Seeing Hope
I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)
Reflection
At difficult times we tend to fixate on our problems. It is a rational response. However, we are called to look up and exercise our imaginations when faced with vexing challenges. When we can imagine what God might do, we find hope.
Imagination requires effort and work. But it is like exercising a muscle – the more we do it, the better we get. A bad day is rarely the best time to start. Making time to ponder what God might do here, in this place, is a habit. We need to get into that habit if we are to have something to hold onto on difficult days.
Where might God be taking you or your organisation? What might God be doing?
Isaiah paints a striking picture of God carving a road through the desert and making rivers flow in the dry valleys in the verse above. The prophet presents this picture to people living in exile who are longing for home. He reminds them that once they were rescued – against all odds – from Egypt and came through the wilderness to the promised land.
God is saying, ‘I can do impossible things; I can bring you home again. I can do things you have not seen before.’ God brings hope by reminding people that the future does not belong to people but to God.
Response
Think of a ‘dry valley’ coming up this week – a situation that seems hopeless or dispiriting. Ask yourself what God might want to change here. Practice exercising your imagination and then write down what you see, to remind you of it.
Prayer
Lord, we thank you for the gift of imagination and for the many good things you have done for us in the past. Enlarge our imaginations to see how you are working in our lives this week. Amen.
Next Steps
Share what you have imagined with another person this week. This should help you and encourage them!
This Week's Author
Tim Thorlby, Director of the
Jubilee Centre, a Christian charity based in Cambridge (UK), promoting good business, a fair economy and dignified work.
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God on Monday is produced in partnership with the Church of England. The reflections are based on the scriptural readings designated for the coming Sunday in the Church's lectionary. You can sign up to Faith in Business here to receive each God on Monday instalment.
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