‘Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 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 43:18-19 ESV).

As I pondered during this Christmas over another very challenging past year, I reflected on how 2022 was a year moving from CRISIS to CRISIS. As we started to transit into a post-COVID era, we were quickly confronted with another crisis, the sad invasion of Ukraine. Then, many other crises unfolded, such as the turmoil amongst our government leadership which led to three Prime Ministers in just one year, followed by steep inflation hitting double figures. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee brought a bit of light amongst all these crises, but soon the country was in national mourning after the announcement of the Queen’s death, which led to the appointment of a new King, King Charles III. I am sure that you will agree with me that it has not only been a challenging year, but a very eventful year to say the least. Many of these crisis were not just national but global, which in fact has given UCB the greatest opportunity to proclaim the message of HOPE louder than ever before using all its platforms.

It was in a meeting last year, after asking those present to define the word CRISIS, that everyone without exception gave a negative definition. That was when God got my attention. Leading me to research the biblical definition of the word, God really spoke to me that crisis did not have to be a negative word – in fact, I discovered that the word CRISIS meant very much the opposite. As you will see shortly, although unprecedented crisis create unprecedented problems, they can also certainly create some unprecedented opportunities. This is why I believe as we now have moved into 2023, we have entered a year of great opportunity.

One of the things that I quickly understood many years ago was that if I wanted to have a miracle manifested in my life, then I needed a crisis first. Well, I soon realised that our life journey is full of crises – therefore the good news is that I was a good candidate for a miracle and so are you! Praise God for the day I encountered the miracle-working God, hence why I love the worship song ‘Miracle-Working God’. Here are a few words from it:

‘So, when trouble comes your way
Don’t you be afraid
When sorrow comes your way
Never run away
When sickness comes your way
Don’t you ever fret
No, no, no,

My God
Is a Miracle Working God’

Never ever forget: in whatever circumstance you find yourself, our God is a ‘MIRACLE-WORKING GOD!’

The other thing that I’ve learnt is that no-one would say that the word CRISIS is a word that many relish and if the last year doesn’t represent a chain of crisis, where have we been?! As I read God’s Word, it is clear that the biggest crisis that opened the door to our broken world started right back in Genesis – that through the fall of Adam and Eve, crisis became part of mankind’s journey here on earth.

As I have already said, I have discovered that crisis doesn’t have to be a negative word, hence why I want to change your perspective on this word and introduce you to a positive outcome of crisis by looking at the biblical definition of the word. The Hebrew word for crisis means either the opening of the womb or birth-stool. In other words, it speaks of birth, new life. So, let’s flip this negative word on its side by looking at our crises as something that we go through that will bring us to something new. 

God tells us, ‘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 NIV). That’s why, just as Bob Gass reminded us in Word For Today some time ago, ‘The crisis you’re experiencing may be a blessing in disguise, an opportunity to experience God’s ‘unfolding grace’ and a greater degree of His power at work in your life.’

So, let’s remind ourselves of the end process that leads to the birth to a child; the contractions are a warning to the mother that birth is coming near, then the water breaks and lastly the long-waited-for child is delivered. All the pains experienced by the mother are soon forgotten once the baby is born, just as Jesus describes when talking about sorrow turning to joy. Here is what He said; ‘It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labour. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world’ (John 16:21 NLT).

Therefore, let’s now look at the crisis that led the people of Israel out of Egypt to give birth to something new. Let’s do it through the lens of the process of earthly birth to really understand what God’s people were going through.

– The 10 plagues speak of the people of Israel going through the stages of contractions

– The parting of the Red Sea was the water breaking

– And the crisis in the wilderness was the BIRTH of something new, A NEW NATION, for God brought them out (Egypt) for them to go in (Promise Land). God was birthing a new nation for the Promise Land, for before that time Israel was never called a nation.

Here is the good news: if you are in a crisis individually or we as a ministry, remember that God is a God of new beginnings and likes doing new things. When God is doing something new it will require us to step into the unknown, which may feel uncomfortable, even painful, as well as scary at first, and that is why we call it stepping out in faith. We might be tempted to hold on to the life we know where everything is familiar, just like the people in the wilderness who pleaded with Moses to lead them back to Egypt. But as they experienced leaving Egypt, they needed also to let Egypt go out of them. We, too, need to let go of the old, trust God and embrace what He is doing, otherwise we will miss out on all the new, good things God wants to do for us and through us.

Today, let’s get hold of God’s promise in Isaiah 43: ‘Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. 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’ (v. 18-19 ESV).

However, you may ask, what does God mean by doing a new thing? – Well, God’s new thing was something that God had never done before. He was going to make a path in the wilderness and water to spring forth in the desert. When new things occur in our lives, old things disappear. Know that God will always have better plans than you, and when he closes a door, he will pave your path towards a new way! When God gives you a new beginning, it starts with an ending. It is more like finishing off a chapter before you start a new one.

So, in closing, remember; in whatever tough crisis you may have found yourselves last year or even find yourself in the beginning of this new year, Jesus our Lord is still the same as He was yesterday and will be forever the God of miracles. For out of the crisis that we have experienced, this year, 2023, God is about to do something new in your life, and in UCB Ministry. Blessed be His name! SO GET READY FOR IT!

ARE YOU BEING TESTED?