FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2026
NAVIGATING THE TRANSITION TO THE UNKNOWN
BIBLE READING: ISAIAH 43:11-19 (KJV)
[11] I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. [12] I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. [13] Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? [14] Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships. [15] I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. [16] Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; [17] Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow. [18] Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. [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.
I. THE SUPREMACY OF THE SOVEREIGN ONE
As we enter the second day of this new year, the Spirit of God brings us to a foundational realization in Isaiah 43. Before God promises the “new thing,” He establishes His credentials. In verse 11, He declares: “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” Why does God start here? Because when we are in a wilderness or a desert, we often look for “saviours” in the form of bank loans, influential connections, or human wisdom. But God is reminding you that He is the Alpha and the Omega. He was God “before the day was” (vs 13), and He remains God in 2026. If you are to receive a new thing, you must first acknowledge that there is only one Source from which all true blessings flow.
II. THE NECESSITY OF HOLY AMNESIA: FORGETTING THE FORMER
One of the most striking commands in this text is found in verse 18: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.”
This sounds counterintuitive. Why would God, who told us to “remember His marvelous works,” now tell us not to remember? The reason is simple: You cannot lay hold of the new if your hands are tightly clenched around the old.
A. Forgetting Past Successes
Sometimes our greatest enemy is yesterday’s victory. We want to repeat the same “Red Sea” experience every time, but God might want to use a “Jordan River” or a “Wall of Jericho” strategy this time. Do not allow your past victories to become a blueprint that limits God’s creativity in your life.
B. Forgetting Past Disappointments
Old wounds, failed relationships, and career setbacks act like spiritual anchors. If you “consider the things of old” with a heart of bitterness, you will be blind to the “rivers in the desert” that God is opening for you today. In 2026, God is calling you to a “Holy Amnesia”—a deliberate choice to let go of the “Babylon” of your past so you can inhabit the “Zion” of your future.
III. PERCEIVING THE “SPRINGING FORTH”
In verse 19, God asks a piercing question: “Shall ye not know it?” The “new thing” is often a “seed thing” before it becomes a “forest thing.” It “springs forth.” This implies a germination process. It might be a new idea, a sudden burden to pray for a specific person, or a quiet dissatisfaction with your current spiritual level.
A. Wilderness Ways and Desert Rivers
God’s “new thing” often appears in the most unlikely places.
- He makes a way in the wilderness. The wilderness is where you are lost and have no direction.
- He makes rivers in the desert. The desert is where you are dry and have no supply.
Perhaps that job loss you experienced at the end of 2025 was actually God clearing the “wilderness” to show you a new path that aligns with your true purpose. Perhaps that failed relationship was God’s way of making space for a deeper, more godly community.
B. The Case of Ruth
Consider Ruth the Moabitess. In the “wilderness” of her grief—having lost her husband, her father-in-law, and her brother-in-law—she could have stayed in the “former things” of Moab. But she chose to follow Naomi into a “new thing” in Bethlehem. Because she perceived God’s leading, she went from a destitute widow to the great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ruth 4:13-17). Her desert became a river of lineage that changed history.
IV. COOPERATING WITH DIVINE INNOVATION
How do you position yourself for the “new thing” in 2026?
Anticipation over Nostalgia: Stop looking in the rearview mirror. Look through the windshield. Anticipate that God’s “new thing” is fundamentally good, even if it feels unfamiliar.
Trust over Understanding: God says, “I will work, and who shall let it?” (vs 13). When God starts a new work, no devil can stop it. You don’t need to understand the “how”; you only need to trust the “Who.”
Active Perception: Ask the Holy Spirit to sharpen your spiritual discernment. Ask Him, “Lord, what are You doing in my life right now that I am not seeing?”
CONCLUSION: A SEASON OF EXPECTATION
God is a God of the “New.” He is the Creator, not just a repairman. He doesn’t just want to patch up your old life; He wants to give you a new song, a new heart, and a new direction. Believe that He is making a way for you right now, even where there seems to be none.
Can you perceive it? Can you sense the shift in the spirit? Today is not just another Friday; it is the second day of a year where God has decreed that your “desert” shall become a “river.”
PRAYER DECREES
Surrender: O God, I surrender my past to You—both the victories and the failures. I refuse to let the “former things” limit what You want to do in my 2026.
Discernment: Father, open my spiritual eyes. Give me the grace to perceive the “new thing” as it springs forth. Let me not miss my season of visitation.
Direction: Lord, make a way for me in every “wilderness” area of my life. Show me the path You have carved out for my career, my family, and my ministry.
Supply: Father, open rivers in my desert. In every area of dryness and lack, let Your supernatural supply overflow, in Jesus’ Name.
Trust: O God, give me the grace to trust Your salvation and Your timing, even when I cannot see the full picture.
CONTACT:
To speak to a Pastor for Prayers & Counselling, please call, text or WhatsApp:
+2348160525695, +2348034920168
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Genesis 3-5; Matthew 2
Stay expectant and walk in the Newness of Life!
