New Year, New Thing!

Behold, God is doing a new thing! It’s a new year filled with Hope! 

By: Pastor Melanie Neilson

God’s word is full of promises as well as instructions. As I read Isaiah 43:19, I am encouraged and a bit concerned.  

“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.”  

I question if I will like the new thing, dread the new thing, or be indifferent to the new thing. I wonder, will it spring up right in front of me, and I miss it because I am caught up in the questions? Then I ponder, how in the world will He make a way where there seems to be no way? How will the wasteland become a watering hole where life will flourish?  

Here is what I know about God and His word, and I believe it will bring hope to us in the new year: 

1. God’s new thing is for our good, always, always, always. God is at work for our good always, always, always. He has planted the seeds of change, and they will sprout and bring life.  

*What does that require of me? Choose to believe in God’s promise that He has planted something new and beautiful in your life this new year, and it will grow and flourish. 

2. God’s new things often come in unexpected places. He makes a way in the wilderness, the least likely place to find a pathway. He provides streams in the wasteland, the least likely place to find life-giving water.   

*What does that require of me? This new year, open your eyes, heart, and mind to the creativity of God. Don’t get stuck in the past and old ways of doing things. Expect and embrace the new thing! 

3. New things require new eyes. Your job is to recognize what God is doing. God makes it easy to see. It springs up, do you not perceive it?   

*What does that require of me? Recognize the things that are holding you back from the new thing. Release old mindsets, unforgiveness, stubbornness, prejudice, complacency, and fear. Put on a new lens of faith, hope, and change.  

God is doing a new thing, and as we step into 2026, we must remember that this is not just a calendar flip; it is a divine invitation to dream again, to hope again, and to walk with confidence into the new year.  

Let’s pray this prayer together. 

Heavenly Father, as I step into this new year, I thank You for being the God who makes all things new. Thank You for every blessing, every lesson, and every moment that has brought me to this place. Today, I open my heart to Your promise in Isaiah 43:19—that You are doing a new thing, even now.  

Lord, help me to see Your hand at work in my life. Give me eyes to perceive the new beginning You are bringing forth. Where there has been wilderness, create a clear path. Where there has been dryness, let rivers of renewal flow. Break every chain of discouragement, fear, and doubt that tries to hold me back from what You have prepared.  

Make my spirit sensitive to Your leading. Align my thoughts with Your truth and fill my steps with courage and expectation. Let this year be marked by Your presence, Your guidance, and Your miraculous provision.  

God, I choose to believe that you are doing a new thing that will sprout and bring new life. I open my heart and mind, and expect and embrace the new thing. I put on new eyes that will recognize the new thing as I release anything that might be holding me back from your blessings this new year.  

In Jesus' name, amen.