God Is Doing a New Thing

Are any of you as astonished as I am at the rapid social changes taking place in our country right now?  The triple tragedy of the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd triggered a tectonic shift in understanding among the American people of what black people in our culture experience. That understanding quickly translated into demand for immediate change.  It was so fast it seemed like a tsunami for people who weren’t expecting it.  

But there were some who were expecting it; at least they were hoping for it and working toward it.  But for these people, it has not been a tsunami.  It’s been the slowest, most frustrating work.  It’s been disheartening.  It’s been soul-killing.  And many of them died without seeing the change they knew wanted and knew God wanted.  But they kept going because hope springs up in the desert.  God says,

“See I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  

I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”  Isaiah 43:19

When God is doing a new thing, it is often in the desert.  It’s a landscape without hope or life, at least to superficial glances.  But when people look closer, they see evidence of life, hope of change.  The landscape of black people being needlessly killed and egregiously abused has looked bleak over the last couple of decades, even as evidence mounted and public concern increased.  We all saw the clear evidence, but we couldn’t see changes being made.  It even seemed to get worse.  I don’t think it was getting worse.  It’s always been this bad.  But white people were finally seeing it, literally, thanks to phone cameras.  

There’s still so much change that needs to happen.  I’m specifically praying for white people who deny any systemic racism and are defensive about playing any part in a racist system. It’s hard to see any fault you may have in something if you are not overtly committing any wrong acts.  Sometimes only God can help us see.  

And only God can help us see the the new things He is doing in our own desert.  Does the landscape look bleak to you?  Do you see no hopeful new thing springing up?   Pray that God can help you perceive it.  He will make a way for us and lead us to the streams.