Looking at the New Year with 20/20 Vision

By Ginny Chambers

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 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 43:18-19

I never heard of Salvino D’Amate, but I am thankful for his invention in the 13th century—eyeglasses. I have worn corrective lenses since I was in second grade, and they are a necessary accessory in my life. These days, I am also thankful for Ben Franklin and those bifocals he invented in the 1700s.

As the new year and the new decade begin, more than ever, we all need 20/20 vision. In Isaiah 43:18, God tells us to forget the former things, not to dwell in the past! As we set our eyes on Him, etching out time to spend in His Presence, this is where our vision is corrected. Hopeless situations find hope, healing and provision. We can be satisfied, and not one minute with Him is ever wasted.

God is doing a new thing! Now it springs up, don’t you see it? Only God can make a way in the desert and streams in the wilderness. In order to fully embrace anything new, we are told to let go of the former things and not to rehash it. Each and every day, God is moving and doing something new in our lives. The Bible says He never slumbers or sleeps! When this world distracts us or entangles us in just being busy, we can miss it.

Only a God of tremendous love for His children can make a way in your dry places. Your desert may be a relationship in need of refreshing or a medical issue still unresolved. The Good News is God is at work; He is calling us to attention. We cannot afford to allow the past to define us or dampen our expectations. He never downplays the past; He desires us to lay it at His feet in order to welcome the change only He can bring. This is a daily choice. I pray that in 2020 your eyes will refocus and rejoice in what God is doing in your life.

Every day, search for the ways God’s blessings come to you, it may even surprise you! He delights in you, dear one. He delights in you.

Ginny Chambers is an avid writer, living in the freedom of Christ. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering at LowCountry Community Church, gardening, and spending time with friends.