In God's Time

Read Isaiah 43:14-21

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished like a wick: Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do 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. Isaiah 43: 16 - 19 (NRSV)

One spring during her morning walks, Tracie Heskett, from Washington, noticed her neighbor building a brick walkway from his porch to the street. Gradually over several weeks, she watched as he prepared the ground, poured gravel, and laid bricks. Then for some reason Tracie could not perceive, she saw that he ripped up half the path and piled the bricks in his yard. Eventually, the path was completed, and the mess was cleaned up. If Tracie had not been paying attention, the finished path might have seemed to appear overnight. But she had witnessed the process: the planning, measuring, waiting, ripping up, and restarting.

The construction of her neighbor's walkway illustrates that sometimes things don't happen overnight - even when God is doing something new in our lives and inviting us to grow from it. Isaiah 43:18-19 reminds Tracie to keep her eyes open for how God is at work in her life.

Growth is a process - one step at a time. We can trust that God is always doing something new. As we become more aware of God's presence, we can watch for the new things God is doing, give thanks, and proclaim God's great work.

Prayer: dear God, we praise your name and proclaim the new and wondrous works you do in our lives, in Jesus' name. Amen.