3 July 2026

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. Isaiah 43:18 NIV
(For) Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Isaiah 43:19 HCSB

Recently a dear friend who serves as a missions pastor pleaded for prayer as he tried to pull together a sermon for his church. He claims preaching is not his gifting. He provided the text, we read it, and Mike wrote back with encouragement. Daily we lifted him up until that particular Sunday. Afterward, he thanked us, grateful for how the Lord had indeed provided.

His face popped into my mind as I lingered over God’s words to His people this morning. Aren’t we all just like our friend? Over the years he  has talked himself into believing that preparing and delivering a sermon is stressful. But I do the same. If I’ve had difficulty bringing up something delicate with a colleague, I assume it will happen again.

Jamie Winship from Identity Xchange once explained why we tend to project past experiences into the future. The past is all the mind has to work with. Or so we think.

Not according to our God. He specifically declares that though previous occurrences may describe our past, they do not dictate our future unless we believe they do.

Paraphrasing the two verses from Isaiah, I scribbled in my journal, “Forget about how you acted in the past, or your boss’s habitual response, or your brother’s failure to stay sober. Don’t live there, convinced that nothing will ever change. Look up. Be a watchman, for I am always doing something new. Can’t you see it with eyes of faith?”

I breathed out with relief this morning and prayed for the Lord to help me catch myself predicting what will happen next. Who am I to think I know the future?