I recently heard a song. I was captivated by the lyrics of the song as they described God. [2]. In this post, I want to look at the song a little bit as well as a passage of Scripture that I have dwelled on for several years. But once again, it has given a new light.
Before we get into that, I wanted to share something else really quick. This is what’s true about God’s Word. God’s Word is alive [1] and He has stuff to say through His Word. It has always been amazing to me how some people think that God can’t speak to us through just one verse or a paragraph of verses or a chapter. In other words, the Bible has to be read in context all of the time to get what God is saying. Also, the passages and words in the Bible only have one meaning. I can’t believe that either. A group of people can hear the same passage and it mean something different to each one of them. This is why I believe the way I do about the Bible and the ability it has to speak over our lives. Let’s look at this verse:
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” - Hebrews 4:12 NLT
First, the verse says that God’s Word is “alive and powerful”. This tells me you can’t put the Bible in a box - or God either for that matter. The Bible is God’s way of talking to us. So how can we say that a single verse can’t speak to us? How can we tell someone that a verse they love - because God has spoken to them through it - doesn’t mean what they think it does because it’s taken out of context? God’s Word is alive and because of that God can use a single verse to change someone’s life. I know that’s true because of how Hebrews 4:12 ends. Let’s look at it again:
“It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” - Hebrews 4:12 NLT
Second, we see that God’s Word speaks to us - individually. The Bible speaks to us. This is how you can sit and listen to a sermon or Bible passage and get something out of it that is totally different from your spouse or the person sitting three seats over. The Bible speaks to us individually because it is alive.
Now, the reason I said all of that is because if the Bible is alive that also means passages and stories that we are familiar with can take on new meaning as we go through life. This is true for the passage we are going to look at today.
In September of 2017, I went through a separation and a subsequent divorce. I didn’t think I would experience something like that in my life. But there it was on the horizon. But as I looked toward 2018, I chose a word and two Bible verses for the year that would change my outlook on the whole situation. I chose the word NEW and Isaiah 43:18-19. The verse says…
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” - Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV, NLT
This is one of those instances where verses will speak to you. God was telling me that I needed to look for the new things He was going to do for me. He was telling me not to dwell in the past and the way things used to be. But to look forward to the future things - the new things - God would be bringing into my life. But also as I said, sometimes context helps. So why does God say this to the Israelite people?
At this point, Israel is in Babylon captivity. God tells the prophet, Isaiah, to tell people that He was going to rescue them, but not as He had done before. As a matter of fact, God has Isaiah bring up the last time God rescued them from captivity in Egypt. This is what God tells Isaiah to say:
“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘For your sakes I will send an army against Babylon, forcing the Babylonians to flee in those ships they are so proud of. I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the Lord, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea. I called forth the mighty army of Egypt with all its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.’” - Isaiah 43:14-17 NLT
God has them recount how He came through for them. Then He says “forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” God wants us to remember what He has done for us. But He also wants us to know that He will do things for us in many different ways. Even though He is the same God, He does things in different ways. The same God that rescued them from Egypt was going to rescue them from Babylon. But He wasn't going to stand the sea up on end and drown the enemies. He was going to do it differently.
The reason why this passage of Scripture has taken on new meaning for me is because the same God that was with me and got me through my divorce is the same God that has gotten me through everything else in my life. God provided for me in the season of my divorce and He provided for me in the season of my job loss. He is the same God. He does the same for you as well.
He is the same God. The same God that protected the Israelites is the same God that protects us. The same God that provided healing for people back then is the same God that provides healing to us now. The same God that provided for the Israelites in the wilderness is the same God that provides for us now. He is the same God [2].
The same God that heard the cries of the Israelites in Egypt is the same God that hears our cries now. The same God that answered the cries of the Israelites is the same God that answers our cries now. The same God that made a way for the Israelites is the same God that makes a way for us now. He is the same God [2].
God is unchanged [3]. God keeps His promises to us. If God did it in the past, He will do it in the present. If God does it in the present, He will do it in the future. Here is the simple reason why I know that is true. Because the same God that loved His people then is the same God that loves His people now.
God is unchanged. He is the same God of the past. He will be the same God in the future. He is the same God of the present. He is the same God.
------ [1] Hebrews 4:12
[2] Some of the lyrics from “Same God” by Elevation Worship are referenced in those paragraphs.
[3] “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” - Malachi 3:6 NLT
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