“But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 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 43:14–19, NLT)

Are you stuck in a place where the past has a strong grip on you—replaying regrets, failures, or pain over and over? If so, let this truth sink in: the past does not define your identity.

Think of a car for a moment. The rearview mirror is there to be glanced at, not stared into. Spending too much time focused on what’s behind you—your regrets, your mistakes—will keep you from seeing the road ahead. Worse, it can lead to harm, not just for you but for others. God is calling us to stop living in the rearview and start focusing on the windshield—a wide, clear view of what’s ahead. This is the life of forward momentum, of embracing the “something new” God has promised.

The Trap of Regret

Regret is a disease that keeps us shackled to yesterday. If we let it, it will own us, robbing today of its joy and purpose. But Isaiah 43 is a wake-up call. God’s words are clear:

“Do not ponder the former things or dwell on the past. Look! I am doing a new thing.”

He’s asking us to open our eyes—to behold and recognize that something fresh is already unfolding. If we’re fixated on the past, we’ll miss it. The pain, the failures, and even the good memories of yesterday were never meant to become our identity or dictate our future.

Finding Purpose in Pain

The context of Isaiah 43 reveals that God’s people were in Babylon because of their own poor choices. Yet, even in that wilderness, God reassured them:

“It was for your sake I sent you to Babylon.”

What an astounding perspective! There was a purpose in their pain, a benefit to their Babylon. In the same way, God wants to show us that even in our worst seasons, He is working. He desires to reveal Himself to us in ways we’ve never seen before.

When we stop looking at our problems through the lens of despair and start viewing them through the lens of God’s purpose, everything changes. The wilderness becomes a classroom. The dry wasteland becomes an opportunity for divine intervention.

Divine Perspective: Seeing the Waymaker

God declares in Isaiah 43:19: “I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

Notice that God doesn’t promise to eliminate the wilderness or the desert. Instead, He makes a way through it. He doesn’t erase the challenge but demonstrates His power to work in spite of it.

These are not natural solutions—they are supernatural. A roadway in the wilderness and rivers in the desert imply divine intervention, a way only God can create. But to recognize His hand at work, we need to stay spiritually alert and attuned.

This requires being in His presence. When we take time to seek His perspective, we stop seeing obstacles as barriers and start seeing them as opportunities for God to show up in profound ways. He is our Holy One, Creator, King, and Redeemer.

Look Ahead

God’s promise is not a distant dream—it’s already beginning to unfold. The question is, do you see it? Or are you too busy glancing backward to notice what’s happening right in front of you?

No matter where you find yourself today—in the wilderness, the wasteland, or somewhere in between—God is already at work. He is the Waymaker, crafting a pathway where none seemed possible. So lift your eyes and pay attention. Don’t miss the new thing He is doing.