I Will Do A New Thing: Looking Forward in Faith

Scripture: Isaiah 43:16-21

16  Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea,

And a path in the mighty waters;

17  Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power;

They shall lie down together, they shaI Will Do A New Thing: Looking Forward in Faithll not rise:

They are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

18  Remember ye not the former things,

Neither consider the things of old.

19  Behold, I will do a new thing;

Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?

I will even make a way in the wilderness,

And rivers in the desert.

20  The beast of the field shall honour me,

The dragons and the owls:

Because I give waters in the wilderness,

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to my people, my chosen.

21  This people have I formed for myself;

They shall shew forth my praise.

Introduction:

The farmer stands at the edge of a field that has been neglected for years. The sun has baked the soil into hardened, cracked earth. What was once rich, black soil has become barren, brown wasteland. The only green comes from stubborn weeds that threaten to choke out any useful plant. To most observers, this field appears hopelessly lost.

But this farmer possesses a different kind of vision. He sees potential where others see only problems. He envisions lush, green crops instead of strangling weeds. He imagines deeply plowed furrows of fertile soil instead of the cracked, sunbaked surface. The restoration will require significant effort, but he knows that with proper care and patience, this barren field can once again become productive.

This image mirrors the reality of many churches today. Congregations that once thrived with bustling activities and growing attendance now struggle with dwindling numbers and widespread discouragement. The pastor, having exhausted numerous attempts to inspire forward movement, shares in the congregation’s weariness. To both church and pastor, their situation feels exactly like

that barren, cracked field—lifeless and beyond hope.

The questions echo through struggling congregations everywhere: “Can we be restored to viability? Is there genuine hope for our church? We’ve tried everything we know, yet nothing seems to work. Why won’t people come anymore?”

These concerns are painfully honest and face countless churches today. The solutions are neither simple nor easy, and the people are already exhausted. These churches don’t need empty platitudes or catchy slogans that offer false hope. They need honest assessment, practical solutions, and genuine revitalization.

These verses from Isaiah 43 can indeed seem contradictory at first. Notice what God is saying in this chapter. Israel has forsaken their God. They are in a bad way. God is reminding them of His faithfulness. He is encouraging them to trust Him. Notice some of these things in the verses:

Ø Verse 1: God reminds them that He created and formed them. He challenges them to not fear. He has redeemed them and called them be name. They are God’s.

Ø Verse 2: God encourages them that He will not forsake them. When they go through the water, rivers, and fire. He will sustain them.

Ø Verse 3: He reminds them that He is God.

Ø Verse 4: God wants them to know that they are precious in His sight and that He has honored them.

Ø Verse 5 & 6: They are to not fear. God is with them. He will gather his people from all directions.

Ø Verse 7: God let’s them know that He called them be name and has created them for his glory.

Ø Verse 8-15: God is declaring what He has done for the Children of Israel. He is declaring His love and care for them. He is establishing that He alone is their Redeemer and Savior.

God reminds Israel of past deliverances—the exodus from Egypt, the path through the sea—yet tells them not to “remember the former things.” What are we to make of this apparent contradiction?

The key lies in understanding God’s purpose in verse 19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” God isn’t asking us to forget His faithfulness or erase our history; rather, He’s inviting us not to be limited by it.

Remembering vs. Dwelling

There’s a profound difference between remembering God’s past work and being anchored to it. When we build memorials to past victories but fail to look forward in expectation, we limit what God can do in our present. The Israelites were guilty of this—nostalgically longing for Egypt’s familiarity while God was leading them to something far greater.

The Lord wants us to honor our spiritual heritage without becoming prisoners to it. The past should serve as a foundation for faith, not a ceiling for expectation.

A God of Progressive Revelation

Throughout Scripture, we see God continually revealing Himself in new and deeper ways. From the burning bush to the pillar of fire, from manna in the wilderness to living bread in Christ, God’s revelation is constantly unfolding.

When we cling to former manifestations of God’s presence, we may miss His current movement. Like new wine that can’t be contained in old wineskins, God’s fresh work often requires new perspectives and expanded faith.

The Desert Blooms

“I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” What a beautiful promise! God specializes in bringing life to barren places and making paths where none existed before.

Are you facing a wilderness season? Do circumstances feel desert-dry? God promises that precisely in these unlikely places, He will do something new—something that makes past miracles pale in comparison.

Today’s Challenge

1. Remember God’s faithfulness with gratitude, but don’t build a shrine to it.

2. Open your spiritual eyes to perceive the new thing God is already doing.

3. Step forward in faith, expecting God to make ways where there seem to be none.

Let us be a people who honor our history but aren’t bound by it—who recognize that our most incredible testimony is not what God did yesterday, but what He is doing today and will do tomorrow.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ This is precisely why the Pilgrim Holiness Church of New York has committed to a three-year emphasis on Church Revitalization. The Theme for the next three years is: Revitalization: Restoring God’s Vision for Our Church.

*The first-year sub-theme will be: From Barrenness to Fruitfulness: Rediscovering God’s Vision through Revitalization. We will provide focused themes, actionable plans, and proven strategies that each church can tailor to address its unique circumstances. Just as no two fields are identical, no two churches face preciselythe same challenges.

This initiative will challenge us to honestly examine our shortcomings, identify specific areas needing improvement, and determine what changes are necessary.

Each congregation must face this assessment courageously. Like the wise farmer who understands that restoration demands both vision and hard work, we must be prepared to break up the hardened ground of our current reality. But when we pray earnestly, depend entirely on God, and faithfully implement what He reveals, we can witness genuine growth return to our churches.

The Carpenter’s Field

Years ago, a skilled carpenter named Thomas inherited a small farm from his grandfather. The property had been abandoned for over a decade, and when Thomas first walked the boundaries, his heart sank. The fields were overrun with thorns and thistles. The soil was as hard as concrete, and the few remaining fruit trees were gnarled and seemingly dead.

His neighbors shook their heads. “That land is cursed,” they said. “Nothing good will ever grow there again. You’d be better off selling it to a developer.”

But Thomas saw something different. He remembered stories his grandfather had told him about the rich harvests that once came from this very ground. He knew that beneath the weeds and hardened earth lay fertile soil that just needed the proper care.

Thomas began the slow work of restoration. He pulled weeds by hand, one section at a time. He rented equipment to break up the hardened soil. He added compost and nutrients. He pruned the old fruit trees down to their strongest branches. When people drove by and saw him working alone in the blazing sun, they thought he was foolish.

The first year brought little visible change. In the second year, small patches of green began to appear. By the third year, those who had mocked him stopped their cars,staring in amazement. The field was starting to flourish. The fruit trees, once thought dead, were heavy with apples and pears.

Thomas learned that restoration requires three things: vision to see what could be, patience to work through seasons of little progress, and faith to keep working when others say it’s impossible.

Ten years later, Thomas’s farm became the most productive in the county. He often told visitors, “The difference between a dead field and a living one isn’t the soil—it’s the farmer who refuses to give up on it.”

Just as Thomas saw potential in that abandoned field, God sees potential in every church that seems beyond hope. The question isn’t whether restoration is possible—it’s whether we’re willing to do the patient, faithful work that transformation requires.