The New Thing God Is Doing
Theme verse: "See, 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." — Isaiah 43:19
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Objective
To recognize that God acts in new and sovereign ways in our lives, even when our circumstances seem impossible.
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Icebreaker
Think of a moment in your life when you saw no way out — and then suddenly everything changed in a surprising way. What did you feel? Share with the group in two or three sentences.
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Point 1: God Is at Work Even When We Don't See It
The context of Isaiah 43 is powerful: the people of Israel were in captivity, exhausted, and without hope. And it is precisely there — in their darkest moment — that God says "I am doing a new thing." Notice the word "now": this is not a distant promise. It is present, urgent, and real.
The problem is that we often become so fixed on our problems that we can't see what God is already setting in motion. The prophet asks tenderly: "do you not perceive it?" It is almost a divine invitation to lift our eyes.
God is not waiting for our situation to improve before He acts. He acts within the difficult situation. The path in the wilderness is not built after the wilderness disappears — it is built right in the middle of it.
Discussion question: Is there an area of your life where you're struggling to see God's hand at work? What is keeping you from recognizing the new thing He may be doing?
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Point 2: God's New Thing Requires Us to Let Go of the Past
In the preceding verses (v. 18), God says something surprising: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." This does not mean erasing our memory or denying the suffering we've experienced. It means not clinging to the past in a way that blocks the future God has for us.
We often walk forward while still looking backward. We remember what God did at the Red Sea — and that's a good thing! — but we keep waiting for Him to repeat the exact same miracle in the exact same way. God, however, is creative. He doesn't work mechanically by repetition; He surprises us.
Letting go of the past — the hurts, the failures, the unmet expectations — is an act of faith that makes room for the new thing God wants to do.
Discussion question: What is your group still "carrying out of Egypt" — habits, fears, bitterness — that might be hindering you from receiving the new thing God wants to give?
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Point 3: Rivers in the Desert — God Provides Where It Seems Impossible
The closing image of this verse is extraordinary: "streams in the wasteland." The desert and rivers are, by definition, opposites. God promises to place exactly what is lacking where it is needed most. Not a small trickle — streams, in the plural.
This speaks directly to our practical faith. When finances are dry, when a marriage feels like a desert, when health is failing, when the church seems stuck — it is precisely in those places that God says: "that is where I will act."
Our part is not to solve the impossible. Our part is to trust and obey, walking through the wilderness with our eyes fixed on the One who makes a way where there is none.
Discussion question: In what specific "desert" do you need to believe today that God can cause a river to flow? What is one step of faith you can take this week?
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Weekly Challenge
Over the next 7 days, choose one area of your life that feels "dry" or without a way forward. Write on a piece of paper: "God is doing something new here." Place it somewhere visible — on your mirror, in your wallet, or on the refrigerator. Each time you read it, pray a short prayer of surrender to God. At your next meeting, share what you observed.
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Closing Prayer
Lord, thank You for being the God of new things. Forgive us for holding on to what has already passed and for doubting when the desert seems endless. Give us eyes to perceive what You are doing right now, in this very moment. Open paths where we cannot see them and cause rivers to flow in the dry ground of our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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