“The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God.”
Irenaeus of Lyons
Recently I meditated on Isaiah 43:19, and the Holy Spirit highlighted a few thoughts. “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.” My involvement in the creation of new things is to behold. My sole responsibility is to perceive, to keep my eyes open and to be aware of what’s going on around me. I’m to observe and understand God’s movement and what He’s up to. Being watchful for God’s hand in things, listening to my Father’s voice, and paying attention to what’s happening inside my heart, are ways I behold.
I’m able to understand how God is at work if I’m not too busy. But if there are distractions, it’s easy to miss what God is up to. To see the ‘breadcrumbs’ He’s left upon the ground, my eyes need to be looking for them. I may also miss seeing the new thing God is doing if I expect God to do things like He’s done in the past. Isaiah 43:18 instructs us to: “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” Releasing how He’s done it before, prepares me to behold His new thing. I let go of what was, for what will be.
We gaze at God, and He does all the rest. He’s the one who cuts a path in an uncultivated area and clears the way, so I can move forward. God performs everything that is needed to get me to the next place He wants me to go. God may move slowly, methodically, step-by-step. Other times His actions come out of nowhere and ‘springs forth’- comes into being with speed and force. He takes you by surprise, you don’t see it coming, and suddenly it appears. I’ve had two experiences like that recently causing my senses to be on high alert, with my anticipation increasing of what God is about to do.
I’m grateful I don’t have to initiate or push doors open to make new things materialize. I simply need to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open and receptive to God’s next new thing.
“...Look up into His lovely face and as you behold Him, He will transform you into His likeness. You do the beholding – He does the transforming.”
Alan Redpath
Relevant Reflections:
What can you do to behold and prepare yourself for God’s next new thing?
Describe a time when God’s new thing sprang forth and appeared unexpectedly.