward with faith, we await Christ’s second coming as the final exodus and the fulfillment of all God’s promises. We can trust God will work in the future just as he has in the past. He’s doing a new thing. May we have eyes to see it. Respond As you begin this new holiday season, set aside time to remember Christ’s work in your life. What has the Lord done for you this past year? Did he answer a prayer? Did he bring a friend or family member to faith? Give God praise for the ways you’ve seen him work, and pray with expectant hope for his continued work in the coming year.