3 Day Devotional: Noticing God in a New Year - Day 2

Isaiah 43:16–18 (NRSV)
16Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, 17who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 18Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.

Reflection:
God rehearses the miracle of the Red Sea—one of Israel’s most defining moments—and then says something unexpected: Do not remember the former things.

God is not asking the people to forget God’s faithfulness. God is warning them not to confuse faithfulness with predictability.

We are taught to pray with expectation, and rightly so. But expectation becomes dangerous when it starts telling God how God must work. God’s faithfulness is consistent. God’s methods are not.

Moses learned this the hard way. Faced with a familiar problem—thirst in the wilderness—he assumed a familiar solution. He remembered what God did before, but he did not fully attend to what God was saying this time. He wasn’t rebelling; he was assuming. And assumption can sound like faith until we realize we stopped listening carefully. (Exodus 17:1–7, Numbers 20:1–12)

Releasing how God has worked before does not lower our faith. It creates room to listen again.

Reflection Questions:
Where might familiarity be causing you to assume instead of listen?
Are you trusting God’s faithfulness—or prescribing God’s formula?

Prayer:
God, help me release my need to control how You work. Teach me to listen again, even when the situation feels familiar. Keep my faith expectant but open. Amen.