LORD! WHAT NEXT? Isaiah 43:15-21
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.” 16 Thus says the Lord, who makes a, way in the sea, And a path through the mighty waters, 17 Who brings forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power (They shall lie down together, they shall not rise; They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick): 18 “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. 20 The beast of the field will honour Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. 21 These people I have formed for Myself they shall declare My praise
Jeremiah 16:14, 15
“Do not remember the former things; neither consider the things of old”
1. Do not remember the hardship in Egypt.
2. Do not consider the rigours and devastation of the wilderness/desert.
3. Do not remember the sufferings in the hands of enemies (Assyrians, Babylonians, etc) where they had been driven.
Isaiah 43:19-21
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
21 These people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
Ezekiel 37:1-3 (AMP)
1 “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones. 2 He caused me to pass all around them, and behold, there were very many [human bones] in the open valley; and lo, they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
Isaiah 46:9-10 (AMP)
9 “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure;”
Matthew 7:7-8 (AMP version)
7 “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened.”
1. Understand that God is in control of our circumstances.
(Jeremiah 29:11) 11 “For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
We need to trust and obey Him. Seek to know His Will and Purpose for our lives and reasons we are where we are.
2. Hope in God for restoration, transformation and deliverance.
(Jeremiah 30:17A) “For I will restore health to you And I will heal your wounds,’ says the Lord,…”.
God is able to do more than we can ask of Him when we hope in His healing powers in all ramifications.
Ezekiel (34:26-27) 26 “I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.”
3. Seek God’s Wisdom for guidance and directions.
(James 1:5 AMP) 5 “If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.”
(Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10) “Let me know Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths. 5 Guide me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For You [and only You] I wait [expectantly] all day long. (Also Verses 8-10) says: “Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. 9 He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way. 10 All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and goodness and truth and faithfulness, To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.”
(Isaiah 11:2). 2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
4. Genuine Christians have work to do
Luke 12:40) 40 “You too, be continually ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.” We need to get our acts together and be at the forefront of the proclamation of the gospel. We have received Him into our lives and the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us as to “be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Matthew 28:19-20: “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”
5. Maintain Social distancing, but remain Spiritually alert at all times.
(1 Corinthians 10:13) “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
Hebrews 12:1B). “every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us.”
Romans 12:1-2: “ 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“