Scary headlines in the news, rapidly changing culture, growing levels of anxiety and loneliness on campuses and in our communities around the US - all these real and hard issues can be overwhelming! With the development of technology, our culture changes more rapidly. Information spreads faster and farther causing us to be easily overwhelmed. As a follower of Jesus it can be easy to wring our hands or throw them up in exasperation and cry “What are we to do?”

The prophet Isaiah starts out Isaiah 43 with the command to “fear not." He continues in this chapter of Isaiah to remind the Israelites of the reasons to fear not, he reminds them of all God has already done and all He has promised to do. That brings us to verse 18-19 where the people of Israel are reminded that God is doing a “new thing.”

As we look out into the world we may not be convinced of this. But rest assured, the Lord is not silent, distant, or absent from what is going on around us. He is at work, and is doing something new in our world and culture. Our God is so big and so powerful the changes around us might just be what ushers in a new movement of God. We can move forward with faith, trust, and hope in his ability to work all things for good amidst changing times!