Forget the Former Things

I am kind of a private person, and for a long time didn’t want to share so much online. Time is short, though, and I am convicted for my silence. I feel that I no longer have the right (if I ever did) to keep this encouragement from God to myself. If this helps one person, it’s worth it.

For a while now, I have been second-guessing myself and entertaining doubts about my divorce. Did I really try as hard as I should have to make the marriage work? I was beginning to believe that God was really disappointed in me and I would now never fulfill what He had planned for me. God had an intervention planned though; through the words of a Christian comedian.  As he talked about forgetting the past and pressing on, I was reminded of a scripture that had come to my attention 15 years ago.

You see, God spoke to me on Jan. 18, 1995 (it's marked in my old, worn, NIV Bible from the early days of my Christian walk) through Isaiah 43:18-19. I felt strongly that He wanted me to take note of that passage of the Word.  I worried and puzzled over that scripture for years, wondering what was His angle?  What was He trying to tell me?  Several times through the years it would come up again, and I never quite got it.  I didn't understand, and so I put it aside, so to speak.  I hadn't come across that in a long time, but He reminded me of that scripture tonight, so I looked it up....and it suddenly made perfect sense.

It starts out "forget the former things, do not dwell on the past..." HELLO! Yea, He knows me, doesn't He? Ok, so He has my attention. He knows I am prone to dwelling on my mistakes and failures. He wants me to look forward, though, not backward: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”   The scripture continues "I am making a way in the desert…” Yes, you could say that the divorced life is like a desert; a parched, dry heart, a cracked and broken life. You could even call it a wasteland:

1. land that is uncultivated or barren

…but even more accurate in my case is

2. an area that is devastated, as by flood, storm, or war.

Does that sound familiar?  It does to me.  I certainly can relate to the pain and devastation caused by divorce, that's for sure! God allowed me to go through that horrible ordeal as part of His plan. I don't understand completely, and I know He hates divorce, but He is taking what satan meant for evil in my life and using it for His glory. He has been with me every step of the way.

He goes on to say there will be “streams in the wasteland."   So….He is making a way, a path; He is formulating a plan in the middle of the dry, barren, hopeless looking situation left in the wake of divorce. Not only that, He is creating streams…which consist of water….and with the water comes LIFE. This means there will be growth and productivity in my life…and in yours…as we allow Him to work through us.

If you are struggling with a flood of negative emotions because of divorce, take heart! God is not through with you. If you are feeling like you have failed, like you will never be happy again, look up! Your Father is extending His hand to you. He has a plan for your life, and He wants to help you. He only wants the best for you, for He loves you very much. Give God a chance to take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it around for good in your life.

“I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13,14.

Yes, Lord, I will forget the former things!  I can't wait to see the new things you are doing.  I am pressing on....and I am no longer looking back.

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