Daily Scripture 2016.09.27

Isaiah 43:18-19 18"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

I won't deny it - There have been several times in my life (before God helped me with grace & understanding) where I thought that the Israelites were absolute idiots.
Yep, no lie. My warped reasoning was, "They had God! They had miracles! They had prophets! How do you NOT believe when you have all of that?!?" How do you hold onto a life of slavery when Moses is leading you out of Egypt? How does one worry & fear when manna falls from heaven?

I've learned over time that I am like the Israelites... I hold onto things that hinder my faith & relationship with God. And the more I try to hold onto "the past" (or things, people, feelings, ...), the more I miss what God's trying to show me now. Like the Israelites, I choose to keep looking at my past, when God's miracles are around me now.

So... How do you let go? It's not easy at first because our inclination is selfishness... Our immediate reaction is to "hold". But today's scripture holds true - Isaiah is telling us to "let it go" and leave it with a God who can perform the impossible! When we begin to let go of whatever we're holding onto, God will make a way through that wilderness... When we let go of that ex-girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse/family member, God will place a stream in our wasteland.

I remember a time when I used to get mad when "my plan" hit obstacles - stuck in traffic, being late, plans fall through for a dbl date... I'd get heated! Seriously, I had issues! But I've learned over time that worrying isn't going to do a thing for me. That these obstacles were meant to teach me to "let it go" (in a different way). But more importantly, God showed me that what He had planned, was so much better than anything I could've planned. I've learned that when "things happen", that's God. "I'm late because God wants me late" because He has something different in mind.... something better. And if i'm able to "see God" in failed schedules, then I truly believe that He will teach me to "let it go" with my past.