isaiah 43:19 Archives - Daily Thoughts about God

“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 43:19 (NLT)

I am in the midst of a kitchen reno and my house looks like a disaster zone.

The simplest tasks are complicated and frustrating. The kettle is in the en suite bathroom, the tea bags are on the coach, the mugs are somewhere in the living room. Everything takes longer. Nothing looks familiar.

Even when it’s time to rest it’s hard to relax in a room that is literally stacked to the ceiling. The other day I stood on the bare concrete floor and thought about the beautiful kitchen that is going in. I remembered all the years I had prayed for a place of my own and I took a deep breath. “It’s chaos now for beauty later,” I said to my roommate and I heard a whisper in my heart. Oh, there’s a lesson in that.

If your life feels like a frustrating mess right now is it possible that God has renovations underway?

Isaiah 43:19 reminds us that God is at work before we’ve even noticed what He’s up to. We see the inconvenience; God sees a temporary diversion that sets us on the right path. Renovations, whether they’re in your kitchen or your heart, are a messy business. But it’s easier to tolerate the inconvenience when you have a picture of what’s coming.

God’s plans for us are so much more beautiful than the kitchen my little brain dreamed up. His plans give us hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) So if you’re in the midst of unwanted change, take a deep breath. It’s chaos now for beauty later.

Father in Heaven, When I look around me and see confusion and loss, pain and longing, injustice or slander or lack, remind me that You, the very God of Heaven know my name. You know the cry of my heart and You know the character I need to build to live out the plans You have for me. When it’s time to renovate, help me to yield graciously to the changes You have ordained for me. Help me to be quick to see You in the chaos and quick to remember that You have not forgotten me, or left me behind. I am never leftovers in your economy, never second best. Give me Your peace as I wait to see the beauty you are creating. In Your name I pray, Amen

Question: Is your life under construction? What verses do you find helpful when the world tilts? How has God brought beauty out of your chaos in the past?

By Claire Colvin
Used by Permission