January Devotions

God’s New Thing

Scripture: “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

As the early excitement of a new year fades, it’s easy to feel like the “new” has passed. The resolutions, the fresh energy, the sense of promise—they can start to feel routine. But God’s “new thing” isn’t bound by the calendar. Isaiah reminds us that God is always at work, making a way where there seems to be none and bringing life to places we thought were dry and barren.

Illustration:

Imagine a gardener walking through a neglected garden. The weeds have taken over, and the soil looks hard and lifeless. But as the gardener turns over the soil, plants begin to sprout—tiny shoots that signal growth and life. Even in a garden that looked beyond hope, life is emerging in new ways. God’s new thing works in a similar way. What looks dry or ordinary in our lives—our routines, our struggles, or even our doubts—can become the soil where God is doing something fresh, something unexpected, something life-giving.

Reflection:

What if the new thing God is doing in your life isn’t something dramatic, but a small shift—a chance to see things differently, to reconnect with someone, or to explore a new possibility you hadn’t noticed? Sometimes the “new thing” is as simple as being more present, more compassionate, or more daring in faith.

Practice: Notice one “new” possibility today.

• It could be an idea that has been lingering in your mind.
• A conversation you’ve been avoiding.
• A creative impulse, a call to serve, or even a new habit.

Pause and ask God to open your eyes. Where is the new thing springing up around you? Where is God making a way in your wilderness, or bringing streams to your dry places?

Prayer:

Lord, thank You that You are always doing a new thing. Help me to see the opportunities You place before me each day, even when life feels routine. Give me eyes to notice, courage to step, and faith to follow where You lead. Amen.

Thought for the Day:

God’s new thing may not be a grand gesture—it may be a quiet invitation to live differently, to love more fully, or to trust more deeply. Look for it. You might be surprised at where it’s already beginning.